Social+Networking

= S o c i a l N e t w o r k i n g= By Hannah Lim



Introduction:
====The demand and use for social networking sites in an educational environment has risen tremendously. The effects of using such resources have shown an increase in student motivation, academic improvement, and creativity through research. Jeffrey Yan (2008) says that using social networking strategies allows students to become publishers and authors of their own work as they share it with others in a creative way. Blogs and wikis are said to be major forms of displaying student work. ====

= Wikis and Blogs: =

Blogs are a great form of interaction as teachers are able to post teaching instructions, materials, and resources as well as additional information through images, videos, and hyperlinks (Yan, 2008). What’s really great about having classroom blogs is that teachers, students, and parents, creating an interactive communal environment, can post comments and feedback. Wikis allow students to interact with one another, creating a social environment of learning. Lee & Bonk (2011) emphasize the importance of interactive and authentic learning for successful learning among students. With the increase in exposure and use of technology, teachers, parents, and students are able to create a student-centered learning experience rather than a teacher-centered learning experience. Students’ families became more involved, which is essential in a child’s learning experience to have home support. Through the uses of blogs, wikis, youtube, webquests and the like, student engagement, interaction, and creativity has heightened.



Other Social Networking Resources:
According to Fleming (2008), social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook has become a very influential part of communication amount young people. For principal, Eric C. Sheninger, he was against any form of social networking used in his school, but now he uses social networking such as Twitter to form discussions with teachers and administrators (David, 2010). Considering that 73% of students between the ages of 12 to 17 use social networking sites, it would encourage students to get involved and motivated with their learning. Using other social networking sites, such as Skype, allowed students in the United States to meet students in different states and even other students who are overseas to extend their learning through video streaming and real time feedback. Not only do students collaborate with each other in a single classroom, they also collaborate ideas and information with classrooms in other regions (David, 2010). In addition, through the use of Voicethreads, students are able to create an audible story with drawings drawn by students to accommodate to the story.



Here is a video retrieved from Youtube that explains how Twitter could be used in the classroom:

media type="youtube" key="xZl5GQfY6kk" height="349" width="425"

This Youtube video displays a clear illustration of how Twitter can be used in the classroom. Twitter can be used in the classroom as a central communication station. Students are able to ask questions, give advice, give feedback, correct the teacher if he or she is wrong, and have an immediate response. Since students in this time of our culture have and are capable of using electronic devices, such as laptops and smart phones, I think that it can be used as a motivational device as well as a communicative device. Twitter can be viewed and updated on the web (posted on a computer or laptop) or through text messaging. Students and teachers are able to view individual and group discussions amongst each other. Having one central communication station, it allows teachers to monitor the context being discussed and the cyber behavior of the students.

Cons of Social Networking in the Classroom:
====Although there are many positive aspects about social networking, there are some negative sides to it as well. There are districts that are afraid to use social networking sites as a tool or a resource as a method of learning because of safety and privacy issues to consider. The safety and privacy issues need to be regulated and well communicated to teachers and students. Even still, there is a risk of coming into contact with a sexual predator or inappropriate materials. In addition, the issue of cyberbullying becomes real when social networking sites are used in the classroom. Cyberbullying is a form of aggressive act toward an individual who is weak to defend himself or herself through electronic devices. According to Smith et al. (2006), cyberbullying has increased with the use of technology. Cyberbullying can be done through emails, text messages, chatrooms, video messages, and the like (Smith et al., 2006).====

Conclusion
====Despite the fact that there are negative aspects to using social networking sites as a resource for learning, the positive aspects of using it in the classroom outweighs the negative. I believe that students should be educated about privacy and safety issues of using such resources instead of dismissing the use of it completely. Students should also be taught and reminded of common courtesy on the internet as well as showing respect to peers and instructors. With this knowledge, students should be able to develop a learning experience that helps expand their creativity, knowledge, and the skills they need in the real world in a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.====