Day 2: Social Media in Elementary Music Part 1

My 365 Blog Challenge:  Day 2/365

Last year I started a class website and digital portfolios using Google Sites.  I spend a lot of time updating information and adding projects to our portfolios and to be honest, I became frustrated with the amount of people who actually checked the website.  I realized over the summer that I rarely check websites daily or weekly, unless I am prodded.  I decided I needed a way to send updates to my parents about what was happening in Music Class.

I decided to start a classroom Twitter account and a Facebook Group.  My hope is to reach parents using the platform that they prefer.  Both accounts are private, so parents have to ask to join the group.  I do not include student names, but having a protected account limits who sees the videos and pictures.  I use my iPad to record projects or songs and I upload them to a private YouTube play list.  Social Media allows me to send updates when new projects are added to our website.  I am also able to link the YouTube videos so parents can watch what their child is working on in music.  I take video or audio during many different points of the learning journey, so students and parents can see the growth that occurs during the course of a project.

I have not used it yet, but we also have a class Twitter that is open to the public.  This account is for my students to share what they are learning.  No student pictures or videos will be posted on this account.  Eventually, I would like to collaborate with other classrooms.

We are starting our third week of school tomorrow and I am excited about the possibilities that including social media in my classroom can bring.  Do you use social media in your classroom?  How do you use it in your classroom?  Has it been a positive experience?