Description
“Students spend far too many hours on Instagram and Tik Tok.”
“Why do students spend so much time on Snapchat?”
“YouTube… interesting educational content is hard to find…”
Have you ever thought of anything similar?
The truth is that, while one can easily complain about the negative impact of social media on today’s students’ learning capacities, social media also represents their favorite channel of communication. Accordingly, mastering their language can provide the main advantage to getting in contact with the young generations, and can greatly benefit education and teaching.
This course will help school teachers exploit the power of social media to engage and motivate their students, thereby keeping pace with fast change in the digital world. Participants will explore the nuances of contemporary Digital Culture, learning to recognize both its charms and dangers.
The discussion will progressively move away from the negative aspects and dangers of digital technologies (e.g., grooming, cyberbullying, problems in focusing and attention, Stroop effect, and addiction) to the positive side and the responsible use of social networks and digital tools.
Emphasis will be placed on the most popular social media and on their potential in educational settings. Participants will discover many practical activities to use social media in their teaching, thereby improving their communication abilities with their students, and making their classes more effective and enjoyable.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to “speak” the same language as the new generations and have a clearer understanding of their digital and social world.
They will feel ready to use social media for effective teaching and to guide their students in exploiting the Web for the tremendous possibilities it offers.
Requirements
Suggested computer proficiency: Basic
Learning outcomes
The course will help the participants to:
- Articulate a general vision about the role of technology and social media in building social relations and learning;
- Understand the developmental challenges for a teenager in the digital age;
- Be aware of the threats of digital technology to our lives (including Cyberbullying and Addictions);
- See the positive side of social media;
- Use social media in the classroom to enhance students’ engagement;
- Employing social media to strengthen teachers’ communication with their students;
- Manage a classroom with dedicated social media;
- Learn how students can positively use technology in their own private life, to understand the world and express their talents;
- Introduce videos and quizzes in their lessons.
Tentative schedule
Day 1 – Course introduction and the technology revolution
- Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
- Icebreaker activities;
- Presentations of the participants’ schools;
- A short history of the technology revolution;
- The new paradigm of a digital native’s life: communication, emotional well-being, intelligence, information overload, super stimulation, and the paradox of choice.
Day 2 – Digital culture
- What is digital culture?
- Security, safety, and privacy: digital risks for kids and teenagers;
- Recognizing and responding to digital threats.
Day 3 – Using social media
- Knowing how to change your classroom with social media suitable for creating an engaging and effective classroom online environment;
- Padlet;
- Trello;
- Quizzes creator programs.
Day 4 – Why not? Teaching with videos
- How to use social media and videos to enrich your classroom and to let your students learn with fun;
- YouTube for Education;
- TED.
Day 5 – Social media platforms
- The most famous social media: the old ones (Facebook, Twitter) and the new ones (for example Instagram and Snapchat).
Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities
- Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
- Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
- Excursion and other external cultural activities.