Social Networking: At Home, In The Classroom, and Around the World
Social Networking and Education
As the web expands its reach, educators are becoming more and more aware of the need to incorporate SNS into the classroom. Using these ubiquitous technologies engages students and demonstrates to them a variety of uses for the internet and their favorite sites. As with any technology application, there are both positives and negatives. A list of some pros and cons can be found on the "Social Networking in the United States" page. This page will examine various types of technologies that are being developed specifically for the classroom, as well as the use of SNS in the classroom.
Educational Technologies
There are many different SNS that have been created specifically for education. Some of them are Learning Management Systems ("LMS"), others are Virtual Learning Environments ("VLE") - these are similar ideas, but provide different options for the professors. These sorts of sites are tailored specifically for educators provide places to post assignments and grades as well as ways to interact with the professor and other students through forums or chats. These are becoming increasingly prevalent as colleges recognize the market for online education. Moodle, used by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and BlackBoard, used by the University of Illinois, Springfield, are two excellent examples of educational technologies. They provide spaces for the professor to post questions, assignments, and readings, and places for students to interact with one another. One of the biggest challenges in online education is the lack of interaction between students (Petrakou 2010); these sites try to provide more opportunities for discussion and communication.
Social Networking in Classrooms and Higher Education
With the increased prevalence of social media websites, educational institutions would do well to consider the implications of these sites. Should they be banned from schools, or incorporated into the classroom? How do educators choose appropriate sites to use, keeping in mind privacy issues and the possible implications of each site? Some schools, such as the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, are at the forefront of new technology.
Educational benefits of social networking were discovered during a research at the University of Minnesota. “What we found was that students using social networking sites are actually practicing the kinds of 21st century skills we want them to develop to be successful today," said Christine Greenhow, a learning technologies researcher in the university's College of Education and Human Development and principal investigator of the study. This is beneficial to educators as they can tailor the learning style around what the students are learning in the classroom. Studies have shown that 3-dimensional environments, like those created by the website Second Life, promote interaction and increase users' language skills (Petrakou 2010).
The use of SNS can be challenging for educators. They need to learn new software and be able to teach students how to use it. SNS with forums may create more work for teachers, as they may need to moderate those discussions. School districts that are reluctant to change or that do not have the budget for new technologies may impede a teacher's ability to take advantage of the benefits of SNS. Educators also need to consider public vs. private considerations. For example, if a teacher uses Facebook, should she allow students to friend her? Some people (like Young 2010) suggest creating a second profile for their classrooms to avoid this issue. Other issues are less easily overcome, but teachers should at least examine how SNS might be used to enhance their classes and engage their students.
Educational benefits of social networking were discovered during a research at the University of Minnesota. “What we found was that students using social networking sites are actually practicing the kinds of 21st century skills we want them to develop to be successful today," said Christine Greenhow, a learning technologies researcher in the university's College of Education and Human Development and principal investigator of the study. This is beneficial to educators as they can tailor the learning style around what the students are learning in the classroom. Studies have shown that 3-dimensional environments, like those created by the website Second Life, promote interaction and increase users' language skills (Petrakou 2010).
The use of SNS can be challenging for educators. They need to learn new software and be able to teach students how to use it. SNS with forums may create more work for teachers, as they may need to moderate those discussions. School districts that are reluctant to change or that do not have the budget for new technologies may impede a teacher's ability to take advantage of the benefits of SNS. Educators also need to consider public vs. private considerations. For example, if a teacher uses Facebook, should she allow students to friend her? Some people (like Young 2010) suggest creating a second profile for their classrooms to avoid this issue. Other issues are less easily overcome, but teachers should at least examine how SNS might be used to enhance their classes and engage their students.
Examples
This Facebook page was created by a group of graduate school students to demonstrate how social networks can be used for group projects and in libraries:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112164726355&ref=ts
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign library effectively uses social networking and new technologies to make themselves available to students. Here, students can IM library staff with questions and comments: http://www.library.illinois.edu/askus/. The library also has a Facebook site with almost 400 "Fans." Librarians post links of interest and information about the library here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112164726355&ref=ts.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112164726355&ref=ts
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign library effectively uses social networking and new technologies to make themselves available to students. Here, students can IM library staff with questions and comments: http://www.library.illinois.edu/askus/. The library also has a Facebook site with almost 400 "Fans." Librarians post links of interest and information about the library here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112164726355&ref=ts.
Video - The Educational Benefits of SNS
Christine Greenhow, a researcher from the University of Minnesota, discusses her research on the impact of SNS like Facebook and MySpace on high school students.
Positive and Negative Aspects of Social Networking and Education
Pros of Educational Sites
Educational sites are convenient study environments for students in that they offer:
- Accessibility
Students can access the educational sites for online teaching or learning from anywhere in the world. All that they need is access to internet and a computer to support usage of the required learning software.
- Flexibility in learning
These sites allow learners to select learning materials that meet their knowledge and interest. In addition, students are taught courses through different learning styles and are involved in varied activities across chat rooms, in discussion forums where they can give in their views on the topic at any hour and also during class time students can interact with instructors by chat or audio usage.
- Development of new Information and technology (ICT) skills
By learners using the software involved in the educational sites they develop computer and internet skills that they can apply outside the education setting, for instance, in the workplace or other facets of their lives.
- Consistent delivery of educational content
Educational sites have the characteristic of asynchronous self-paced e-learning whereby the course content is constantly updated through the use of the classroom education software. Learners can check in to the websites at their convenience and read the information.
- Increased social interaction among learners
Students are engaged in various discussions in chat rooms or discussion forums and since they form groups and exchange ideas on the topics of discussion, they get to interact and learn a few ideas from one another that add to their self-knowledge.
Cons of Educational Sites
Several limitations to educational sites include:
- Issues with adapting and managing the learning software
For both instructors and students who are shifting from teaching or learning through lectures and handouts in the classroom to using advanced software it’s a bit problematic to them if they have not developed the skills yet in operating them. It takes some time for some people to adapt to the usage of the software. - Technology issues
Since these educational sites are available only through access to the internet, slow or unreliable internet connections can be frustrating. Mason and Rennie (2008) state that these would be caused by availability of pages designed by users that fail to satisfy the criteria for valid HTML codes and this eventually causes accessibility problems when using the education software. - Privacy concerns
Mason and Rennie (2008) also note that there is evidence of teachers and employers viewing the profile of a student or prospective employee seeing a different persona which has had a negative consequences on their perception of students or employee’s participation and involvement in learning. - Inappropriate content
Learners may provide views that could be out of topic or irrelevant to the topic of discussion because they are carried away by conversations in the chat rooms.
The Future of Social Networking in Education
As we look to the future of social media websites, a few things stand out clearly. First of all, the internet is an ever-evolving place. In order to be relevant to students, teachers need to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and those sites which have academic merit and impact. More importantly, we need to find a way to balance new and exciting websites with older tried-and-true resources (both physical and electronic). It’s a fine line, but one that is absolutely crucial for the development of our students’ abilities.
