Howard Rheingold’s assertion that
humans possess an instinctive need to “interact and work as a group” holds some
value in thinking about trend patterns around the evolution of human
communication. The essence of Rheingold’s analysis, however, seems to highlight
constructivist themes around collaboration and exploration. Therefore, in
thinking about Rheingold’s broader impacts on educational technology, it then
becomes important for educators to understand the value of social media or
other collaborative tools within the educational process.
Social media usage within
classrooms remains controversial, and often conflict with internet usage rules
found in many school districts across America that prohibit social media access
during the school day. Yet, and still, social media serves as a primary
platform for communication and newsgathering. A 2012 Pew Poll found that nearly
one-third of teen communication came from social media usage (Grandoni, 2012). Social media use could be
quite powerful in the classroom and could further by discussing online in a
Twitter platform or garner resources from people across the globe using
Wikipedia (Brannan, 2014). Collaborative tools are readily available through,
often free, programming online. The educational value of collaboration, especially
in an online forum, remains to be an effective way to learn.
References:
Brannan, F. (2014, July 30). Pros and cons of social media
usage for students. EdTech
Review. Retrieved from http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/1402-pros-and-cons-of-social-media-usage-for-students
Grandoni, D. (2012, July 18). Texting dominates as teens and
young adults make fewer
calls. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/
07/18/texting-phone-calls_n_1683756.html
Rheingold, H. (2008, February). Howard Rheingold on
collaboration [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html
I responded to the following blogs:
http://kietzeroweds.wikispaces.com/EDUC
http://isaacu.blogspot.com
http://isaacu.blogspot.com
Bianca,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. How does social media usage within classroom conflict with internet usage?
Isaac
Bianca,
ReplyDeleteAs with all aspects of social media, the most controversial issue to me (in the educational arena) is the lack of filters when students access it. Indeed, social media is an outstanding tool but as with anything, if it is not used for authentic and honorable means, it can be a questionable resources. Often, I have to monitor my students internet usage because of what they are able to pull up. I definitely enjoyed your post!
Hello Bianca,
ReplyDeleteIn reading your post on the use of social media in the classroom, I agree that the use of social media in schools throughout America is still controversial. In fact, on Wednesday, when subbing at a high school, I tried to sign into my facebook account using the school’s wifi, and my ability to sign into facebook on my own personal device, using their wifi, was prohibited. I can imagine that the reason that many schools continue to block social media access is because of the internet usage rules. Do you think schools will ever find a way to develop internet usage rules that will cover the areas of social media usage, so that students will be allowed to use social media in the classroom in the future? I know that one thing that is becoming very common in schools is the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy. The policy is where students and teachers are allowed to bring their personal devices to school, and use them. You would think that the BYOD policy would kinda curve some of the restrictions on the use of social media in schools, but based on my inability to access facebook on my phone on Wednesday, I guess the same restrictions are in place with the BYOD policies enforced. Please view the link below, which discusses the emergence of BYOD in schools.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/04/29/bring-your-own-device-catching-on-in-schools/
I agree with you that social media, if used properly, can be a powerful educational tool. In my research, one of the most powerful and common social media tools used in the classroom is Twitter. Please view the link below, which provides ideas on how Twitter can be used as an effective technology tool in the classroom.
http://www.teachhub.com/50-ways-use-twitter-classroom
Your blog post on how social media and virtual worlds can promote and enhance collaborative work in the classroom was a very interesting post. Thank you for sharing!
Kenyatta