Facebook and Twitter
Social media is a large constant in all of our lives, as adults and especially as teens. We spend countless hours of our week posting information about of lives and our interests, as well as interacting with our friends and families through social media. According to Adelstein and Barbour, 2015, "95% of all teens between the ages of 12 and 17 are online". We've always known as educators, and Adelstein and Barbour reinforce, that in order to really get students to understand their learning, we must tie it to their interests. Two of the biggest players in the social media outfield are Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook has been around for a while now and has gradually changed from a site for college students to connect on to being open to anyone around the world. Artists, actors, athletes, and every day people of all ages connect and post on Facebook daily. But what about using Facebook with a school library? I began looking for school libraries with a Facebook page and found University Elementary School's page here. The librarian, Mary D'Eliso, uses Facebook to show teachers, parents, and community members what is going on in the library like reading challenges, available resources, and fun lessons within the library's walls. The community seems to appreciate this, with D'Eliso receiving many "likes" and comments from teachers and parents for her posts. Having a Facebook page for a school library seems to have many advantages. One of my favorite quotes from George Couros and The Innovator's Mindset is that, "we have to shout the positives so loud that it makes the negatives impossible to hear". A public Facebook page shows off all the positive things happening in your library and can help give a positive outlook to the library and school. A disadvantage of Facebook is that not all parents have access to Internet at home or have social media accounts. Student privacy and safety should always be at the forefront of our mind, so if using Facebook libraries would need to make sure students can have their picture posted and their privacy remains intact.
While Facebook is in it's teen years, Twitter is still an adolescent though the rise of Twitter has been fast and furious! Like with Facebook, people of all ages and levels of celebrity or not, take to Twitter to give their thoughts and opinions and to share their daily lives. I have found through my own use of Twitter that it is a great source of information and professional development for education and school libraries! I love that there is a limit to the amount of characters in the post, but I can then click a link to read an entire article about that topic. I began exploring the Twitter pages of educational technology leaders. I started with The Daring Library, @gwyneth Jones, and was drawn to her pinned tweet about being a Teacher Librarian Rockstar and creating your brand. The tips in this tweet and article were great and a good resource for any librarian.
Facebook has been around for a while now and has gradually changed from a site for college students to connect on to being open to anyone around the world. Artists, actors, athletes, and every day people of all ages connect and post on Facebook daily. But what about using Facebook with a school library? I began looking for school libraries with a Facebook page and found University Elementary School's page here. The librarian, Mary D'Eliso, uses Facebook to show teachers, parents, and community members what is going on in the library like reading challenges, available resources, and fun lessons within the library's walls. The community seems to appreciate this, with D'Eliso receiving many "likes" and comments from teachers and parents for her posts. Having a Facebook page for a school library seems to have many advantages. One of my favorite quotes from George Couros and The Innovator's Mindset is that, "we have to shout the positives so loud that it makes the negatives impossible to hear". A public Facebook page shows off all the positive things happening in your library and can help give a positive outlook to the library and school. A disadvantage of Facebook is that not all parents have access to Internet at home or have social media accounts. Student privacy and safety should always be at the forefront of our mind, so if using Facebook libraries would need to make sure students can have their picture posted and their privacy remains intact.
While Facebook is in it's teen years, Twitter is still an adolescent though the rise of Twitter has been fast and furious! Like with Facebook, people of all ages and levels of celebrity or not, take to Twitter to give their thoughts and opinions and to share their daily lives. I have found through my own use of Twitter that it is a great source of information and professional development for education and school libraries! I love that there is a limit to the amount of characters in the post, but I can then click a link to read an entire article about that topic. I began exploring the Twitter pages of educational technology leaders. I started with The Daring Library, @gwyneth Jones, and was drawn to her pinned tweet about being a Teacher Librarian Rockstar and creating your brand. The tips in this tweet and article were great and a good resource for any librarian.
How to be a Teacher Librarian Rock Star— Gwyneth Jones (@GwynethJones) January 21, 2018
Branding Tips & Tricks + More!
NEW Blog Post https://t.co/yx2V0NOEgA#TLChat #EdChat #FutureReadyLibs #ISTELibs
I kinda pour my heart out in this one. pic.twitter.com/JviSnN1dEi
Linda W. Braun, @lbraun2000, is very active in the Young Adult community, with most of her posts being a comment or reflection on a post for the literacy organization YALSA. The articles she retweets give great information for secondary school librarians and teachers.
The @yalsa Future Ready w the Library project is a great example of the kind of work that integrates competency learning and doing. https://t.co/tBztpyVQDa— Linda W Braun (@lbraun2000) January 17, 2018
Jim Lerman's Twitter page, @jimlerman, has a little of bit of everything for the school librarian from discovery sets, to blogs to follow, and digital technologies to seek out.
Turn the iPad® into a Knowledge Creation resource with Inspiration® Maps via @AnaCristinaPrts https://t.co/OManvpNjvP pic.twitter.com/iaA6IRhCkp— Jim Lerman (@jimlerman) January 25, 2018
Twitter and Facebook are both great ways to connect with other library professionals and with your community in positive ways. Happy posting!
Great blog! I am so impressed you figured out how to embed the quotes. I couldn't figure it out for my life! I loved what you said about Twitter, "While Facebook is in it's teen years, Twitter is still an adolescent though the rise of Twitter has been fast and furious!" That sums up the whirlwind that is Twitter perfectly. I have been amazed by how quickly it has over shadowed most other platforms, especially in the professional world.
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