Note: Be sure to click on the links in this blog entry! I included them all to make a point about the increasing prevalence of social networking in the news, but all of the stories are pretty interesting!
Our class discussion last class about Twitter really got me thinking about social networking and how it is influencing our world today... not only in the "real world" that we live in, but in the world that our students live in. I always thought that social networking sites such as FaceBook and Twitter were simply that: other outlets for people to socialize. However, these sites seem to be morphing into a creature that is overtaking every aspect of our lives! Take, for example, CNN. You can now follow reporters on Twitter and respond to their comments with your own. And did you happen to see the 104 year old woman who is addicted to Twitter? Moreover, you can become a fan of just about any talk show there is on FaceBook. And even social networking etiquette is being examined more and more as it becomes increasingly popular. And people are finally realizing that caution should be taken when posting things on social networking sites, because it may come back to haunt you when you apply for a job. It seems like Facebook and Twitter are everywhere in the news today!
But, we all know that already. What I really wanted to reflect upon was the impact that this is having on our students today. Prensky's podcast summed it up best: students need to be engaged. He used the classic example of kids having the radio on, while typing instant messages to 8 friends, with the TV on in the background. This is the typical life of a 21st century student. Some people may claim that they are "over-engaged" but I don't think they are. I think students are craving challenging lessons and activities from their teachers and social networking sites may just be the way to do so.
Think about it: students interact in the classroom and outside the classroom with their teacher, other classmates, and even other students from different parts of the world. As a social studies teacher, I know it is extremely important for students to realize that there are different cultures out there. But now comes the tricky part: how can we, as responsible educators, go about making this happen? I think the best way is to start small and keep challenging ourselves as educators to learn more and incorporate technology into our lessons. I, for example, am slowly incorporating a wikispace into my classroom. I successfully "test drove" it last year and I am utilizing it more this year. But, I still need to do more work... maybe incorporate a class blog or something that gives the students more of a voice. It's something to think about.
So, as we get incessantly bombarded by social networking news stories, we need to not be overwhelmed, but inspired. We all know this is the direction the world is going... why not embrace it and make it work successfully in our classrooms? I know I'm going to try to do just that.
4 comments:
Great Blog Dan, I really enjoyed reading it and those links you created were unbelievable (especially the 104 year old woman). But like you said this is the pace and direction that the world is going in. We as teachers, whether some of us may like it or not, need to embrace this wave of technology and conform to it. I am new to the social networking thing myself but I do understand it's functions and how they could be effective for your high school students. Maybe have your students become "fans" of certain Social Studies places or topics. Even as a teacher maybe update homework through Twitter. These are all basic and immediate ideas but my point being that I agree with you that we need to conform with these social networking sites in order to keep them engaged.
Starting small is really important. I urge you to continue your use of the wiki and maybe "step it up a notch" or incorporate something new with it (a new strategy, students collaborating, etc.). As a History teacher, the use of the wiki could be so powerful! Here is the blog of the History teacher I was telling you about (a former student): Jim Shoemaker. Also, here is a link to a wiki that is used with students....don't let it overwhelm you....there's a lot there to look at but I know it will give you ideas: Class Wiki. On the left hand side, you can see her 4 classes listed. This is a basic use of a wiki - like a traditional webpage. However, here is another example where she embraces the collaborative nature of the wiki: Flat Classroom Project. What is the link to your wiki. Maybe we can look at it and give ideas!
Dan, you are correct that we as teachers need to embrace this wave of technology. I use Facebook to stay in touch with my friends and see it only as a tool for that purpose. I almost laughed when I found out this year that our school was on Twitter and Facebook and teachers were encouraged to start networking with our students. I'm still not sure about all of it, but I like your idea of seeing if our students are "fans" of certain social studies topics or websites. I think overall we all just need to accept the changes and do our best to encourage students to use them in an appropriate manner for the class.
We had problems last year with some girls posting inappropriate information and comments about another girl in the school. They didn't even care that everyone knew who they were and claimed "First Amendment" rights when disciplined for the hurtful comments. Our student handbook has changed to reflect the rules regarding using school approved social networking sites for classroom topics only. So far this year, so good.
I am sometimes overwhelmed with all the different technologies my school wants us to utilize. We have Moodle and can update all classroom information on that site, and now we have Facebook and Twitter and another new idea they want us to do is a Public Folder for all class information as well. I sometimes question why they want us to use so many different technologies! It's hard to keep up with them all.
I agree with what you are saying and where the 21st century learners are going and that we should take advantage of these social networking tools...but I am discouraged to think that our school districts will not "unblock" these social networking tools for use in the classrooms. Would you still be inclined to using them outside of school to communicate with your students (if the district did not "approve" of them in school)? I would be nervous that it may cause difficulties with admin that did not see the value that we see in these tools.
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