Can we have a Class on Social Media? | W12 Q1 | Forum

I don’t mean a class on the topic of social media, but can a social media be a suitable host for a class? I imagine something like a Facebook group where there is a syllabus, a forum, and a place for live discussion.

This was the question in the back of my mind this week as I read our class readings. Particularly, I began having this thought from our first reading Greenhow, Galvin and Staudt-Williet (2019). These authors point to the pervasive nature of social media. It’s present in many aspects of our lives including formal education, but I wonder can this influence on education extend outside of the institutionalized structures of formal education. The first line of the article abstract reads, “Social media provide new opportunities for when, how, where, and with whom people learn.” This raises the question of does the educational uses of social media have to be tied to an institutionalized context. I think a compelling point made by this article was that social media can improve students’ connections to their respective and collective communities, inside and outside of the classroom. The authors also raise the point that teachers use social media platforms for community building and resource sharing. I think hosting class in the context of social media more readily allows for resource finding and sharing. I think that the stigma and barriers related to internet resources would be reduced if the class is already on the world wide web. This could also be a constraint as the readily available resources may not be as credible, but that can present a learning opportunity in and of itself if it is leveraged to that potential.
Ahn, Bivona, and DiScala (2011) point to other concerns and constraints that may be present in my idea of hosting class using a social media platform. Using these platforms would run right up against the standards of the Children’s Internet Protect Act (CIPA). [(1)
implement policies that block or filter inappropriate materials, (2) monitor the online activities of minors, and (3) create Internet safety policies (Quinn, 2003)] Facilitators in an environment like the one i am suggesting would have to find ways to protect youth and monitor their online activities as well as the activities of others. Not being tied to an institution could potentially cause facilitators to not be as cognizant of the protections children need in these environments. That said, would these environments be suitable for k-12 learning or should they be reserved for more mature audiences who know how to navigate the web in a safer manner?
Further, Edutopia’s guidelines for creating social media guidelines for school includes a suggestion for including the school’s attorney. Should a class not attached to an institution also consider legal protections? I think so, especially if children are to be involved. This would protect the users and the facilitators.
All that to say, I’d focus my efforts on safely building and connecting communities across educational contexts.