When Ed Knight wants to find out what his 6-year-old did in school, he can scroll the on his iPhone for clues to start a conversation with his quiet son, who sometimes holds back when recounting details of his day.
That鈥檚 because Evan and others in 1st grade teacher Jodi Conrad鈥檚 class use Twitter to send out a weekly newsletter, update the day鈥檚 activities, and give parents reminders about upcoming programs.
Ms. Conrad鈥檚 class at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Glen Ellyn, Ill., is among a growing number around the country that use social media and other technologies to supplement lessons, even for very young students.
鈥淭hese are tools that come standard in life right now,鈥� said Ms. Conrad, 36, who controls the account and the messages that the class, as a group, delivers. 鈥淚 do it outside of class, so why not do it inside?鈥�
Her students also contribute to a classroom blog, make videos for a private intended for parents, and write books using computer software.
Like many other school districts, the K-8 Glen Ellyn District 41 has equipped its school libraries with iPads, netbooks, and laptops that can be checked out. It also has a lab outfitted with desktop computers, said Christina Kellam, the 3,600-student district鈥檚 technology specialist.
Ms. Conrad and other teachers who use child-friendly blogging programs and social media are finding the tools are becoming integral parts of their classrooms.
Ms. Conrad鈥檚 class tweeting sessions, which usually come at the end of the day for about 20 minutes, keep communication open with parents and help the children learn typing, spelling, and reading, she said. Getting to push the 鈥渢weet鈥� button is also an exciting privilege.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of our class meeting at the end of the day,鈥� Ms. Conrad said. 鈥淭his is really great for reflection.鈥�
鈥楨ducational Tools鈥�
Educators are realizing more and more that modern technology has a place in elementary school classrooms, especially since children are motivated to use the tools, said David Vinca, the founder of eSpark, a Chicago-based group that aims to personalize programs for iPad-equipped classrooms.
鈥淜ids actually want to use the technologies, and if we make them education tools, we have kind of a win-win,鈥� Mr. Vinca said.
Whitney Crouch, a 1st grade teacher at Churchill Elementary School, said her Glen Ellyn students use secure blogging software made specifically for classrooms. She said they use it to share ideas or stories, and she sees some who may not be confident writers with paper and pencil soar in front of a laptop.
Ms. Crouch, 31, said students like knowing they have an audience for their missives and being able to reach out to their loved ones who may live in other states.
鈥淭hey see it as something that adults do,鈥� Ms. Crouch said. 鈥淚t really builds their confidence.鈥�
Starting student training on social media at a young age in a safe environment with the guidance of a teacher also is a valuable tool.
These young students are 鈥済oing to have an entire life that exists on the Internet in the virtual world,鈥� Ms. Kellam said. 鈥淭hey need to understand the difference between the different social-media tools. Starting in first grade鈥擨 don鈥檛 see any negative.鈥�
For parents, it鈥檚 a good opportunity to teach young children that technology isn鈥檛 for entertainment only, Mr. Knight pointed out.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about computers are good for playing games on,鈥� he said.
