Social networking and social bookmarking are new tools used in many classrooms to engage students in ways that interest them most. Students are already spending large amounts of time on social networking sites and numbers are increasing. Sarah Kessler (2010) states “Between 2004 and 2009, the amount of time that kids between the ages of 2 and 11 spent online increased by 63%, according to a Nielson study.” Many teachers are discovering if they can bring social networking into the classroom students are more motivated to participate actively. One way teachers can use social networking is to create a classroom blog. Sites like Edublogs and Kidblogs are free and safe. Teachers can create classroom blogs where students can write and comment only on each other’s blogs. Teachers can post questions, or have students create questions, about what they are reading for or in class. Teachers can push students to use higher level thinking by teaching students how to evaluate and analyze readings and other students’ posts. Students writing will carry more meaning for them because they are not writing just to hand in to a teacher, but rather writing for a real audience (Kessler, 2010).
Another powerful tool available for teachers to use is social bookmarking. One way this can be used is for students to collaborate in a research projects. As students do research on the web, they save bookmarks to a public website and “tag” them with keywords for others to use as well (“7 Things”, n.d.). Students can collaborate together sharing information. I think this is an important turn for the education world. The act of doing work individually for the teacher does not help students outside of school. Karl Meinhardt argues “When you get in the business world, all of [a] sudden it’s like, ‘OK, work with this group of people.’ It’s collaborative immediately. And we come unprepared to collaborate on projects” (as cited in Kessler, 2010). Social bookmarking gives students an engaging and interactive way to collaborate on the web.
Both social networking and social bookmarking tools are important for teachers to begin working with. Both social networking and social bookmarking are excellent ways for teachers to meet the ISTE’s NETS for students. These tools specifically are excellent ways to give students the ability to communicate and collaborate, as well as think critically, solve problems, and make decisions. Although these tools can make an important impact on students learning, Fran Smith (2007) makes an excellent point: “Administrators have to facilitate change. A lone teacher can do it, but it's hard to sustain. Administrators have to decide this is valued for the whole school community, and they have to give teachers time and freedom to learn, experiment, and play. Lots of teachers are doing it on their own, but it can be exhausting. That's classroom 2.0, not school 2.0” In order to make these tools most effective administrators need to get on board.
Just as a teacher keeps her personal life separate from her classroom life, a teacher’s personal online presence should never intersect with her professional online presence. I think it is important not to friend students, parents, or administrators. A teacher’s Facebook should be a personal way to connect with friends. Since teachers are expected to follow a different code of ethics than people of other jobs, a teacher needs to be thoughtful about what is said publicly (Bohon, 2011). There are many other ways to connect with students outside of personal social networking sites, like Facebook. I feel the risk of mixing your personal life with your teaching life outweigh any benefits. Teachers have lost their job and been suspended for making comments that did not reflect well on their profession.
References:
7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking. (n.d.) Educase Learning Initiative. Retrieved from: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7001.pdf
Bohon, Dave. (2011). Florida Teacher Suspended for Facebook Comment Opposing “Gay” Marriage. New American. Retrieved from: http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/faith-and-morals/8690-florida-teacher-suspended-for-facebook-comment-opposing-gay-marriage
Kessler, Sarah. (2010). The Case for Social Media in School. Mashable: Social Media. Retrieved from: http://mashable.com/2010/09/29/social-media-in-school
Smith, Fran. (2007). Why teachers should embrace networking, and how they can use it to improve education. Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/how-use-social-networking-technology
You said it perfectly! Unfortunately, it usually is just the teachers trying to lead the crusade of technology in the classroom. Many administrators succumb to the pressure of meeting test scores and producing adequate results year after year. Teachers want to introduce activities that can enhance their students collaborative, connective, and creative skills, but are limited by time, curriculum, and money. They must too perform at the standards being asked of them, for fear of being deemed "unqualified."
ReplyDeleteBeing able to use, read, and understand communications of all types are a precondition to participate in life. It is the ONLY key to a quality of life for an individual and having an inability to read and write at the same level as others in one's social circle is detrimental to success and feeling accepted. With so many different types of digital readers and programs to help low-level students make growth in this area, it would be a wise investment in school districts to make an investment into these types of devices and advances to ensure that their students are receiving the best possible chance to succeed in the future. It would also help teachers move into the 21st century with their classrooms.
Being a professional, a teacher should know the right and wrong with social networking. It's difficult to swallow that, because of the profession that I chose, I can be judged by my opinion, and perhaps lose my job. But, because there are some things that are more important than getting a great response from peers on Facebook, it's best to just keep some of my feelings to girls night!
Enjoyed your post! I actually have just started using kidblog with my students. The kid really enjoy because they say it is "facebook for school". It is a great way for me to interact with them on an academic and technology based level and still have it be appropriate. I have been using these kid blogs as a way for the kids to respond and write about their favorite books. We are in the early stages but it has been a success so far.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed however that students associate the use of social networking as being just social and not academic. I can tell I am going to struggle with shifting the students minds. I have had some students who think the blog is a place to say hi to their classmates. The best part about kidblog though is that I have complete control over the entire site and I can delete what students write. I really suggest it. It has been a great tool!