Social Networking: Impacts on Education
It is extremely difficult for educators to escape the ever-increasing role that social networking plays in students’ lives. Instead of running from this phenomena, though, it may be beneficial for teachers and students to embrace the concept of using websites like Twitter and Facebook to propel discussions over texts and out-of-class assignments. According to Brooke Dobson, a California teacher who commented on the US News Article, “Tweeting Your Way to Better Grades,” she experienced a positive reaction to using WikiSpaces for her unit over Othello. She writes,
“It was an amazing experience. I read insightful comments from students who hated speaking in class but have powerful ideas, and they felt comfortable communicating in this format. Kids were able to be themselves, and I felt like I had an excellent opportunity to get to know my more shy students because they had let their guard down. One girl even told me, ‘She never had so much fun doing homework, that it didn’t even feel like homework.’”
In this case, social networking became a powerful tool which allowed teachers to require ALL students to participate in discussion without making shy students feel like they are being ostracized. Having an entire class of students comfortably propelling discussion would allow teachers to truly see how well students grasp the material, what individual students are capable of, and how much progress students have made in the material being discussed online.
The article also explains a negative aspect of using social networks for educational purposes. According to a professor at Kent State University, using these websites could potentially open the doors to online child predators, and with no blocks on student’s home computers to prevent this type of interaction, the teacher/school could potentially be at fault if something gets out of hand. While this professor makes a valid point, I believe it is important to remember that educators have the power to teach students about proper online conduct, and inform students of the dangers of chatting with strangers online and making personal information public.
