Traveling with student groups:

That being said, social media and travel aren’t always the best mix.

When you are traveling with your students, two of your main concerns are their education and safety. Excessive use of social media outlets while on a school trip can compete with both of these things. By setting up clear expectations and boundaries related to social media before your trip, you help your students stay both connected and focused.

Students and Social Media

According to “Social Media Examiner,” teenagers are one of the biggest social media subgroups today — a study by the Pew Research Center indicates that about 73 percent of teens use some form of social media.

There are a myriad of social media options available to teens — Facebook, Twitter, foursquare, and many more — and they are taking advantage of them. Traditionally, young people are early adopters of new technologies, and social media is no exception. Teens use these networks to share information, build communities, maintain friendships, and create their own personal brand. The fact that most social media sites are available through mobile devices such as iPods and cell phones — along with the fact that most teens own these types of mobile devices — makes social media even more attractive and accessible to them.

The study done by the Pew Research Center reflects that teens generally use social media to convey short bursts of information or to share their own artistic creations, like photos, stories and videos.

The Value of Social Media and Student Travel

Social media is all about communication, and students on a trip have parents — and friends — who enjoy keeping up with what’s going on. 

Social media Web sites are a great way to keep students and parents apprised of updates and developments during the tour planning process. Itinerary updates, information about attractions, accommodations, and dining experiences are great uses for social sites prior to departure.

Many groups also create dedicated pages for students and parents to keep in touch while the tour is in progress. The ability to make real time status updates and post pictures for others to see is a great way of sharing in the travel experience from afar.

Policy

When on tour with student groups, it’s especially important to adhere to a well-developed social media policy. Teachers should first turn to their school district’s policies and procedures relating to use of social media in their school systems. If your school district does not have an official policy there are numerous examples to use as an outline available online: www.socialmediagover
nance.com is a great place to start.

More and more teachers are implementing guidelines for use of mobile devices and even computer use during their travel experiences. They are becoming proactive in ensuring that their students are focused on the experiential opportunities during a trip by limiting access to social media interactions.

With a multitude of opportunities to “plug-in,” students have more methods than ever before to update their status. Teachers can take moderate approaches to limiting access such as requiring students to not use phones, gaming systems, or send text messages during tours and attraction visits.

Whether teachers choose to extend their current school district’s policy while on the road or implement a more restrictive approach to social media, the key to success is setting the expectations.

Safety

How can social media use have an effect on the safety of your students during your trip? Much in the same way social media use can affect the safety of students when they are in their homes. By making their location, activity, and intentions very public, teens open themselves up to the public. Is it likely that your group will experience anything untoward as a result of social media use on your trip? No, the chances aren’t very high. But it’s better to have a firm policy in place with your students before you leave.

All students should have their social media accounts set to “private” so they can approve each person who wishes to view their content. Beyond that, caution them not to become “friends” with anyone they meet on the trip until they have returned home and received their parent’s permission. Allow students to post pictures and thoughts about the day’s outings, but only at the end of the day. Discourage them from listing the itinerary on any social networking sites.

These are small, simple measures you can take to make sure that your students enjoy their trip to the fullest.

Social Media and Learning

Social media can be a great learning tool if you are able to use it properly — or it can serve as a distraction from the educational aspect of your trip. Nothing is more disheartening than looking at a sea of students glued to their mobile phones or iPods while on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. By incorporating social media into your lesson plans, you can be sure that your students will experience every aspect of the trip to the fullest.

For example:

• Have a Twitter-based scavenger hunt. Have your students travel on foot around a certain area and search out landmarks by giving them clues via Twitter or even Facebook. They can use social media to get from place to place, learning about each destination as they go.
• Create a trip blog before your departure and have students update it each day with photos, commentary, and more. This is an effective and safe way to interface with parents and administrators while on the trip.
• Hold a trivia contest each day with questions based around your location or destination. Students can use their mobile phones or iPods to look up the answers if they must. Everyone in attendance will learn a handful of trivia each morning.

Social media is a burgeoning part of society and education. By being aware of its power, both positively and negatively, your students can have an exceptional out-of-classroom experience while still staying “plugged in.”