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!