There are
many pros and cons associated with allowing social networking in schools.
The biggest challenge is that many schools are not prepared to allow
all aspects of social media in school. They are concerned about "stranger
danger" and cyber bullies. There is also the concern that more computer
time would decrease "face-to-face social
skills needed to survive in the workplace" (Pandolfo, 2012). Schools
would have to create new policies and guidelines that address their
concerns and they would have to spend time educating their students about
proper use of social networking sites.
However,
this would be time well spent. It would be a good opportunity to further
educate their students about digital citizenship (a necessary skill in today's
world). Even if a school is not ready to allow sites like Facebook
and Twitter, they could at least allow social networking sites like
EdMoto and, for the younger students, Penguin Club. EdMoto "is
loosely based on Facebook, [and] looks and feels very familiar" (SNHU,
2015). "Within Club Penguin, children between the ages of 6 and 13
can befriend and chat with other children they have met through the online
game. There are moderators that ensure the chat content is appropriate"
(SNHU, 2015). I am a high school teacher, so I mainly see Edmoto and Google
Classroom being used (not Penguin Club). I have discussed the use of
these sites with my students, and most of them prefer Google Classroom. They
just like being able to use their Google log in for everything.
Regardless, I think it is great if a teacher is using any sort of
social networking site to connect with their students and share and
discuss educational resources and topics. The best part about social
networking sites is that they are interactive. They allow students to connect,
interact, and collaborate with each other and their teachers. These online
environments, along with Blogs and Wikis, are really conducive to learning.
Another big pro to allowing social networking sites in schools is that they can
provide teachers with a lot of data. "The
idea is that the data collected by video games and social media sites can be
provided, sometimes in real time, to teachers who can then use it to better
understand their students and tailor instruction to meet individual needs"
(Pandolfo, 2012). We can use video games to track progress, and responses on
social media sites to do quick checks for understanding. We can get the information
we need, while students are allowed to do something they enjoy. Seems like a
win-win to me!
References
SNHU.
(2015). Module Five Overview. Retrieved from https://bb.snhu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-5505242-dt-content-rid-11312991_1/xid-11312991_1
Pandolfo,
N. (2012). Social Media And Video Games In Classrooms Can Yield Valuable Data
For Teachers. The Hechinger Report. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/30/social-media-and-video-ga_n_1465082.html
I agree that there is a huge concern in schools and parents about cyber bullying and communication between strangers. I think that it would also be a smart decision for the school to create district wide guidelines and policy that relate to this specific usage. Teaching digital citizenship on the topic of social networking websites would benefit students greatly, especially considering the posts and information that is being seen by potential employers. I was unaware of EdMoto and Penguin Club that are based for children who are at a younger age; I think this would be a nice introduction into using these types of sites. Google Classroom is a wonderful source too, that I would have to prefer along with your students. There are many applications of these resources and using them in the classroom can help to better inform and prepare students to use them in their future.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I agree with a lot of what you're saying in your post. I think sometimes there is overreaction to things like cyber bullying and stranger danger. I think those things have always been around, they are just more prevalent because of news and social media reporting about it so much. I think if we spend time educating our students and embedding digital citizenship some of these issues will be lesser issues and not as big of a problem as they are now.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of using social media in the classroom. Until this class I was not sure how to use it, but I think I could create a hashtag with my specific classes in Twitter to have weekly discussions with them. I really think there are numerous ways to use social media. I also plan on having students create a wiki over the novels they are reading instead of writing a literary analysis paper. I think this would work well as a group project. Social media can be scary, but now that I have embraced it, I am actually really excited to use it more often!
ReplyDeleteI really like how in the opening you discuss the reservations that individuals may have in regards to social media, and this can be overcome with the development of training for staff, policies that clearly lay out the expectations for how to correctly use the media, and communication with what consequences would occur if the digital platforms were violated. Furthermore, I also believe that social media in the classroom is such an important tool for communication, collaboration, and learning. The phrase you use "conducive to learning" is so dead on because social media will not distract from learning as many fear, but instead when used correctly can enhance learning and interactions in the classroom. For instance, I use Twitter with my students for communication about class activities, to connect them professional educationally relevant Twitter accounts, and also as learning experiences for how to correctly microblog. Since the implementation of this social media venue, I have seen increased interest from many of my learners in the content of my course. Great post.
ReplyDeleteGreat points! I agree with you that we focus too much on the negative aspects of social media and not enough on the positive aspects when it comes to social media being used in schools. The fact that teachers can be using social media as a way to gather data is huge to me and often overlooked. Your words could not ring anymore true: "We can get the information we need, while students are allowed to do something they enjoy. Seems like a win-win to me!" It is unfortunate because in the end, I feel that those who are opposed to social media in the classroom are opposed to it for what they have heard from the media, not because of what they have seen with there own eyes.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I really like how you provided alternatives to Facebook and Twitter. Social networking can be a great asset to education. It helps students develop their communication, writing and collaboration skills, however, the tools we use in our personal lives (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) may be too much for classroom use. There are educational sites like the ones that you pointed out that can achieve the skill development, while keeping the focus on education and learning. It is the duty of the technology integration specialist and the teacher to determine which tools are best for the results they are trying to achieve. They do need to take into account the safety, moral and legal issues that come with some tools, however, if approached correctly, these tools can end up enhancing the learning process instead of hindering it.
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