Ally Mitchell

Mrs. Kanya
Tomorrows Teachers
January 10, 2016

Social media can be both a blessing and a curse to teachers of the present and
future and plays a major role in students educations. Many teachers use social media to
their advantage in the classroom, however there are many negative effects it has on a
childs ability to learn. For instance, social media can be a major distraction. As a current
student, I know firsthand that when a teacher attempts to allow students to use their
device for an assignment in class, students often get easily distracted and abuse the
freedom they are given. According to an article, Pros and Cons of Social Media in the
Classroom, with the possibility that the use of social media tools can be an invitation for
students to goof off, instructors should make sure they won't be abused, but how is one teacher
able to closely monitor the actions of all of his/her students personal devices to make sure all
students are on task? The author of Social Media Networks are Distracting Students agrees
saying, the partial attention students are giving their teachers is not sufficient. If
students are spending their class time checking their social media apps on their phone,
they will never have the ability to stay focused in any aspect of their lives.
In addition to a students lack of focus, the presence of social media in the
classroom also creates the issue of cyber bullying, a major and growing problem faced by
the children and teens of America. Cyber bullying is defined as follows, according to
Google Dictionary: when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed,

humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the
Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. Bullying can undermine
a students education and cause victims to become increasingly more distracted especially
when dealing with the sadness and depression that can ensue in a child that is being
bullied. According an article, Cyber Bullying and the Classroom, victims of
cyberbullying are often likely to disengage from school causing their academic standing
to dwindle. Fortunately, there are many ways teachers and parents can prevent cyber
bullying according to Bullying and Cyberbullying: Six Things Teachers Can Do. Overall,
social medias role in education is substantial and if abused has many negative long-term
consequences.

Works Cited
Lederer, Karen. "Pros and Cons of Social Media in the Classroom."
Campustechnology.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.
Paton, Jasmine. "Social Media Networks Are Distracting Students." Social Media
Networks Are Distracting Students. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.
"Bullying and Cyberbullying: What Teachers Can Do." Education World:. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.
Stoel, Courtney. "Cyber Bullying and the Classroom."Scholarworks.gvsu.edu.
N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.