Facebook Me: Where Do We Go From Here?
With these social networking sites, safety becomes an issue. Ning.com, a school-approved site, offers people a chance to create a more insular social networking site. The teacher can create a site at the beginning of the year, add pictures, information, and discussion capabilities. Students can then join that specific social network without being exposed to a larger virtual world such as Facebook. One colleague of mine has used Ning to varying success with her Sunday school class. Some students exude excitement while others do not sign up. For those students who do chose to join the on-line community, lively discussions have taken place along side other opportunities to connect outside the classroom. Classroom2.0 provides another teacher controlled social network. In addition to addressing safety concerns, these sites allow students and teachers to mingle virtually without invading each others' space on Facebook.
Teachers must also remain aware of issues of technology equity. Students may not have access to a working computer or the Internet. Teachers should give ample library time for any assignments related to computing or Internet use. If a teacher assigns homework with a social media site, he or she ought to confirm the availability and access of library resources after school. As a result of this project, I plan to take an informal, unnamed survey of my students on the first day of class where they can anonymously identify their access and experience with any technology I would like to use. Armed with this anonymous information, I can plan my lessons accordingly -- using school resources where students do not have access to their own. These lesson plans must also fall into school districts' acceptable use of technology agreements. Here is the agreement made by Albemarle County Public Schools.
Not every teacher is comfortable with bringing social media into the classroom, but it’s already there. Students complain about homework assignments in their Facebook status updates. They read and send tweets of condensed thoughts to a wide, authentic audience, using skills they hone in our classrooms. As our writing more closely resembles our speech, how will teachers capture these authentic audience experiences for our students? Social networking sites provide the opportunity to meet students halfway. To show them we care about their interests and audiences outside of the classroom. To connect with them in a medium where they are already writing and expressing themselves for 8 billion minutes a day. With the click of a mouse, we can join their conversations and maybe just teach them something along the way.
Teachers must also remain aware of issues of technology equity. Students may not have access to a working computer or the Internet. Teachers should give ample library time for any assignments related to computing or Internet use. If a teacher assigns homework with a social media site, he or she ought to confirm the availability and access of library resources after school. As a result of this project, I plan to take an informal, unnamed survey of my students on the first day of class where they can anonymously identify their access and experience with any technology I would like to use. Armed with this anonymous information, I can plan my lessons accordingly -- using school resources where students do not have access to their own. These lesson plans must also fall into school districts' acceptable use of technology agreements. Here is the agreement made by Albemarle County Public Schools.
Not every teacher is comfortable with bringing social media into the classroom, but it’s already there. Students complain about homework assignments in their Facebook status updates. They read and send tweets of condensed thoughts to a wide, authentic audience, using skills they hone in our classrooms. As our writing more closely resembles our speech, how will teachers capture these authentic audience experiences for our students? Social networking sites provide the opportunity to meet students halfway. To show them we care about their interests and audiences outside of the classroom. To connect with them in a medium where they are already writing and expressing themselves for 8 billion minutes a day. With the click of a mouse, we can join their conversations and maybe just teach them something along the way.
