When students enter my school, we are not asking them to power down. We are asking them to focus. We are not asking them to disconnect. We are asking them to connect with content that is there, in front of them, at that moment in time. We very well may use technology to achieve this purpose, but we will also use hands on models, lively discussions, and even books. We are asking our students to be empowered by knowledge, not by media and gossip, for six whole hours a day. I believe there is a rather huge difference between using collaborative, web 2.0 tools, and Social Media in the classroom. There is also a difference between schools using social networking to reach out to the community, and embedding it within the school for teaching and learning. This post will be focusing on social media in regards to teaching and learning, not simply as a means to promote a school.
When I Googled, "The definition of Social Media", I received this answer:
Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.
Within this very broad definition of social media, I believe there exists platforms that are ideal for school use, and those that belong outside of that realm. For example, I do not think Facebook belongs as a platforms that teachers should utilize for sending out of assignments, giving feedback, hosting a digital classroom, etc. Most students use Facebook as a place where they connect with friends, share silly pictures, and do whatever it is that adolescents do. Why would a school want to take away that space and try to turn it into something "educational"? How could a teacher expect a student to check out the class Facebook page, and not get distracted by the pokes and messages of their peers? In one of our past assignments, we've already discovered that while students believe they are great mutitaskers, multitasking is not actually a skill that aids students in any way. So why would we cling to a platform that is already a whirlwind of media chaos, completed with targeted ads and the latest story of how a celebrity lost 15 lbs with some miracle pill?
Luckily, other educators must have thought similarly to myself, because we have platforms such as Edmodo and Google Classroom where teachers can create safe, distraction limiting educational spaces to run digital classrooms. These platforms are far better designed than Facebook ever could be for educational purposes, and it keeps students in a regulated environment where teachers can reinforce good digital citizenship practices. If a student posts an inappropriate photo on Facebook, do teachers really have the authority to tell the student the photo is unacceptable? If using Edmodo, however, the teacher can set guidelines for profile photos and behavior.
I believe the current optimal solution for this Social Networking debate is having schools utilize Google Apps for Education. The Google Accounts given to the students are created by the school, so there is a level of safety when it comes to monitoring student activity. Because the account is owned by the school, the school can put acceptable use guidelines in place and thus teach students how to be good digital citizens. Google apps allow students to collaborate, especially tools like Blogger and YouTube, which are utilized outside of the educational world for many purposes. Students can use Google Hangouts to connect with students from around the world. Google even has its own Social Networking site, Google Plus, that schools could turn on for students if they wish to have students practice good netizenship. Google Apps for Education provides the perfect, authentic digital space where students can collaborate, communicate, innovate, investigate, and beyond. I believe teachers should seek out digital tools that have been carefully crafted for educational purposes, rather than try to make a popular platform fit their purposes.
At the end of the day, the platforms created for education will continue to improve themselves based on educator suggestions, because that is their audience. Try asking Facebook if they will provide an area where you can easily post assignments and give feedback for students. That simply is not its intended purpose, and I believe its intended purpose does further student education. Let us continue to think critically about the tools we choose to utilize in our classrooms, and if those tools have the optimum functionality for furthering teaching and learning in our schools.
Helpful links:
Pros and Cons of Social Media in Education infograph
How to Create Social Media Guidelines for your School
Within this very broad definition of social media, I believe there exists platforms that are ideal for school use, and those that belong outside of that realm. For example, I do not think Facebook belongs as a platforms that teachers should utilize for sending out of assignments, giving feedback, hosting a digital classroom, etc. Most students use Facebook as a place where they connect with friends, share silly pictures, and do whatever it is that adolescents do. Why would a school want to take away that space and try to turn it into something "educational"? How could a teacher expect a student to check out the class Facebook page, and not get distracted by the pokes and messages of their peers? In one of our past assignments, we've already discovered that while students believe they are great mutitaskers, multitasking is not actually a skill that aids students in any way. So why would we cling to a platform that is already a whirlwind of media chaos, completed with targeted ads and the latest story of how a celebrity lost 15 lbs with some miracle pill?
Luckily, other educators must have thought similarly to myself, because we have platforms such as Edmodo and Google Classroom where teachers can create safe, distraction limiting educational spaces to run digital classrooms. These platforms are far better designed than Facebook ever could be for educational purposes, and it keeps students in a regulated environment where teachers can reinforce good digital citizenship practices. If a student posts an inappropriate photo on Facebook, do teachers really have the authority to tell the student the photo is unacceptable? If using Edmodo, however, the teacher can set guidelines for profile photos and behavior.
I believe the current optimal solution for this Social Networking debate is having schools utilize Google Apps for Education. The Google Accounts given to the students are created by the school, so there is a level of safety when it comes to monitoring student activity. Because the account is owned by the school, the school can put acceptable use guidelines in place and thus teach students how to be good digital citizens. Google apps allow students to collaborate, especially tools like Blogger and YouTube, which are utilized outside of the educational world for many purposes. Students can use Google Hangouts to connect with students from around the world. Google even has its own Social Networking site, Google Plus, that schools could turn on for students if they wish to have students practice good netizenship. Google Apps for Education provides the perfect, authentic digital space where students can collaborate, communicate, innovate, investigate, and beyond. I believe teachers should seek out digital tools that have been carefully crafted for educational purposes, rather than try to make a popular platform fit their purposes.
At the end of the day, the platforms created for education will continue to improve themselves based on educator suggestions, because that is their audience. Try asking Facebook if they will provide an area where you can easily post assignments and give feedback for students. That simply is not its intended purpose, and I believe its intended purpose does further student education. Let us continue to think critically about the tools we choose to utilize in our classrooms, and if those tools have the optimum functionality for furthering teaching and learning in our schools.
Helpful links:
Pros and Cons of Social Media in Education infograph
How to Create Social Media Guidelines for your School
No comments:
Post a Comment