Am I Influenced By Social Media?

About 10 years or so, I joined the concept of Social Media. With close relatives still residing in Europe, and I living across the Globe, Social Media became the first line of communication with Family to share pictures, get updates on what is going on, and to inform each other of sudden changes or family emergencies, etc. I have seen my cousins' and second cousins' kids grow up via Facebook and Twitter, although I never met them in person-which is pretty sad, but a whole different story. 

While I do have the occasional sudden outbursts of happiness or discontent, and these outburst are usually very vocal and explicit, I have slowed down in posting sudden outbursts on Social Media. I still tend to "like", "1+", or "favorite" posts on various sites, I have slowed down in, and re-evaluated what I post and how I post it. The majority of my public sharing of opinions, emotions or updates, are usually very general and not very provoking of public response.
I do use the private messaging options in my various social media means, to approach other people in my networks or to share VERY opinionated thoughts with people in my networks. 

I think I would like to branch out in to the vast net of Social Media, and create an alter ego for Educational Purposes; start using Social Media as a tool to keep my students on their toes regarding assignments, due dates, resources, etc. These channels will need to stay private, as my students are minors. Over the last 2 or 3 years, I have seen an increase of the use of Social Media as an Educational Tool, and have seen apps been created just for Educational purposes. As a Techie, I am always looking for new goodies I could use in my classroom, for educational purposes: sharing resources, sharing info on assignments, etc. Many commonly used Social Media tools have options to create private groups or lists, while others-like Edmodo, Remind, etc.- focus on just classroom/college cohort applications. Other ways Social Media could be used: means for Professional Development Groups to communicate and share resources, discussion boards on pressing developments in education, etc. 

For these Social Media tools to become valuable tools in an Educational Setting, many K-12 school districts will need to revise their internet and social media policies, especially now that Google Apps For Education has become a very Global tool for teachers and their students to collaborate. While I have been "breaking the rules" according to DOE policies regarding Social Media use to communicate with students, especially with GAFE, DOE and BOE rules need to be changed if Social Media will be used for educational purposes....

Not sure how long that will take, but I am not holding my breathe. I just keep breaking the rules until they change them!