With a Little Help from Friends: Teaching About, with, and Through Social Media

Abstract

This chapter explores why and how students need guidance in using social media and how teacher education and professional development might support teachers in understanding how new and veteran teachers might begin to incorporate social media into their civics teaching. Despite often being perceived as being proficient at using social media, in a study of teachers who used the social media platform Twitter as part of their civics teaching, teachers found that young people needed guidance in how to use social media, both generally and for civic purposes. This chapter also includes a discussion of the aspects of social media that can be manipulative or harmful, often without the awareness of users. This chapter concludes with ways in which students can be supported in learning and using social media for civic purposes.