20 years ago, the forms of communicating with family and friends were basically the telephone or letters. 10 years ago, emailing started to infiltrate our world. Today, in 2011, people don’t write or use “snail mail” to send letters and some don’t even make phone calls. We rely on text messaging and other social networking sites such as Facebook to communicate with others.
Facebook is the most popular social network, with more than 65 million active users. It is the sixth most visited website in the United States. Why are we not using a tool that is that popular in the classroom? Most school districts have blocked Facebook from school computers and see it as
a negative source, but Facebook and other social networks can have a place within the classroom and be a good asset if used correctly.
Maybe we should evaluate and look at Facebook and other social network sites for what they are…............ a “SOCIAL” network. Goals for incorporating and using social networks should be social in nature. Social Networks could allow students to form bonds with classmates and give them a sense of belonging. It could also increase the bond between the teachers and the students. They could also be a good form of communication between parents and the school. More than likely, many parents are among the 65 million active social network users.
There are many things to consider before a teacher can integrate social media into the classroom. One of the first things that needs to be considered is the filters at your school. Facebook is one of the top blocked websites at schools and workplaces Teachers and students will need access to the websites, if they are going to be used properly. To ensure that social networks are used properly, add internet citizenship training to the curriculum. Adding this to the curriculum can help address concerns such as security and privacy. Finally, a teacher needs to create a profile that is separate from their personal profile. There have been many concerns about the appropriateness of sharing your personal life with your professional life. This could easily be addressed by having two separate accounts.
A media specialist role in a school is more than just checking out books and aiding in research. As technology evolves, so does the role of the SLMS. A SLMS must keep up with all the new technologies. Our main goal is to make sure that students and teachers have access to the best information possible. Social networking is a way to meet these goals. If we properly
utilized social networking for our media center, maybe we could inspire other teachers to try it too! The media specialist could also conduct workshops to help teachers set up accounts and get them using these tools in their classroom.
For ideas and ways to use social media in the classroom check out the following links:
13 Enlightening Case Studies of Social Media in the Classroom:
http://bestonlineuniversities.com/2009/13-enlightening-case-studies-of-social-media-in-the-classroom/
100 Inspiring Ways to Use Social Media in the Classroom
http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2010/05/100-inspiring-ways-to-use-social-media-in-the-classroom/
Inspring ways to Use Social Media in Your Classroom
http://blog.nettrekker.com/2011/04/06/inspiring-ways-to-use-social-media-in-your-classroom/
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteFacebook is the sixth most visited website in the United States – really? I had to check that statistic out and found some rankings actually rate it even higher, with a few placing it at number one. Now that’s power.
I really enjoyed the links you provide at the end of your blog. It’s interesting to note that of the thirteen case studies on using social media in the classroom, ten are at the university level and one is a university laboratory school. It makes sense that the real innovation in this area would start at the university level. Let’s hope this trend filters down to K-12. I also liked the way the mind map on this page categories various social media by purpose – share, publish, discuss, etc. It’s a handy reference for identifying resources (though even the largest print size was still a little difficult to read).
The list of one-hundred ways to use social media in the classroom sure solves the problem of thinking of ways to integrate these resources into the curriculum. But even as extensive as this list is, I’m sure if we opened these options up to our students, they would come up with many more creative ways to learn and demonstrate mastery.
Great ideas – now if my county would just give us a little more access . . . .
Liz
I agree that there are applications of social networking in the educational setting. There are so many online social networking sites available that it shouldn't be a problem to find something that suites everyone's needs. The biggest obstacle is finding a site that meets all of your needs and is not blocked at school! Thank you for including links to sites that share ideas about how to use social media in the classroom. I found several good ideas on the Nettrekker blog, Inspiring Ways to Use Social Media in Your Classroom.
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