“Students will constantly post different things that are going on that they are
involved in. Maybe they received an award, won a sporting event or volunteered at
Ronald McDonald House,” says Kim Urenda, a high school counselor.
Social media allows for a deeper understanding of various cultures and world issues.
“Positive uses of social media by our young people support social justice and advocacy for humanity, and
social media provides them with an understanding of world issues in a very relevant way,” says Deb
Woodard, University of Missouri-Kansas City School Counseling Coordinator.
TIP:
Show your kids sites that other young people have started, like FairED, that are healthy examples of positive social
media use. Altruistic kids can complement tweets and posts about their campaign with video interviews and short
informational clips to educate and share with their audiences.
More educators are integrating social media into the
classroom beginning in elementary school. “Our biggest push is media literacy, educating
students to question the motive behind what’s being posted,” Urenda says.
Teachers also role model how to use platforms like YouTube, Skype and Twitter to connect with experts
and bring textbook materials to life.
“If you can see an ice castle in Siberia, then it makes it really interesting when you are reading about it,”
says Sarah Pike, an elementary school principal. “And the kids thought it was exciting when we did some
Skyping with a National Geographic tornado chaser.”
Pike finds that interactive technology motivates students and makes learning relevant. Schools, she says,
must stay current.
“We are training kids for jobs that we can’t even foresee because information is changing so fast. They
must be able to use these tools to communicate and collaborate.”
TIP:
After your next family vacation, invite your kids to make an iMovie with their favorite photos and videos, create a
digital photo album, post a review of their vacation on a family blog, and/or post pictures on Instagram.
Freelance journalist, Christa Melnyk Hines and her husband are the parents of two boys. She is the author of
Happy, Healthy & Hyperconnected: Raise a Thoughtful Communicator in a Digital World.
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Father Lopez Catholic
High School
Basilica School
of St. Paul
St. Brendan
Catholic School
Daytona Beach
fatherlopez.org Daytona Beach
stpauldaytonabeach.org Ormond Beach
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Lourdes
Academy Sacred Heart
Catholic School St. Peter
Catholic School
Daytona Beach
lourdesacademydaytona.org
New Smyrna Beach
shseagles.org
Deland
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