social media—your educational playground awaits you
TRANSCRIPT
Social Media—Your Educational Playground Awaits You
Jennifer GreenLanguage Arts and Mathematics
InstructorLover of all things techie
But WHYuse social networks?
An October 2007 National School Boards Association study entitled "Creating & Connecting: Research and Guidelines on Online Social - and Educational – Networking found…
• Nine-to-17-year-olds report spending almost as much time using social networking services and Web sites as they spend watching television. Among teens, that amounts to about 9 hours a week on social networking activities, compared to about 10 hours a week watching TV.
• Overall, an astonishing 96 percent of students with online access report that they have ever used any social networking technologies, such as chatting, text messaging, blogging and visiting online communities, such as Facebook, MySpace and services designed specifically for younger children, such as Webkins and the chat sections of Nick.com.
• Eighty-one percent say they have visited a social networking Web site within the past three months and 71 percent say they use social networking tools at least weekly.
• Further, students report that one of the most common topics of conversation on the social networking scene is education.
• Almost 60 percent of students who use social networking talk about education topics online and, surprisingly, more than 50 percent talk specifically about schoolwork. Yet the vast majority of school districts have stringent rules against nearly all forms of social networking during the school day — even though students and parents report few problem behaviors online.
• Fewer than one in three district leaders (29 percent) believe that social networking could help students improve their reading or writing or express themselves more clearly (28 percent). Somewhat more of them (36 percent) hope that social networking will help students learn to work together to solve academic problems.
• Parents, on the other hand, have higher expectations. More than three in four (76 percent) expect social networking to help their children improve their reading and writing skills or express themselves more clearly; three out of four (75 percent) also expect social networking to improve children’s ability to resolve conflicts. Almost as many (72 percent) expect social networking to improve their children’s social skills as well.
• The study found that, of the students observed, 94 percent used the Internet, 82 percent go online at home and 77 percent had a profile on a social networking site. When asked what they learn from using social networking sites, the students listed technology skills as the top lesson, followed by creativity, being open to new or diverse views and communication skills.
• Christine Greenhow, a learning technologies researcher in the university's College of Education and Human Development and principal investigator of the study, suggests that educators can help students realize even more benefits from their social network site use by working to deepen students' still emerging ideas about what it means to be a good digital citizen and leader online.
University of Minnesota, 2008 Study
What can a social networking site look like in a classroom?
American Lit Ning-Spring 2010www.aladventure.ning.com
But…a word about Ning…
Ning is no longer “free”, but it is offering free “Ning Mini” sites.
However, features are very limited. This includes my favorite feature of “groups”.
So Now What???
• Social Go: www.socialgo.com• Groups: grou.ps• Grouply: Grouply.com• Groupsite: Groupsite.com• Mixxt: Mixxt.com• Edmodo: Edmodo.com
Our Social Network Sandbox
Please go toeducationplayground.grouply.com and click to “Join”.
Welcome! You are now a member of an
educational social network.
Explore the Group
Because I have made this group “Private”, I will have to approve you.
Once members, browse around—You can’t hurt anything!
Feel free to make a post somewhere in this site.
Functions & Tools
• Privacy• View as…• Subgroups• Apps– Tabs– HTML embed– HTML text– Text Box– Discussion Forum
Time to Make Your Own Playground!
At the top-left of our site, click on“create your own group” then follow the
prompts and you are on your way!
Don’t forget to email Grouply for a free education site: [email protected]
Approval only takes a day or so.
Final Thoughts• Grading• Moderating• Take risks• Be flexible• Start small• Create mail filter• One class-one site vs. All classes-one site
Questions???