As I am still learning about Twitter, del.icio.us, and Flickr, the idea of social networking is a new concept to many teachers, especially the veterans! When I asked our middle school's media specialist about social networking she said, "We don't do it here". All of the social networking sites are blocked at our middle school. This decision is made at the county level (Gwinnett).
From my own experience using Wiki and Blogster in these media specialist courses, I have really enjoyed using them, and see how they could be used in the classroom setting for things like history projects, book clubs, and poetry projects, just to name a few. These tools are definitely here to stay and the next wave of the future for technology. Many educators, myself included, need to be trained in how these Library 2.0 sites work. In the future, I envision staff development courses led by media specialists like myself to instruct teachers in how to use these sites with their classes.
Yes, there are pros and cons to some of the programs like Facebook and My Space. There are, however, many safety tips regarding social networking such as www.connectsafely.org, kids.getnetwise.org/safetyguide/technology/socialnetworking, www.nsteens.org/videos/social-networking, and www.staysafe.org/teens/default.html.
I have seen social networking sites used in the high school level more, but they will be working their way into middle and elementary schools. They definitely serve a purpose for connecting teachers and students on assignments and have a place in the schools. There has to be planning among teachers, media specialists, administrators, the technology dept., and the school board, so that more social networking sites can be made available to students. As the recent AASL study (2008) showed, 53% of elementary, middle, and high schools use some sort of collaborative tools to aid instruction; 50% use Intranet in the workplace, 41% use Podcast, and 20% use Social Bookmarking.
Student safety is probably the biggest issue. In the article "Your AUP on Social Networking", one educator said that their school created a statement saying that students will maintain common, face-to-face social conventions and boundaries to avoid innapproriate circumstances using social networking, blogs, and other websites. With this example, they did not ban social networking sites, but warned against innappropriate use. In their school handbooks, they defined social norms expected. Another educator's post discussed how at their school faculty/staff will interact with students only on school-sponsored "spaces" and not on Facebook, MySpace, etc...
With my own personal experience, I have had students ask me if I am on Facebook, and I tell them no. I have not joined Facebook yet for this reason, even though I know there are ways to set up blocks. I have many friends, both from high school and college, who love Facebook and I want to join, but I don't want my students to be a part of that experience.
It will be interesting to see where social networking goes in the next few years...
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Socaila networking is fascinating. It has all the makings of a good adventure story. There are lots of types of socail networks, lots of players, and more than enough action. I think those items make social networking so appealing.
ReplyDeleteBut my main concern would be keeping the children safe. I think a good direction to go in is what you and Ragone mentioned, and that is to try and police these networks with guidelines for students and teachers as well and in some instances a filtering program may be needed.
As for me there are certain social networks I would not like to be a part of just like you for several reasons. I do not like to think that my students and I are socializing in the same circles. It's ok for school related work and other professional avenues.
Social networking is here and I am quite sure once the lines have been drawn clearly and everyone knows what is to be expected, it will become a major part of every aspect of education.
Interesting that you have students asking you if you are on Facebook. It seems that the student population to which I am exposed knows nothing outside of MySpace. Facebook seems to be the networking site that one moves up to when they have outgrouwn MySpace. Seeing that Facebook was developed with Harvard students in mind, it is obviously a more scholarly networking site. I would be more worried about what it may become down the line. I think that there needs to be a tightening up of screening practices built into the signup feature. If we allow children to use it for scholoarly purposes then Facebook will be a very efficient way for children to seek information and seek peer support. Still I say that if we allow children to use this site, then monitor closely. All messages that are transferred should be reviewed.
ReplyDeleteYou are right. Social Networking has become a part of regular everyday life for our children. As you mentioned, it is important for adults and parents to make sure that they are aware of the tools needed to help keep their children safe. Of course there are pros and cons. But, from this course, I have seen first hand that social networking can be fun and really interesting. I have already started getting some teachers to set up their own blogs and I have added podcasts to my webpage for the media center. It's truly amazing what you can do with social networking today!
ReplyDeleteIts too bad you can't access any social networking sites from your school district. Have you thought about creating your own social network? I did this using a program called Ning for a class assignment, seems like it would be perfect for this kind of situation! Check it out at: http://www.ning.com/
ReplyDeleteThe social networking sites are blocked in my county...no Facebook, no MySpace, etc. I do think that social networking will eventually play a bigger role within classrooms in the future. The possible applications are almost limitless...from collecting votes for your favorite Georgia Book Award book (classroom or schoolwide) to posting book reviews to name two.
ReplyDeleteI do think that the smaller the scope (eg one class as opposed to schoolwide) the easier the management. I also think that as children get older and more sophisticated, they better understand those societal norms that the articles and blogs we read discussed. I think that the younger children might not necessarily understand that fully, but then again, they might be less likely to abuse the use of a social networking site. It definitely will be interesting to see how the trend develops!
Thanks for your thoughts, Stacey. I have really enjoyed reading all of the perspectives regarding soc ial networking on everyone's blogs. We all seem to agree that security and safety are seriously important and at least somewhat difficult. In addition, we all seem to agree that social networking could be a powerful tool. With the limited server space and narrow bandwidth that exists in my school district, I see social networking as a place where I could expand the range of what I share with colleagues and students. Right now, I pay for a teacher webpage where I can upload notes, handouts, and photos for my classroom as well as organize all of the great resource links I have acquired over the years. Social networking would allow more interaction, not just with my students who see me daily anyway, but with students acorss the county as well as around the county and/or world. How great would it be for a 7th grader learning about ecosystems in life science to connect with other students who actually live in (or have traveled to) other ecosystems like the desert or tundra or rainforest.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that student safety is the number one priority. I also would be uncomfortable with my students having access to my personal life and information on Facebook. I have wondered about this before-I am on several of the "teachers-at-my-daughter's-school"s friends lists. I have wondered if this made them uncomfortable since although I am a teacher (not working right now), I am still a parent.
ReplyDelete