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I'm talking about social media in the classroom, of course. You know, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social media as tools to extend and enhance learning. Do they work?
I'm sure that's an easy answer. Yes. Or, rather, maybe a qualified "yes" -- for some students in some situations when used well (and appropriately). Uh-oh ... that sounds more like a "no" -- it's too complicated to bother.
Any teaching tool takes time and care to develop. For example, the research shows that read-alouds are good for kids of all ages (even the grown-up kids). Personally, I've seen this work in elementary, middle school, high school, and (yes, gasp!) college and graduate school settings. When I say "personally" though, that means read-alouds have worked for me. I clearly remember my professor reading from Strega Nona in my first semester of graduate school . . . although, come to think of it, besides illustrating *some* concept related to language arts in elementary education (the topic of the class), I don't readily remember the exact point. Nor do I recall *my* specific purpose in reading daily to my middle school homeroom (other than to calm everyone after recess, model the act of reading for enjoyment, and expand their vocabularies). Perhaps that *is* the point . . . in selecting teaching tools, it is important to have a clear (and clearly communicated) objective -- but the outcomes may be different for each student, depending on their needs, abilities, personal characteristics, and a myriad of other factors.
So . . . back to social media and its role in classrooms. Does it belong? If so, where, when, and how? Donald Clark's blog suggests a few important considerations for using social media in any setting. I'd like to extrapolate Clark's ideas specifically to middle school, secondary, and post-secondary classrooms and underscore a few key points of using social media as learning tools:
Balance
Whether we are talking about chocolate cake and ice cream, summer sunbathing, or social media in the classroom, too much of a good thing can quickly become a bad thing. Today's classrooms are faster paced, more visual (and "edutainment" oriented), and more technological than the classrooms of the 80s (when I went to elementary school), the 90s (when I first started teaching, at the tail end of the decade), and even the early 2000s (when the Internet came into its own as a learning technology). Sure, most of today's high schoolers and college students -- and even some savvy middle schoolders -- have Facebook accounts. Many also tweet and blog and post videos to YouTube. These tools can be a great way to communicate conveniently with students and teachers need to be savvy and think of ways to incorporate the tools into the curriculum. It is important, though, to avoid the trap of technotainment (visit for a quick checklist to evaluate your tools).
On the other hand, no learning tool should stand alone. Our learners come from a variety of backgrounds and approach learning in different ways. Some students learn best through visual means -- watching video clips, looking at cartoons, reading narratives. Many students are very social and grew up in a cooperative/collaborative learning era where their learning depended on the learning of their teammates. However, we still have learners who prefer introspection as their learning tool of choice. They need to ponder, reflect, journal about their questions and insights or mull over thoughts while running a mile.
In fact, all of us probably fall into the introspective group at some point, either when we are in a particular mood or when we are focusing on a specific topic (or type of topic). Forcing introspective learners to share resources, blog private thoughts or respond to other learners' thoughts may interrupt their progress. You may want to read this chapter for more information and insights on accommodating multiple learning approaches in the classroom, with or without technology.
Certainly, one of the goals of learning is to stretch our comfort zones, so sometimes we have to encourage introspective learners to get social. Accordingly, we have to encourage social learners to get introspective and dig deep within for meaning instead of building on others' ideas. It's a delicate balance.
What do you think?
I'm sure that's an easy answer. Yes. Or, rather, maybe a qualified "yes" -- for some students in some situations when used well (and appropriately). Uh-oh ... that sounds more like a "no" -- it's too complicated to bother.
Any teaching tool takes time and care to develop. For example, the research shows that read-alouds are good for kids of all ages (even the grown-up kids). Personally, I've seen this work in elementary, middle school, high school, and (yes, gasp!) college and graduate school settings. When I say "personally" though, that means read-alouds have worked for me. I clearly remember my professor reading from Strega Nona in my first semester of graduate school . . . although, come to think of it, besides illustrating *some* concept related to language arts in elementary education (the topic of the class), I don't readily remember the exact point. Nor do I recall *my* specific purpose in reading daily to my middle school homeroom (other than to calm everyone after recess, model the act of reading for enjoyment, and expand their vocabularies). Perhaps that *is* the point . . . in selecting teaching tools, it is important to have a clear (and clearly communicated) objective -- but the outcomes may be different for each student, depending on their needs, abilities, personal characteristics, and a myriad of other factors.
So . . . back to social media and its role in classrooms. Does it belong? If so, where, when, and how? Donald Clark's blog suggests a few important considerations for using social media in any setting. I'd like to extrapolate Clark's ideas specifically to middle school, secondary, and post-secondary classrooms and underscore a few key points of using social media as learning tools:
- Balance (not all learning is social, too much of a good thing drives results south)
- Structure (intentionality and planning yield purposeful results and avoid sand traps)
- Quality (dispel the "anything goes" myth and encourage reflection and care)
- Safety (think before you act and do unto others)
Balance
Whether we are talking about chocolate cake and ice cream, summer sunbathing, or social media in the classroom, too much of a good thing can quickly become a bad thing. Today's classrooms are faster paced, more visual (and "edutainment" oriented), and more technological than the classrooms of the 80s (when I went to elementary school), the 90s (when I first started teaching, at the tail end of the decade), and even the early 2000s (when the Internet came into its own as a learning technology). Sure, most of today's high schoolers and college students -- and even some savvy middle schoolders -- have Facebook accounts. Many also tweet and blog and post videos to YouTube. These tools can be a great way to communicate conveniently with students and teachers need to be savvy and think of ways to incorporate the tools into the curriculum. It is important, though, to avoid the trap of technotainment (visit for a quick checklist to evaluate your tools).
On the other hand, no learning tool should stand alone. Our learners come from a variety of backgrounds and approach learning in different ways. Some students learn best through visual means -- watching video clips, looking at cartoons, reading narratives. Many students are very social and grew up in a cooperative/collaborative learning era where their learning depended on the learning of their teammates. However, we still have learners who prefer introspection as their learning tool of choice. They need to ponder, reflect, journal about their questions and insights or mull over thoughts while running a mile.
In fact, all of us probably fall into the introspective group at some point, either when we are in a particular mood or when we are focusing on a specific topic (or type of topic). Forcing introspective learners to share resources, blog private thoughts or respond to other learners' thoughts may interrupt their progress. You may want to read this chapter for more information and insights on accommodating multiple learning approaches in the classroom, with or without technology.
Certainly, one of the goals of learning is to stretch our comfort zones, so sometimes we have to encourage introspective learners to get social. Accordingly, we have to encourage social learners to get introspective and dig deep within for meaning instead of building on others' ideas. It's a delicate balance.
What do you think?
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