What is your personal perspective on utilizing social
networking sites (such as Facebook) for education? Do the benefits outweigh the
risks?
Even though I would consider myself well-versed in social
media, and a regular user of multiple social media platforms, I would have to
argue that no one can truly know the long-term effects of social media, and
especially social media/networking in education. Personally, I believe that it
is essential for students to be well rounded in that they can take advantage of
modern technology, but also understand how to build and maintain human
connection. As I have said before, I think there is a beauty to being still and
noticing deeply that we must also teach our students.
That being said, I have seen some wonderful applications for
social media use outside of the classroom, but focusing on class content. For
example, Michelle Livek has shared the way students use social media to connect
with their classmates outside of the classroom. Students can see the
development of others’ work by connecting through hash tags and other social
media grouping strategies. I know that the art teacher at Douglass High School
asks his students to tweet him images of art-related work that they notice in
their daily lives. Perhaps the best use of social networking sites for
education is for homework because chances are that students are already
utilizing these networks outside of the classroom anyways. Why not allow them
to fill their feed with exciting and personal content related to your
curriuculum?
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