I really do believe that teachers need to embrace the skills of the social media...NOW!!! I had a conversation with a teacher who mentioned that she avoided facebook because she didn't know too much about it. I thought hard on this, because I realize she's in the majority of teachers who I come across on a daily basis. Social Media is something that they did not learn in a traditional setting, which maybe the reason why so many teachers are a little apprehensive to it.
"I don't want my son to be limited to learning only what his teacher already knows!" John Couch, VP of Apple Education.
I thought long and hard after I heard that quote. It really made me think about who we as teacher are...and who we should strive to be. I don't consider myself to be a "tech person", but rather a creative, problem solver. I don't always know what the answer is....but I know where to find it.
Here's a video that I found that inspired this post....
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6 comments:
What a great video! I'm an English teacher out of Columbus, Ohio. I want to start implementing more technology in my classroom and have given thought to using Facebook in some way. I have to believe the majority of my students have Facebook accounts. I could put my class on Facebook and allow students to become members. We could use it for comments on nightly readings or questions on nightly readings. It could be a tremendous tool. Do you have any thoughts on using social networking sights such as Facebook as an educational tool? Any insight as to other ways it could be used?
This was a very informative and through provoking video. I find it amazing that so many people are socializing online through Facebook, Twitter, and etc. I have only recently created a facebook account to find out how it actually works. I have students come to class daily talking about socializing on Facebook. I do not see what the attraction about it is yet, but this may be due to the fact that I have just started getting it set up. What is happening to face-to-face interaction in our society? Are we losing our verbal communication skills? At my school Facebook is blocked to protect students from accessing undesirable content. If there was a way to filter undesirable content to protect students, teachers, and schools then Facebook could possibly become a great tool for learning. It could be used to improve students writing scores. Is is possible to filter undesirable content from Facebook so that it could be used as a learning tool? Are we doing our students a dis-service by prohibiting the use of sites such as this in the classroom?
Jeannine,
I posted the anonymous note about using Facebook. I am a younger teacher. Facebook became big my last year or two in college and that is when I started to use it. Since then it has expanded to almost every age. I have reconnected with my old high school teachers and a lot of high school friends. I know what you're saying about it possibly hurting students having some materials and tools blocked. We just recently made it possible to access Youtube at our school which has been a great tool to utilize in the classroom. Even though our school blocks Facebook, I think it could be a great tool to use for students when they are not at school. Again, I value the face-to-face interaction as you said. So maybe it is good that Facebook is not allowed at school. However, when students are at home I think it would be interesting to know how much time is spent at the computer on Facebook or Myspace. Even when they are on the move, they use their Iphones to keep up with Facebook. I am just as guilty of this. I think if could tie my classroom and assignments to Facebook I might be able to access their interest and increase their involvement in assignments. As for filtering undesirable content, Facebook does a pretty good job of this but like anything else on the Web, their is always content that is inappropriate coming through. it is just something that has to be kept in mind and monitored to the best of our ability.
It would be interesting to see if teachers could create more interest and involvement by linking their assignments to Facebook. From what I have seen on my personal page of Facebook, many users do not use correct grammer. I do know think that students comprehend that what they post is always out there and can be seen years later. As far as monitoring content on computers, I consider this to be an important aspect in my computer classroom. Even with my school blocking sites, I usually have at least one student every year that will use a proxy server to access forbidden content. Then there is the unpleasant task of dealing with the situation. There are always those students that take away privileges from the majority because of their mischievousness. On another note, I am envious of schools that have access to Youtube because there is a lot of good content that could enhance students learning experiences, if not to only get their attention. If we can get their attention, then learning can take place.
What great comments everyone has left. Sorry for the long delay on replying back...however to answer the question about facebook, I do believe that you can include them in an academic setting.
Here is one link that has apps for education on Face book http://www.interactyx.com/blog/facebook-apps-for-education
And here is a great training for teachers on how to use facebook. http://www.scribd.com/doc/16957158/Teachers-Guide-to-Using-Facebook-Read-Fullscreen
I love how teachers are embracing technology in their classroom and truly think that it will benefit the students. I'm not sure using Facebook for a platform for class discussion is the best way to use this social media. I think sending out invites and alerts are a great way to use Facebook to reach your students but I think that blogs or class wikis are a more appropriate place for classwork. Just a thought...
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