Introduction
Another week... another post about my adventures in Web 2.0. This weeks topic is not about one specific tool per say but rather a look at a theme: Social Networking. What is this?? Social Networking refers to the creation of a group (network) of people in order to share common interests and/or to re-kindle/maintain relationships. Most social networking sites are web-based thus allowing interactions to occur via the internet.
There are many social networking sites out there to choose from but here are some of the more popular ones: Facebook, MySpace, Nexopia, Friendster, LinkedIn, Bebo, and Twitter.
Social networking is quickly becoming the most popular way for people to connect and communicate with their friends and peers. Check out the following stats:
1. 35% of American adults have a profile on a social network site (Boyd, 2009)
2. MySpace: The 100 millionth account was created on August 9, 2006 in the Netherlands (Wikipedia, 2009)
3. Facebook: The website currently has more than 400 million active users worldwide. (Wikipedia, 2009)
Some people have gone so far as to call the current generation of teens and young adults "Generation F", also known as the facebook generation. (Hamel, 2009) Because of facebook and many other social networking sites, there is a cultural shift occuring in regard to how people "connect" with one another. In the 1960's and 70's, people connected at community dances and religous functions. In the 1980's and 90's the mall became the place to connect and be seen. In the 21st century, more and more people and connecting and meeting online. A cultural shift indeed!
The Learning Process
Being a part of a social network has been a new experience for me. Prior to starting this course, I wasn't a member of any online social network. My hands-on learning has been based on my memberships in facebook, twitter, and Classroom 2.0 (a Ning network) all of which I joined in January of 2010. I have been active on these sites on at least a weekly basis in order to live the experience and grow my knowledge and understanding of each sites usefulness and limitations.
My knowledge has also been enhanced by numerous videos, blog posts, and writings that have given me useful nuggets of information along the way. Specifically, commoncraft created a video that offers a great introduction to the concept of social networking. Danah Boyd's article "Social Media is Here to Stay... Now What?", explains the premise behind social networks while offering a brief history of their creation and evolution. She also goes on to explain how adults and teens use social networks differently and how these networks are significantly "reshaping" our public lives.
There are many, many articles available of the "how-to" and "do's & don'ts" genre regarding social networks. Two of the better ones that I have came across included Should Teachers Be "Friends" with Their Students Online? (Mcconchie, 2010) and Guidelines for Educators Using Social and Educational Networking Sites (Blue Skunk Blog). Both offer practical, straightforward, and useful advice.
My Personal Learning
Prior to my current experiences with social networks, I really didn't understand why people would spend so much time on facebook and twitter. I thought both of these activities were a waste of time to be honest with you. Part of my distaste for facebook comes from what I called diminished friendship. When I would hear someone say "I have 423 friends" I would just shake my head and think how naive that person was being. For me, true friendship is something that grows and develops over time. Friends will be there through thick and thin and the over-riding criteria for me is quality over quantity. I fear that friendship is being dumbed-down to the status of "acquaintance" by the facebook generation and I believe this is a mistake.
However, after having created a facebook and a twitter account and actually using them (grudgingly at first), I am seeing some merit in their use. Regarding facebook, I am a minimalist user. I usually log in twice a week to see if anyone has commented on my previous posts and I may or may not add new content. I can quickly see what my friends have been up and I may or may not comment on their posts. Typically I'm not the type to make a comment for the sake of it, rather I will comment only if I can add something very useful to the conversation. My friends understand this and appreciate this (I think) as they know when I get involved in any conversation I usually give some productive input.
There have been enough positive aspects of facebook that will probably keep me as an active member after this course finishes. The most important aspect is the ability to reconnect or stay connected with friends. After spending two years overseas in Macau, I made some really good friends that I still want to stay connected with. Keeping in touch via email with this group is not something I have ben able to do, but with facebook it has been very easy to stay in touch. I don't even have to make direct contact with a "friend", rather I can just follow his/her posts to keep current. So easy! I met up with another friend (that I haven't seen in seven years) at a volleyball tournament last month and we had a great time reminiscing but our time together was short. I told him that we must keep in touch and his response was "Are you on facebook?" Within a week we were "friends"!
Another positive for me has been reading many articles offering suggestions about do's & don'ts and personal security etc. and I have really taken them to heart. There are many stories about someone losing a job or not getting a job or being socially chastised for putting something inappropriate on facebook. I feel that I have found a happy medium that allows me to stay connected but in a way that is safe and not a detriment to my career or my personal reputation. One interesting suggestion that I came across was that it is alright to use an alias. A friend of mine actually does this and I think it makes a lot of sense.
Social Networking and Teaching and Learning
There is much debate currently about how and even if social networking tools should be used in schools. I will share with you what I have found to be the most common reasons "for" and "against" social networking prior to providing my thoughts on the issue.
Reasons for using a social networking tool (such as facebook) in the classroom:
1. Building of trust with students (the teacher is like one of them)
2. The power of networking and collaboration (power comes from sharing information rather keeping it to yourself)
3. Engaging students with a tool that they are familiar using
4. Some students who are too shy to be involved in class may be more inclined to participate online
Reasons against using social networking sites in the classroom:
1. The line between teacher and student becomes blurred (or even crossed); teachers are to be mentors not friends
2. A lack of privacy that may lead to undesirable actions such as cyber-bullying or contact with online predators
3. May be against district or state guidelines
4. Fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of losing control
Personally, I think that social networks should not be used in the classroom because many of them have such a bad rap. For every positive that is mentioned, someone will have a negative (or two) in response. I can see a lot of time and energy wasted in what I think would be a losing cause anyway.
However, the concept behind social networks is powerful and there are benefits that are too strong to ignore. The focus needs to be on "Educational Networking" (positive connotation) rather than "Social Networking" (negative connotation). The concepts remain the same but the context is now more favourable. Having said this, calling facebook an educational network will not work. The focus needs to be on educational networks such as Ning, ePals or Elgg.
I joined the Classroom 2.0 Ning network at the beginning of this course and I have found it to be very useful. Being part of a group of like-minded individuals creates some powerful collective wisdom. Members can float questions, get responses, add comments, and take part in free & interactive webinars through elluminate and Learncentral.org. This has been a great resource for me when researching web 2.0 tools as many useful and practical bits of information get posted by members. I even took part in an elluminate session about podcasts and the teacher was leading the session from his classroom while getting help from his students!
For the teacher who wants his/her students to use an educational networking tool, I recommend checking out Elgg. I've never used it but it has been mentioned by many members of Classroom 2.0 as an excellent resource for teachers and schools. Here is a word about Elgg:
"Elgg, started in 2004, is an open source social platform which powers all kinds of social environments - from education to business and sports such as rugby. If you are looking to create your own social application or want to build and run a site for your organisation, Elgg is a great choice as it provides the building blocks you will need". (http://elgg.org/about.php)
The positive thing about creating your own Ning or Elgg network is control. Membership can be controlled so that privacy can be maintained. Comments or additions can be deleted if inappropriate. Parents, administrators and other teachers can join so they can experience the learning that takes place. Students get to improve their sharing and collaboration skills while learning about online safety. These points need to be emphasized if educational networking tools are to be allowed to be used in the classroom by teachers and students.
Conclusion
For me, social networking is all about the "social'. Using a social network is a great way to connect, hang out, re-connect, and stay up to date. Just make sure you understand the potential drawbacks and protect yourself at all times.
For all of its positives, I strongly believe tools such as facebook and MySpace need to stay out of the schools. Could they be used properly and effectively? Maybe. But as I mentioned earlier there is too much negative baggage associated with these types of social networks.
The word "social" needs to be thrown out and replaced by "educational". The concepts of sharing, interacting, and collaborating online are very powerful and the potential uses in the classroom should not be overlooked. Ning's and Elgg's should be used by teachers and students in order to improve teaching and learning in the classroom. I've learned so much in a short period of time and if a digital immigrant such as myself can learn from using these tools, I'm certain our students can too!
References
Blanding, M. (2009) Thanks for the Add. Now Help Me with My Homework. Ed.magazine. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved from http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/295594
Boyd, D. (2009) Social Media is Here to Stay ... Now What? Retrieved from http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/295595
Hamel, G. (2009) The Facebook Generation vs. the Fortune 500. Gary Hamel's Management 2.0 Blog. Retrieved from http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/436956 the facebook generation vs
Johnson, D. (2009) Guidelines for Educators Using Social Networking Sites. Blue Skunk Blog. Retrieved from http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/916695
Mcconchie, S. (2010) Should Teachers be "Friends" with Their Students Online? Kiwi Commons. Retrieved from http://kiwicommons.com/2010/01/should-teachers-be-“friends”-with-their-students-online/
Ormiston, M. (2008) Roadblocks to Social Networking in Classrooms. Retrieved from http://www.classroom20.com/profiles/blogs/649749:BlogPost:112274
Richardson, W. (2009) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. 2nd Edition, Corwin Press
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