I've just read an article in Mashable - The case for Social Media in Schools. It begins with an a example of how a teacher, Elizabeth Delmatoff is using social media in her 7th grade class, and then states ..
"At a time when many teachers are made wary by reports of predators and bullies online, social media in the classroom is not the most popular proposition. Teachers like Delmatoff, however, are embracing it rather than banning it. They argue that the educational benefits of social media far outweigh the risks, and they worry that schools are missing out on an opportunity to incorporate learning tools the students already know how to use."
The article then provides six reasons why other schools should do the same, the first one being - Social Media are not going away, and explains
"When schools have tried to ban social media, now an integral part of a young person’s life, they’ve had negative results."
Of course, it's not just schools that are wary of social media, businesses are too, and like schools they have found it easier to ban social media than to understand how to harness the benefits it can bring to them in the business as a whole (not just for training) by encouraging their people to use it.
Recently, I compiled a resource - 10 reasons NOT to ban social media in organisations - with the help of over 30 contributors
... and my article, It's time to welcome social media, not ban it, has just appeared in September's edition of elearning age Magazine.
Of course, schools and businesses will still have their concerns, so an important first step is to help them, as well as their pupils or workers, understand how to use it safely, responsibly and effectively. (I run a one-day workshop for businesses that addresses these issues, and ensures that both managers and workers feel confident and comfortable with its use.)
This is also the view of the Mashable article, which concludes
"Nobody would dispute that the risks of children using social media are real and not to be taken lightly. But there are also dangers offline. The teachers and parents who embrace social media say the best way to keep kids safe, online or offline, is to teach them."
