Teenage students like to go against the grain of what adults expect of them. In my recent years as a teacher, the use of sites such as facebook has dwindled making room for more trendier sites. Students wanted to use Facebook more as schools told them not as it was a distraction to learning. The usage of cell phones inside the classroom has gone up as teachers have embraced the technology. As students feel more comfortable using social media in the classroom, they may not want to use it because it would be "not cool" to actually use it for an educational purpose.
1. What alternatives to social media exist in the classroom?
I personally use wikis to deliver content and also as a classroom collaboration tool. The learning curve for using wikis is not steep and the popularity of Wikipedia.
2. What new types of social media can be used in the classroom?
Instagram and the use of cell phones with it can be a powerful tool. Students are begging for simpler applications with action photos doing the talking. Less words and more images is the trend. Using Instagram with Photography would be a strong pathway to travel.
I was thinking of starting an Edmodo for my class because a lot of the students usually reach out to each other for help on their homework assignments. I figured I could create an online space for them to do it to make it easier for them. I didn't go through with it for a number of reasons, one being the lack of student interest. I did an anonymous poll to see how many students would use it and very few showed interest. In fact many of them said other teachers used it and it was "lame." I already give them a lot of work to do so I didn't want to force it on them either by making it a credit assignment. I think you're right, many students will probably think it isn't worth their time and will be able to stick with their own social media tools. Nevertheless, I think there are a number of creative ways to use such a site, one just has to be a little creative to find ways to make it work for their classroom.
ReplyDeleteAlthough you did not say that you, specifically, allow or promote cell phone usage in class, I am against the notion altogether. Personally, I think that cell phones do not belong in an a K-12 setting. Students would be instructed by me to turn them off completely--not just put them on "vibrate" mode. Students (and most people) already have such a short attention span; I would not want them to be tempted to text, surf the web or game during class time--unless it was 'assignment specific', like in a technology class. There is nothing worse then a cell phone ringing in a class, restaurant, movie theatre or place of worship...it is the height of rudeness.
ReplyDelete*The prof. wanted us to comment from an opposing point of view...so there it is.