Sunday, January 23, 2011

Social Media in the Classroom

The presentation by John Finch sparked a very interesting topic for us to consider as we plunge into the ever-exciting world of education. We are at the forefront of change that will surely arouse debate and controversy among students, parents, and teachers everywhere.

The question is, should we use social media as a tool for learning? Unfortunately, the answer is about as clear as the Assiniboine River - reminiscent of chocolate milk. The potential for misuse is ripe, and there is probably a very thin line between useful educational tool and ultimate chaotic distraction for students. However, the reality of the situation is that virtually all of our students will be seasoned internet (especially social media) junkies, and it would behoove us to take a good hard gander at what we can do to harness this behaviour for educational purposes.

In my opinion, there are many advantages to incorporating social media into the classroom. As part of John's presentation, we were asked to do an internet search for examples of schools and teachers that are currently experimenting with social media in education. During my browsing, I came across a particularly interesting article entitled "100 Inspiring Ways to Use Social Media in the Classroom" - http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2010/05/100-inspiring-ways-to-use-social-media-in-the-classroom/ . There are lots of good ideas and links to specific examples of where the method is being used.

I look forward to trying some of those ideas in my classroom, and I think my students will enjoy it as well. Hopefully all school divisions will realize the benefits of using social media as an educational tool. Students live in a world centered around social media, so why not allow them to interweave education into their technological matrix?  As the old saying goes: if we can't beat 'em, we might as well join 'em.

3 comments:

  1. Hey Jesse, thanks for the informative blog post. I missed the last half of the presentation so I'm greatful for the useful summary you have put up here.

    I think I came across that same link you posted--great stuff, some obvious, and maybe some of it not so obvious. Thanks for posting it.

    See you on the flip side, whatever that means, cheers.

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  2. I completely agree with you Jesse, there are so many uses and benefits to using social networking in the classroom. Why shouldn't school divisions and teaching strategies be keeping up with the world, that being increased use of technology. Keeping students on task could be a potential downfall, however, if the teacher can use the social networking in a way that is applicable and has potential for learning, students will be engaged and focused. I really like the website/blog you posted! I checked it out and it has a lot of good ideas!

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  3. In this faculty we vacillate upon whether or not social media is something that offers more of a distraction or a benefit a lot of the time. There are strong arguments for both sides, but in the end something that has this much gravity with both children and adults alike has to be incorporated. Denying the use of something that so many people are a part of outside of school just seems impractical. This doesn't mean that the flood gates should be opened up without ensuring certain protocol is met, such as responsible usage, but all of its benefits do mean that it is something that should have a place in modern education.

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