What do you think about social networking sites
being used in a school setting? Is there a place or role for them?
Social
networking sites should be used in schools as a tool to educate students and
help teachers and parents communicate. However, these sites are popular to
students who think they cannot function in society today without social networking.
The idea of social networking can be frightening for non-users but you have to
think of the impact social networking has on students today. Taking into
consideration social networking can be dangerous and educational all at the same
time is hard to imagine. As listed in the Library
2.0 and Beyond there are several types of notable social network websites
which can use as long as the site regulations are followed correctly. The opportunity
for libraries is limited in most schools however, Google, is a growing site the
SLM could use. Students, SLM, and teachers can share documents as well as group
work easily. If a school library uses social networking to promote their
website students would probably visit the site more often. The website has to
appeal to the students as well as teachers. There is always a role social
networking should play in schools as well as society, everything has to be
based around the state standards and have effective results. Students can take
advantage of social networking if it is not used in a proper fashion for
example, cyber bullying. According to Mathews, social networking communities
can also foster the spread of rumors and false information. This can be a major
issue for teachers and administrators.
I
personally feel any sites approved by my current county are the only sites I would use in a school setting due
to the safety of students and major privacy issues. It’s hard to say yes or no
when you know the pros and cons of online social networking. The more I read
the more I start to think outside the box. I know everything has to be monitored
down to the wire. Social networking is just what it says it is a social site
for everyone to enjoy. But, it can be a tool to help educate students and communicate
with parents. Social networking is very vital for students they just have to be
educated on how to use the sites. In order to keep up with the 21st
century demands students and teachers need social networking tools. In Barbara
Fiehn’s article she contacted a few school library media specialist to get
their views on social networking and they had a common response, of hesitation
based on lack of knowledge of how this will really work in their schools.
Based
on my readings social networking and school library media centers have a great
deal of negatives and positive impacts to review before they can be implemented
in schools safely and properly. If I am trained and I know the sites are safe
and the county I work in is backing the sites I am willing to implement them in
my classroom.
June,
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you discussed in your blog. Social networking is everywhere today. It seems crazy to think about how not too long ago students would never have been permitted to be on such sites in a school building; let alone using their own cell phone or learning device to do so. We can't go back, however, so we have to figure out how to manage social networking use in the schools and hopefully use it to our advantage.
I hope that social networking can be used in some way to teach students about communicating. I am not thinking of the typical chat with a friend here, but more of learning to communicate for a variety of purposes. I can see ELA teachers and media specialists working together to teach students to write for specific purposes within the various social networking sites. This will all need to be done with caution and consistent monitoring, but managing it will most likely be easier than trying to put a stop to it all together.
June, you are right when you say that social networking can be a tad bit scary for non users. I tend to shy away from things that I have not tried or don't know much about. I am not that savvy when it comes to social media and networking. I was glad that I recently got introduced, through UWG's program, to sites like LibraryThing, Diigo and Flickr. These websites have been great and I am slowly incorporating them into my day to day job as a media specialist. I know that teachers and administrators are concerned with the negatives, but I think the positives outweigh the negative. If we get ahead of the kids and show them the positive things that can do with social media, then we will have less of the nonsense that you see. Greating posting. Trona
ReplyDeleteI agree when you say social networking can be dangerous and educational at the same time. The fact that students can meet people from around the world is awesome because they are able to learn first hand the life experiences of someone else, but that is also very scary because social networking is not a contained and monitored (for safety) site. It is open and therefore anyone, including people who are dangers to others can use it for the wrong reason. I believe that social networking should only begin in high school and well after students have taken a semester long class (or multiple sessions) on the dangers and ethical behaviors that can and should be presented online.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little torn when it comes to the use of social networking tools in the school setting. While I can see that it could be very useful as a communication and/or collaboration, social networking does tend to have some negative attributes that make most media specialists shy away from using it. Today's students are plugged in and they are constantly communicating via their mobile devices. In order to communicate effectively with students, media specialists may find that social networking is a "necessary evil." I have heard of teachers using Twitter as a tool in their classrooms. I work in an elementary school where our 4th and 5th grade students are introduced to Destiny Quest which they can use as a social networking tool. We try to teach them to be responsible users and to always be aware that what they post is visible not only to their friends but also to teachers. It should be used to recommend books to friends but some students use it as a messaging system which we try to discourage. Regardless of how our students use Destiny Quest, it is our job to make sure that they know the correct way to use this tool so that when they move to other tools like Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, they will be more responsible.
ReplyDelete