Social Networking and School Library Media Centers
Social networking technologies have many positive uses in schools
and libraries. They provide a great platform for teens to share what they are
learning, ask questions or to work on a project together online. Social networks allow teens to receive
feedback from librarians, teachers, peers, parents, and others.
Teachers and media specialists have to work hard to
integrate positive uses of social networking into their classrooms, programs,
and services. By integrating social networking technologies into educational
environments, students have the unique opportunity to learn from adults how to
be safe and smart when using online social networks. They also learn a valuable
life skill, as these social networking technologies are tools for communication
that are widely used in colleges and in the workplace.
Social networking has become an essential tool in the
classroom and the media center, however some teachers know about them but do
not know how to use them. As media
specialists it is our “duty” to show them!
When I think about social networks I immediately think of Facebook and
Twitter but there are so many others.
The first that comes to mind is Edmodo. Edmodo provides teachers and students a
secure place to connect and collaborate, share content and educational
applications, and access homework, grades, class discussions and notifications. It is basically a Facebook page for your
classroom. Students love it and respond
very well. Also, they almost feel like
they are “getting away with something” because they have been blocked from
things for so long.
Cel.ly.com is a platform of tools that helps the teacher
with classroom communication. The
teacher creates “cells” that connect students.
The cells can be study groups, teams, for field trips, for polling,
reminders, interactive walls, feedback, notes, and class news. It turns your classroom into a private
communication network.
Wiggio.com is a free online toolkit that teachers can use to
help students work in groups. You can host virtual meetings and conference
calls, make to do lists, send messages, poll groups, manage events and more.
I think you're right that social networks, when used the right way, are powerful learning tools. I really like the Edmodo platform as well. When I first looked into Edmodo, I was actually really struck by the fact that it looks so much like Facebook, as you mentioned. I think that the creators of Edmodo made it more inviting for students by making it look like Facebook, and it also probably encourages them to use it. The fact that Edmodo classrooms work like Facebook also makes it easier for the students to get used to posting there, since they are familiar with the format. If I was teaching a fourth grade or older class, I'd love to use Edmodo.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Once upon a time, I tried to steer clear of all "social networking" sites but they have now literally become a way of life. Facebook of course now is the most well known of social networking sites however I have learned of site that I never knew existed that can possibly used in a professional setting. I am going to take a look at Edmondo and check out it's possibilities for my future students! Thanks for sharing that site with us.
ReplyDeleteAnother student on a different blog mentioned the idea to have kids share made up test questions in order to study for an upcoming test. It sounds like wiggio.com would be a good site to organize this idea.
ReplyDeleteUtilizing social media in the media center might be a good way for students to interact with the media specialist and the library beyond classroom visits. Book clubs or other library programs could use social media sites for communication.
Cari,
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of any of these social networking sites before reading, and now I have them bookmarked to explore further. I, too, have been limited in my understanding of social networking to the big ones, Twitter and Facebook. I know for certain that Facebook is blocked at my school, unless you take your chances on the wifi connection that says plain as day that it is monitored. I'm sure students go on their Facebooks at school all the time, but I am scared to death about what the district might be monitoring each time I used the wifi.
I read an article by Dave Copeland "For Social Media in the Classroom to work, Instructors Need Best Practices."
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/for-social-media-in-the-classroom-to-work-instructors-need-best-practices.php
He comments that the "creep factor" keeps a lot of students from wanting to use their facebook for school related purposes (as in, they don't want their parents on their FB, and they don't want their old, supervisory teachers on there either). He has had more success with Twitter. He put up each class's hash tag on the board. They had class discussions. He comments how the students who were reluctant to get in the discussion kind of fell out of the loop, and got a little behind the students who engaged (which is no different from other class activities, and doing the readings assigned, he notes). He calls the Twitter conversation a "back channel". It would be great if it could become a full-access channel in the future.
Copeland writes that in the future, there will need to be better "How to" instruction for those students who actually don't know how to use, or dislike using these types of platforms. (This is where his LMS could really help him out.)
I'm not a social networker. I'm not on facebook. I enjoyed my exploration for an earlier course of GoodReads and LibraryThing and have referred back to both of htem in seeking information on books, but I do not contribute... I don't have time. I don't even use text on my phone. When I started my program at UWG last fall I immediately felt the disadvantage of my lack of social networking savvy. It has made me very much aware of the disservice we will do if educators fail to embrace social networking. Founding Fathers like Jefferson recognized the necessity of universal education for its role as a democratizing force. For some students, our schools may be the only opportunity they have for becoming fluent in the world of social networking.
ReplyDeleteI was not aware of any of the sites that you mentioned either. Social networking sites are blocked in my county. I think that these sites could be used by students who were closely monitored or who acted responsibly, but in my current setting there is no way we could facilitate the online talking of students unless we literally had some type of delay on it where it didn't post until a teacher reviewed it....sort like the delay button on live television...I think the potential for social networking's use in the classroom is huge, but is very impractical in a middle school setting. It's too bad that we don't have a way to make them behave online.
ReplyDelete