Social networking programs are one of the most up and coming technologies being used in schools today. Teachers are beginning to see that the educational benefits of social media far outweigh the risks. By incorporating the tools that students already know how to use, students are staying more engaged and are learning more. Safe social media tools are now available at no cost, which allows teachers to control an online environment while still benefiting from the use of social media. Using social media as a teaching tool not only motivates students to write, but provides a natural collaborative environment which encourages students to critique and comment on each other’s assignments and to work on teams to create content. This aspect of social media allows students to make new connections with other, whether they are shy, unpopular, or just plain unlikable.
Schools and libraries are working to integrate social networking into their classrooms, programs, and services. The use of these technologies provides students with the opportunity to learn how to be safe and smart when participating in online social networks. It also teaches them about a valuable life skill, as many of these technologies are used in colleges and in the workplace. The use of social media gives students meaningful ways to use and improve their reading and writing skills by creating profiles, posting and commenting on blogs, adding or editing content on wikis, and consulting with peers online as a part of research.
Our school has recently purchased a program called Gaggle. Gaggle is a program that allows safe online learning. Its purpose is to facilitate collaboration in and out of the classroom. It allows students and teachers to collaborate on projects and assignments through the use of the Gaggle Office Suite, much like Microsoft Office, and share and store those documents through email, digital file storage, and homework drop boxes. Gaggle also provides an integrated calendar which is updated by each teacher as well as blogs, message boards, and chat rooms. This is the pilot year of the program and we are all still adjusting to the software, but have received great reviews from students and parents about the possibility of this becoming a powerful tool.
The possibilities and uses of social networking in schools and in the classroom are virtually endless. Here are a few that I have found:
•Have students post notes, visuals, formulas, activities, reflections, and comments related to the days lesson on class blog.
•Publish the school newspaper on the blog.
•Create a joint wiki with another class for a unit of study. As students find information on the topic, have them post their findings.
•Use Facebook to connect with students in the school. Provide quick and easy links to the library catalog and other research tools. Include information on programs and services the library offers.
•Have students create a Facebook page for a character from literature that you are studying.
•Follow famous people on Twitter. Have students follow President Obama when studying government.
•Use Skype to bring the field trip to the classroom when it is difficult for students to go to the source.
•Conference with parents. Stay connected through social media to communicate their child’s progress.
•Tweet famous conversations. Have students tweet imagined conversations between famous figures.
•Bring your students together with a social media page.
•Share book reviews. Students can post their book reviews for the instructor to grade and other students to read on a class Facebook page.
•Poll the class. Use polls as an interactive teaching tool in class using the Poll app for Facebook.
Schools and libraries are working to integrate social networking into their classrooms, programs, and services. The use of these technologies provides students with the opportunity to learn how to be safe and smart when participating in online social networks. It also teaches them about a valuable life skill, as many of these technologies are used in colleges and in the workplace. The use of social media gives students meaningful ways to use and improve their reading and writing skills by creating profiles, posting and commenting on blogs, adding or editing content on wikis, and consulting with peers online as a part of research.
Our school has recently purchased a program called Gaggle. Gaggle is a program that allows safe online learning. Its purpose is to facilitate collaboration in and out of the classroom. It allows students and teachers to collaborate on projects and assignments through the use of the Gaggle Office Suite, much like Microsoft Office, and share and store those documents through email, digital file storage, and homework drop boxes. Gaggle also provides an integrated calendar which is updated by each teacher as well as blogs, message boards, and chat rooms. This is the pilot year of the program and we are all still adjusting to the software, but have received great reviews from students and parents about the possibility of this becoming a powerful tool.
The possibilities and uses of social networking in schools and in the classroom are virtually endless. Here are a few that I have found:
•Have students post notes, visuals, formulas, activities, reflections, and comments related to the days lesson on class blog.
•Publish the school newspaper on the blog.
•Create a joint wiki with another class for a unit of study. As students find information on the topic, have them post their findings.
•Use Facebook to connect with students in the school. Provide quick and easy links to the library catalog and other research tools. Include information on programs and services the library offers.
•Have students create a Facebook page for a character from literature that you are studying.
•Follow famous people on Twitter. Have students follow President Obama when studying government.
•Use Skype to bring the field trip to the classroom when it is difficult for students to go to the source.
•Conference with parents. Stay connected through social media to communicate their child’s progress.
•Tweet famous conversations. Have students tweet imagined conversations between famous figures.
•Bring your students together with a social media page.
•Share book reviews. Students can post their book reviews for the instructor to grade and other students to read on a class Facebook page.
•Poll the class. Use polls as an interactive teaching tool in class using the Poll app for Facebook.
I'm loving the Gaggle concept! This tool would be awesome for classroom instruction as well as teacher collaboration. I'm all for networking tools that assist with effective communication in schools. Our time is so limited with the students and each other...it helps to have sites like this one to support us.
ReplyDeleteI like the points you made regarding the advantages of social media. It is free, students already know how to use it, it is naturally collaborative and provides a safe environment for less outspoken and shy children to interact. And now as social media is such a pervasive part of our childrens’ lives, we have a wonderful way to use and improve their reading and writing skills in an authentic setting. My son manages a group page for his boy scout troop. This is such a great way to give them responsibility with purpose and meaning. Your specific uses of social networking show that there are even ways to integrate content subjects into their activities. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas!
ReplyDeleteVirginia ~ Your post regarding Social Networking was very informative. I especially like the idea of students creating an online school newspaper blog. Through the creation of a newspaper students learn to use technology as well as become better writers. Composing a newspaper story is slightly different from writing a composition or report for class.
ReplyDeleteFocusing on punctuation and capitalization skills will make the creation of a newspaper blog an interesting assignment. You mention Facebook and Twitter ~ unfortunately our students are all too comfortable with the use of lowercase comments with absolutely no punctuation. Creating a formal document, such as a newspaper, would most certainly help increase writing skills.
Depending on school policy and filter issues, students might have the opportunity to offer advertising space to local supporters. Restaurants and sports stores are always good for an advertisement or two!!
Great posting Virginia. I really enjoyed reading your work and like the ideas you offer. Well done.
Virginia, you made a great point about online social networking teaching students life skills. In this age and time, students are at a disadvantage if they do not have access and exposure to the internet and all the benefits. As educators, we have to make them aware of the benefits but create awareness also of the dangers and responsibility that comes with the privilege. Gaggle seems great. It is a one stop shop. Students can collaborate, blog and chat! I hope your schools implements it into the instruction. You already have students and parents on board. That's pretty much half your stakeholders.
ReplyDeleteVirginia,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post. I had never heard of Gaggle before and after looking into the service it seems like a great tool for collaboration and linking students and teachers together. I would love to hear more about it after you have used it longer and have more experience with it. We often jump on the bandwagon with new technologies that seem terrific but later on find that there are drawbacks or better ways to use the technology. Our school has begun using Facebook this year. The only problem we find with it is the lack of control you have with what other people post. We use it mostly just to communicate events or school updates, which is great, but not really collaborative.
Suzanne