It
is difficult to only talk about social networking without touching on social
media. They are both so closely
related. Social networking is becoming
very controversial. Both children and
adults are using it carelessly and creating great difficulty for themselves in
the long run. I do not know if I see any
educational value in social networking in terms of content related material. I do
not think organizing a reunion, like in the example given, is educational
either. With that being said, it may be
beneficial to teach students the value in social networking and how to safely
use it. It would be valuable for
students to know about sites like LinkedIn for when they are looking to connect
with others and find jobs. I think it is
important to teach students how to safely and appropriately use them and
educate them on the negative impact they can have on their future if used
inappropriately. I think the best way to
educate students would be to have them take an online safety course each year
when they reach middle school. Each year
could focus on a different internet tool and the right and wrong ways to use
them.
Internet safety is already a requirement of teachers at all grade levels, at least in my district. That does not mean it is being taught though, and that is the start of the problem. We have had several students in 5th and even 4th grade get into trouble because of bad choices on Facebook. Yes, this is social media via a social networking tool, they go together and need to be taught together. I use Edmodo as an entry in to the social networking platforms but we have not even scratched the surface of either social media or networking. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google plus, or LinkedIn all can be extremely effective networking and learning tools. But they can also be nothing more then a time suck. Just depends on your goals.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of the safety course. I wrote about a Pause Before You Post thing they did at my school, but it was a one-time thing and was then dropped. It's definitely something that needs reinforcing.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you that social networking is hazardous, especially to young children. Internet safety needs to be a big deal and should be a required course of some kind if we are going to incorporate technology into the educational setting. Linkedin is definitely one of the social networking sites that I think is appropriate for students to be learning about and using in school, and blogs/wiki's as well. Other than that, I think sites like Facebook and Twitter have a long way to come to prove some educational value in the classroom.
ReplyDelete