Safe social media learning and global connections for primary schools
The Dramaforum mission
Empowering children to be active global citizens
Do you teach your students to use social media? Question
- 59% of children aged 10 have used a social networking site
- Mostly popular social networking sites among teens: - Facebook - WhatsApp - BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) - SnapChat - Ask.fm
Some facts
Results based on Knowthenet’s The Social Age survey (www.knowthenet.org.uk/), published in e.g. The Telegraph and Daily Mail
- Cyber bullying - Leaving outside - Calling names & threatening - Fake pro!les for bullying
- Huge effect on self-image - Competing in likes & comments
- Stress & pressure to be constantly online
A lot of good, just some things to be aware of:
Children need assistance in using social media A 21st century skill
- Post home work or useful links on a class blog / wall - Encourage students to interact or ask questions
- Use social media as the way to hand in assignments - Write blog posts - Share images & videos
- Share work and have students evaluate others’ work - Co-create material
- Create wiki pages e.g. on your local area - Write blog or other posts and discuss what is appropriate to share - Share experiences and cultural information with a twin class through
a class blog - Create a video and share it on YouTube
- Discuss a topic through chat and let students re#ect on the experience - Ask the students to keep a blog e.g. on their favourite hobby
Some ideas how to use social media in primary level education
- Tool to help educators teach communication and social media skills on primary school level
- Safe environment controlled by the teacher - Can be used for any subject - Online tool – no installations required - Developed with teachers in Finland
Petra’s Planet for Schools
Built on top of Petra’s Planet virtual world
- Chat - First touch to live chat - Practice within safety of class - Chat log for teacher - Prede!ned and free-text modes
- Pigeon Post (simple email) - First touch to email - Understand the consept of
sending and receiving email - Practice within safety of class - Prede!ned and free-text modes
Communication and collaboration features
- Friend list - Blog
- Simple and easy to use blogging - Teaches concept of sharing levels - Liking and commenting
- Class blog - Crowd sourcing within class - Sharing between twin classes
Social media features
- Search for twin classes - Be found yourself - From within same school to global
Twinning
For more information, please visit:
Petrasplanetforschools.com
Thank you!