Sunday, November 15, 2009
Social Networking
LEARNING ABOUT THE TOOLS
For the last few years I've been pondering where to go next in my career as a teacher. After nearly nine years of teaching French immersion at the same school, I've been feeling the itch to venture into new territory. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do next - I just knew I needed a change. One day during this past summer, a former classmate from high school contacted me on Facebook. The last time I saw this person, almost 30 years ago, I was in a similar position, trying decide which career path to pursue. It turns out that she is now working in Toronto for the federal government as a librarian. I asked her questions about her job and I was impressed with her passion about it. I began to explore my options in the area of library and information science and that's what brought me to this course at the University of Alberta. Social networking sites like Facebook can have major impacts!
Facebook is a social networking tool used to interact through networks based on criteria such as friendships, interest groups, professional and educational associations. Its value appears to be mainly recreational in nature. It offers networks based on location, so I can join groups with members living here in
Facebook has a strong privacy policy. On the profile page, I can choose which elements I want displayed on my “public” page. I can become friends with others on the network by mutual agreement and we can communicate via email, cell phone and instant messaging.
Classroom 2.0 Ning
This ning for educators was created by Steve Hargadon. On the main page, there is a link to a tour of Classroom 2.0 which is a webcast video done with Elluminate. Setting up Elluminate took a bit of time, but was worth the effort.
The Classroom 2.0 Live Show and Beginner Series is on Saturdays at
There are discussion groups one can join according to interest. For example, in the “Elementary School 2.0” Group, there are ongoing discussions on issues related primarily to this age group (seeking ning and blog partners in other schools, internet policies, etc.).
Another way to find interesting discussions is to search by tag, i.e. By Tool (e.g. Blogging, Social Networking), By Subject (e.g. Foreign Languages), or By Area (e.g. elementary, Internet safety).
Student Nings
In Classroom 2.0, I read some of the discussion around student nings. Ning.com is being used by some teachers, but Moodle seems to be the ning of choice in schools because it’s a forum open to students and teachers only, making it safer for students. According to Wikipedia, Moodle is a free and open-source e-learning software program. It provides opportunities for rich interaction, has a good filtering system and is customizable.
At Commonsensemedia.org, web 2.0 tools are reviewed for parents and teachers. Moodle isn’t mentioned, but Ning is rated as appropriate for ages 14 and up. I looked on this site for nings suitable for elementary students and found Dizzywood.com. It is recommended for kids ages 5-8 as a safe, fun virtual world that promotes positive social values like working collaboratively to solve problems. This might be a good way to prepare students for social networking sites such as Facebook and nings. I’ll write more about this later.
PERSONAL APPLICATIONS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING
I don’t spend a lot of time on Facebook, mainly because I don’t have time at the moment. It's a great way to keep in touch with friends, find old ones and share photos. I like that I can access groups to join such as Stitch ‘n Bitch, a group of people who get together to knit and chat. When I ‘m on leave, I may join and do some face-to-face social networking.
One aspect I don’t like about Facebook is that others can post pictures of me without my permission. For example, last year at school there were some pictures taken of me dancing at a family dance by a parent who posted them to her website. I was embarrassed to hear that they were there and angry that the parent hadn't asked for my permission. Parents shouldn't have been permitted to take pictures at all, as I’m sure many of the pictures posted were of kids in the school.
As for nings, one that I’ve discovered in my travels through the Internet is Stepchicks, a discussion forum for women like myself who have joined families already in progress. Once again, when I have the time, I would like to spend some more time on the site. Many of the issues that I face as a stepmother are not the same as those faced by my friends with their own children. It’s great to find a site where we can vent our frustrations, find some validation and share ideas with each other. It’s reassuring to know that there are others in the same boat and we understand each other.
PROFESSIONAL APPLICATIONS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING
Privacy and trust issues are a big factor when it comes to Facebook. Kids need to be taught how to use the site in a safe and responsible way. The tool allows users to make decisions that require judgement that is often lacking in children and teens. We (parents and teachers) need to teach kids how to be socially responsible on social network sites like Facebook. They need to learn how to be polite and kind to others online, just as in real life (Fodeman, 2009). Fodeman believes that Facebook isn’t an age-appropriate or developmentally healthy place for children and younger teens. I agree that more needs to be done to protect them online in terms of laws and direct instruction.
Children need to know that NOTHING IS PRIVATE online. On Facebook, they are given a false sense of privacy and anonymity that can lead to a lack of social responsibility. Many students are posting embarrassing, humiliating, and hurtful content in both text, photos, and videos. They need to see that there can be serious consequences to those whose irresponsible online behaviour has been made public (Fodeman, 2009). According to Fodeman, students have been expelled from high schools, colleges and even lost jobs as result of their activities on Facebook. Students and their families have been sued for slander. Children and teens need to know that once they post content to a social networking site, they have lost control and ownership of that content.
Christine Greenhow at the University of Minnesota talks about the educational implications of students using social networking sites like Facebook. Using Facebook, she says, can be time-consuming and a distraction from work and school for students. The social nature of children in grades 7 and up are what makes Facebook highly motivating for them. They are essentially wired 24/7 and some have difficulty disengaging from their online social life. For some, their anxiety level rises even when they are without their cell phones for a few hours. I've seen this personally with my fiance's daughter. Many kids need to be taught time management skills and how to use Facebook in a more appropriate way, such as for a study break.
With social networking sites, children aren’t learning face-to-face social interaction skills. Fodeman points out that 16-year-olds say they would rather break up with their girlfriend/boyfriend by texting, IMing, or posting on their Facebook wall than tell them in person (or over the phone). This “moral disconnect” is evident in the numerous examples of kids who say mean and hurtful things online because they can. They are living more and more in a world without adult supervision, without boundaries and expectations for their behaviour. As Fodeman so aptly puts it, this "lack of supervision creates an anything goes wild-wild-west” scenario.
It’s a good thing that Facebook is blocked by most school divisions; however, with its addictive nature, and the fact that many kids are using it at home without adult supervision, how can teachers help students interact on the site in socially responsible and safe ways? Are there social networking websites for young children that can prepare them for sites like Facebook?
In Bauman and Tatum’s article they review popular social networking sites for young children which include Club Penguin, Webkinz and Kidzworld. Besides games and cool graphics, these sites have chats and other interactive components, such as instant messaging which allow children to meet new friends and form online relationships. These sites provide technological skills like reading online and keyboarding, but they have elements that may be misused. Developers of these sites claim that children learn valuable Internet social skills, as well as literacy and problem solving in a safe environment. Bauman and Tatum write from the perspective of school counselors and recommend that professional counselors provide classroom guidance regarding these web sites to students as early as kindergarten.
Nings (or their equivilent) could be an effective way for schools to teach kids how to be socially responsible digital citizens on all social networking sites, including Facebook. They provide students with the opportunity to work collaboratively with each other in a safer environment that is monitored by teachers. The key is finding a ning that is suitable and safe for children. A principal, Mark McCall, is an advocate for Moodle and describes the program as a course management system that was designed to help educators create effective online learning communities that are engaging to students. It operates like a ning by facilitating the use of Web 2.0 tools in a controlled and safe way in schools.
McCall provides a number of examples of how teachers are implementing Moodle in their instruction. One teacher uses it in Language Arts in a question-and-answer format to discuss the daily reading assignments. She has found that this forum has enabled her quieter students to find a voice in the classroom. It can also be used for creative writing whereby students read and respond to each other about their writing. Teachers have found that peer response can be a powerful motivator and again, even the quietest students are making themselves heard. In math, a series of Moodle lessons can be created for students to follow at their own pace. One teacher found that these lessons kept her students engaged while she worked on-on-one with students who needed extra help with concepts.
Teachers using Moodle have reported that they are spending less time on technology with students and more time on their course content. “Class time is focused on the learning objectives for that lesson instead of navigating to digital resources” (McCall).
Professional nings like Classroom 2.0 and Education.ning.com make teaching less of an isolated experience. These social networking sites enable teachers from all over the world to share ideas with each other in an efficient and effective way. They are also a cost-effective way to provide professional development to educators. At Classroom 2.0 for example, I can access Elluminate sessions on a wide variety of Web 2.0 tools and interact with professionals in the field. How cool is that?!
REFERENCES
Bauman, Sheri & Tatum, Tanisha. Web Sites for Young Children: Gateway to Online Social Networking? Professional School Counselling. Alexandria: Oct 2009. Vol. 13, Iss. 1; pg. 1, 10 pgs
Fodeman, D., et. al., The Impact of Facebook On Our Students. Teacher Librarian v. 36 no. 5 (June 2009) p. 36-40
McCall, Mark. It’s OK to Moodle at School. Principal Leadership. (Middle Level ed.). Reston: Jan 2009. Vol. 9, Iss. 5; pg. 62, 2 pgs
