Social or Not-so-Social in the Classroom!?

For the last 7-some years I have been teaching in a Public School, it has been instructed to us, teachers, to refrain from "friending" any of our current or future students on social media, even if these students are related to us. In addition, the three schools I have taught at since then, all have/had a strict no-technology policy while on campus. 

While many of our schools have adopted Google Apps for Education (GAFE) in the last few years, and Google+ along with Google Classroom have become a solid educational tool, many of our administrators still frown upon the use of social media as a teaching tool.

I personally have rebelled agains Hawaii DOE policy in a major way. While I do not "friend" current students via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or SnapChat, I do have them added through Google+ in a closed school domain setting via GAFE. Some of my students are extended -calabash- family members, and have been in my social media circles for years, and the fact that Hawaii is such a close-knit community -even with us being spread out over several islands- makes it that you know many people in many places, without even considering your work environment. 

I like Google+ as an educational tool, mostly because it as also streamlined with Google Calendar, it allows me to create communities that I can keep private so I can still protect my students from outside observers.

I believe Twitter can be a powerful educational tool as well. The instant notifications, and the option to create very specific and unique #handles makes it a little more personalized. And Twitter, unlike Facebook, is not blocked on student DOE servers. Twitter is powerful, as I can "tell" my students about any new, developing stories about our Solar System, our Universe, etc. 
I can also Tweet to remind my students about any due assignments, things to bring to class, remind them about tests or quizzes, etc.

I have used the Remind app, as a tool to keep my students and their parents up to date regarding due dates, upcoming major events or projects, etc. but found just a very small percentage of buy-in (21%) although 87% of my student and their parents have texting service on their mobile devices. 

From my point of view, and as observed from the Giant Rock I live on, most of our students and parents need to learn first on how to get away from Social Media as an instant gratification or venting tool, and learn how it can become a very powerful personal assistant and teacher... And the first groups of people who really need to change their openness and perspective on how Social Media can help our students in a very powerful way, are our Admin, District and State DOE personnel.  They need to get away from their own personal inhibitions and misinformation on Social Media, jump into the 21st Century, and let the teachers -the folks on the first line of Defense, the folks who really work with the students, know them and teach them- lead the way on bringing learning into this Century...