TeachersFirst's Social Media
Social media in education offers students the ability to connect with learning groups and easily find useful information. As educators, it is pivotal to teach students the benefits of using social media, as well as the proper (and safe) way to use these types of tools. This collection provides professional learning for educators using social media in the classroom, tools to organize and share social media, plus some social media favorites (such as Twitter and Pinterest). View our collection to find a tool useful for you or your classroom. Plus, our “In the Classroom” suggestions offer ways to integrate the tool in your lessons.

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Be MediaWise - Lessons to Teach Media Literacy - PBS Learning Media
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (135), media literacy (109), social media (50)
In the Classroom
Teach your middle and high school students how to critically evaluate information with each video's downloadable lesson plans, handouts, and slide decks. Lessons include evaluating actual posts on social media, video, and news sites. Create deeper understanding and extend learning by having your students create "social media" posts using tools such as Canva for Education, reviewed here, or Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, then, evaluate classmates' work.OK2Ask: Engage & Inspire with Hexagonal Thinking - TeachersFirst
Grades
2 to 12Hexagonal Thinking...more
Hexagonal Thinking can be both a metacognitive and collaborative strategy that helps students to construct knowledge. Students can use this strategy to organize concepts presented in class and determine how they are interrelated with concepts students have already grasped. Attend this session to learn about hexagonal thinking and how to use it in instruction. As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Understand how hexagonal thinking supports knowledge construction; 2. Explore three ways to use hexagonal thinking in the classroom; and 3. Plan for the use of hexagonal thinking during instruction. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.
tag(s): collaboration (94), professional development (390), teaching strategies (52)
In the Classroom
The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.My Social Media Life - Common Sense Education
Grades
6 to 9tag(s): digital citizenship (88), social and emotional learning (106), social media (50)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this lesson plan for use with lessons on media literacy, social media, or social-emotional learning. Engage students by creating visual mindmaps or flow charts using Coggle, reviewed here. For example, create a mind map with different social platforms and ask students to share the pros and cons of using each tool. Use a flow chart to share suggestions on how to address common issues that occur through the use of social media and relationships. As a final activity, ask students to create interesting video presentations using Typito, reviewed here. Typito's drag and drop interface includes free templates, drag and drop features, and the ability to personalize and share content easily.Digital Citizenship: Technological Literacy - PBS Learning Media
Grades
K to 12tag(s): digital citizenship (88), internet safety (114), journalism (74), social media (50)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many videos and resources found on this site to include with your digital citizenship lessons. Engage students in learning about digital citizenship using playposit, reviewed here, to add notes, questions, and student-teacher interactions to any video. Enhance the learning experience by including these videos and your other resources into a digital lesson using Curipod, reviewed here. Extend learning by asking students to share their learning using different technology tools. For example, have some students create a podcast using Buzzsprout, reviewed here, while others create and share video presentations made with Animoto, reviewed here.OK2Ask: Social Media Literacy: Purposeful Practice in Every Classroom - TeachersFirst
Grades
1 to 12As educators, we...more
As educators, we can prepare every child to be influential by helping them understand how to leverage the power of social media. While students intuitively understand the mechanics of social media platforms, using them in a responsible, purposeful way to build influence is not instinctual and must be taught and practiced. Learn to develop your students' social media savvy by using practice spaces focused on digital citizenship, critical thinking, persuasion, and communication skills. Explore online and offline strategies and tools to create safe, authentic learning experiences for students in grades 2-12 in any content area. As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Learn the importance of responsible social media use by students; 2. Understand the purpose of using social media practice spaces as part of regular instruction; and 3. Explore both paper-based and digital practice spaces that can be used with students. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.
tag(s): digital citizenship (88), professional development (390), social media (50), student-centered (8)
In the Classroom
The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.Teachers' Guide to Cranky Uncle - John Cook
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (146), digital citizenship (88), evaluating sources (29), game based learning (206), internet safety (114), media literacy (109), social media (50)
In the Classroom
Add this game to your toolkit of lessons and activities when teaching Internet safety and media literacy skills. The Teachers' Guide already includes many ideas on integrating the game into classroom lessons and includes using technology to enhance and extend learning. Use these ideas as a starting point to build student engagement and help them understand the real-world applications for the information found in the game. For example, use the suggested Padlet, reviewed here, activity to compile quiz questions as suggested in Activity 5. After completing that activity, have students create their own videos, fake social media posts, or news articles that contain misinformation and create quiz questions for their peers to complete. Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, is an excellent tool for students to use when creating websites, flyers, and infographics. As a final project, and to extend learning, have students share what they learned with others by producing podcasts using Buzzsprout, reviewed here, or digital books for younger students using Book Creator, reviewed here.YouTube - YouTube, LLC
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): social media (50), Storage (6), video (267)
In the Classroom
YouTube provides opportunities for a variety of classroom uses. Create your own YouTube channel to provide instructional videos for your students. Make a playlist of videos that support your teaching and allow students to learn from different viewpoints. With proper permissions, have students create videos sharing their learning and understanding of concepts and share them on your class webpage. Flip learning by having students watch videos at home to provide context before classroom lessons. Are there too many ads and distractions on YouTube videos? Use VideoLink - Safe YouTube, reviewed here, and generate an ad-free version of the video. Use YouTube videos to create an interactive learning experience instead of passive learning by using a site such as Edpuzzle, reviewed here, to modify any video to your lesson. Add questions, clip out unneeded portions of the video, and add comments and information by adding a recording in your voice. One big bonus when using EdPuzzle is that YouTube videos are viewable through EdPuzzle even if YouTube is blocked through your district.Social Media Test Drive - Cornell University and the Cornell Research Foundation, Inc
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): character education (80), cyberbullying (42), digital citizenship (88), social media (50)
In the Classroom
Share these modules for students to complete during any lessons on Internet safety. Ask students to contribute to a collaborative document sharing examples they have seen of cyberbullying or deceptive news practice. Replace pencil and paper notetaking by sharing an online tool such as Webnote, reviewed here, for students to use to take notes on any website. When finished, have them share their notes using the URL created for use in classroom discussions. Reinforce online safety concepts through gameplay using Baamboozle, reviewed here. Enhance student learning by asking students to create a game in Baamboozle for their peers to play to identify best practices in creating a safe online presence. After completing your digital safety unit, modify classroom technology use and extend learning by asking students to create explainer videos using FlexClip, reviewed here, with suggestions on how to identify fake news, how to create a positive digital footprint or ways to support peers when faced with cyberbullying. Share student videos on your class website and with younger students.TWiki - Peter Theony
Grades
K to 12tag(s): collaboration (94), social media (50), wikis (14)
In the Classroom
In language arts or history classrooms use a wiki to create a favorite historical figures page, have students share their favorite person from history along with supporting evidence. Use a wiki to set up a debate between students. For example, create a wiki and ask students to debate the use of homework in schools, the effect of social media on society, or year-round school vs. traditional school calendars. As your class builds and adds to the wiki, extend student learning by having small groups of students select a topic to research further. A nice feature of TWiki is that it allows you to set up collaborative groups where students can share information and ideas about their research. Culminate the research by having students use a multimedia creation tool like Sway, reviewed here, transforming classroom technology by sharing information including text, images, videos, and more. As a last step have the small groups load their Sway creation to their collaborative page on TWiki. For more ideas and information on how to use wikis, visit the TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through for a detailed, step-by-step explanation and starter help, including dozens of ideas for ways to use a wiki in your classroom.Bad News - Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab and DROG
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): digital citizenship (88), game based learning (206), internet safety (114), media literacy (109), social media (50)
In the Classroom
This game is perfect for use as an introduction to lessons on digital citizenship, media literacy, and social media. Share the site with your students to explore on their own and encourage them to play several different times using the different options provided. Your students won't mind playing over and over; it is easy to get hooked on trying to find the best way to gain as many followers as possible! Once students become familiar with the game and the different options presented for spreading misinformation, ask them to apply their findings to online content. Have them do some online research to find sites or information using tactics such as emotion and the others featured in Bad News. As they research sites and online information, have them add links to the sites they find on a class Padlet. Padlet, reviewed here, offers an option to create columns, use this option then label a column for each badge found in the game and ask students to share a link to their sites in the appropriate column. In addition to adding a link, have students include a comment providing information on why their site belongs in the category. Instead of assessing learning with quizzes or a written report, enhance learning and transform your assessment by having students create infographics to share information learned. Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, provides easy to use templates to create interesting and informative infographics. Extend leaning and ask students to become the teacher using Quizizz, reviewed here. Include videos, quizzes, and other interactive activities as part of your Quizizz lesson. Be sure to share your assessment rubric with students as part of your assignment. Find many ideas for implementing rubrics for assessment along with examples and online tools at TeachersFirst Rubrics to the Rescue, reviewed here.Online Teen Safety - StaySafe.org
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): cyberbullying (42), internet safety (114), social media (50)
In the Classroom
Include the information from this site with your other resources for teaching about online safety. Instead of creating a list of links for students, share safety tips with students by replacing the list using a bookmarking tool like Padlet, reviewed here, to share all resources including videos, websites, and more in one place. Invite students to add their own resources to the Padlet as a collaborative activity on internet safety. Create quizzes using Baamboozle, reviewed here, as a formative assessment during your online safety unit. Baamboozle is a quick and easy quiz creation tool to replace paper and pencil. Divide the class into groups to research the different topics found on this site then let them create their own Baamboozle quizzes for their classmates. Instead of teaching online safety in individual lessons, consider using Use Nearpod, reviewed here, to create all of your lessons. Have students follow at their own pace and use tools with the Learning Paths to offer differentiation for the abilities and interests of your students. To modify learning and further challenge students, have them create their own internet safety Learning Paths for classmates to complete.Headliner - SpareMin
Grades
K to 12tag(s): communication (130), editing (93), multimedia (53), social media (50), video (267)
In the Classroom
Use Headliners to create and share videos in multiple ways. Set the stage for upcoming lessons by creating a video from an upcoming text, post the video on your class website for students to view before reading. Include the transcription feature when sharing videos of student discussions or classroom activities (with appropriate parental permission, of course). Promote your classroom podcast using the Audio Wizard to share a short preview of an upcoming podcast. As an alternative to a research report, use the Find My Content feature and have students redefine their technology use by creating a multimedia video filled with images and video based on their research.vistacreate - Depositphotos
Grades
K to 12tag(s): digital storytelling (155), graphic design (49), images (265), infographics (57), posters (43), slides (43), social media (50), timelines (58)
In the Classroom
Share vistacreate with students as a tool for creating posters, infographics, videos, and other visual media for any project. Begin by displaying this site on your interactive whiteboard and demonstrating how to use the different features and discussing how to find the free materials available. Have students create a screencast using Free Online Screen Recorder, reviewed here, to demonstrate how to use the different features of vistacreate and include their screencasts on your class website for student use at home and at school. Instead of a book report, have students create a simple webpage; use WebNode, reviewed here, and include a banner or poster created using vistacreate to share their ideas. Ask students to use this site to create an infographic sharing nutrition facts, events in world history, or any other information learned in class.Media Literacy - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): critical thinking (135), cyberbullying (42), digital citizenship (88), evaluating sources (29), internet safety (114), media literacy (109), news (228), primary sources (120), professional development (390), social media (50)
In the Classroom
Today's messages come in many forms and literacy can no longer refer simply to the ability to read and write. Prepare your students to be literate citizens with this collection. Many are ideal for whole-group instruction, while others would work best on individual devices. Read the reviews to find classroom use ideas with each review. Although the list of tools is mainly geared towards grades 4-8, there are a few resources for the primary grades.Above the Noise - KQED
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): character education (80), drugs and alcohol (28), social media (50), social networking (61), social skills (22), sociology (23), video (267)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the educator guide by clicking the link to the PBS Learning section for your selection and explore big questions found within each episode. Subscribe to this channel to receive notifications of new video additions. Use a tool such as MoocNote, reviewed here, to add questions directly into the YouTube videos for students to complete as a blended, flipped, or remote learning lesson and before (classroom) instruction. Use a tool such as Voxer, reviewed here, for students to discuss their thoughts on the topic of each video.Wakelet - Jamil Khalil
Grades
K to 12tag(s): bookmarks (43), collaboration (94), communication (130), curation (32), DAT device agnostic tool (146), multimedia (53), news (228), personalized learning (10), playlists (8), social media (50), social networking (61)
In the Classroom
The possibilities for using Wakelet in the classroom are endless! Create collections with tips for writing in different genres, current events, information about specific countries or cities, math games, and much more. Have students set up their own wakes as part of a research project. Put together a wake scavenger hunt to introduce a new unit or as a review at the end of a unit. Share wakes on your class web page for student use at home to review and practice class content. Having the ability to have a cover image and background for your wakes makes them much more interesting and easily identifiable, especially for young or visual students!Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Creator Basics - YouTube
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): creativity (87), journalism (74), social media (50), video (267)
In the Classroom
View videos with a projector or on an interactive whiteboard before assigning multimedia projects. Include a link to the videos on your class web page for students to view at home. Set up a video chat time for one of these YouTube videos using a tool such as Watch2Gether, reviewed here, to discuss the video lesson. Be sure to share with your school's journalism teacher for use with writing and video projects.Internet Safety for Kids Resource Guide - SearchRPM
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): bullying (48), cyberbullying (42), digital citizenship (88), financial literacy (95), internet safety (114), media literacy (109), parents (56), safety (68), social media (50)
In the Classroom
Use "A True or False: Internet Safety Facts for Kids" as pre or post assessment or discussion starter. Project the infographics for students and/or parents to introduce or summarize a topic. Since information is mostly text, except for two infographics, use the articles for informational text reading selections. Improve learning and help students identify important words by having them use Wordsift, reviewed here. The text might be difficult to follow for ENL/ELL and younger students. Use Select and Speek, reviewed here, a text to speech tool that will allow these students to follow the text as the article or passage is read to them. Have students discuss or blog responses.The articles will make useful resources for a parent information night, to send home in newsletters, or to post on school websites. The pages are embedded into the SearchRPM website, so it can be easy to stray into the corporate side. Also, there is a very large contact box that seems related to business inquiries at the bottom margin of each page.Voxer - Tom Katis
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): chat (41), communication (130), DAT device agnostic tool (146), listening (93), microblogging (14), multilingual (78), social media (50), speaking (26), speech (69)
In the Classroom
Extend classroom technology use by using Voxer with early readers in your Daily 5 literacy structure for oral reading and listening to others read. Archive students' reading fluency at the beginning of the year, making comparisons throughout the year. Send the Voxer sample readings to parents via email so they can hear the progress and your comments, too. Use Voxer with any language learning students, both ENL/ESL and world languages. Students can practice speaking and listening in their new language. Connect with another class in a country speaking the language your students are learning for rich, real-world discussions. Create small groups to discuss anything from current events, to how to complete a math problem, to contributions for group research projects. Middle and high school teachers can use Voxer for communication between classes posting a question about the reading they are doing, an equation in math, or a lab in science. Collaborate with another classroom across the state or in another country allowing students to discuss with other students not in their school. Reluctant writers could use this tool to brainstorm their thoughts for a writing piece. With students under 13 consider setting up a class account using a global login. Students would need to give their first name when contributing so you will know who is speaking.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
The Wonderment - Kidnected World
Grades
3 to 9tag(s): communication (130), cross cultural understanding (176), enrichment (13), gifted (66), listening (93), Problem Based Learning (12), problem solving (233), social media (50), social networking (61), social skills (22), speaking (26), sustainability (51)
In the Classroom
The Wonderment is a problem based learning adventure for each student around the world to communicate and collaborate with other students. This venue allows great lesson ideas for digital citizenship and digital footprints. Begin by choosing a path for the entire class and feature on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Have students work in small groups to choose their best response. Discussions can focus on creativity, problem solving, and collaboration between the group and others from around the world. In a gifted class, use as a way to challenge kids to break through the "right answer" and find the "best answer." Use this as a model for finding authentic needs in your community. Be sure to share a link to this tool on your class blog, website, or learning management system (LMS). Use this tool as the answer for the parents who always want more challenge and enrichment for their students at home. Be sure to share at a staff meeting to spread the wonder for other students and adults.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project