Social networking for learning?

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Social networking, and its place in education seems to be a widely debated topic. Many teachers have concerns about opening up their classroom and providing students access to social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs. However, other teachers see social networking as a valuable 21st century learning tool, that they can use to help engage students in real world learning.

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Through my research, and conversations I've had with my colleagues, I've discovered several concerns about incorporating social networking in the classroom. One concern is about student privacy and putting student information out in cyberspace for anyone to access. Another concern is that incorporating social networking sites would open another avenue for bullying and cyberbullying in the classroom (Dunn, 2012). Lastly, some teachers are concerned about which tool to use, and how to use it effectively in the classroom, not wanting to use without a clear purpose (Zhao, 2012).

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Although these challenges may pose some concern, I do not feel like they should keep teachers from using social networking to create a 21st century learning environment in the classroom. It is my contention that the educational benefits of using these tools outweigh the possible drawbacks, and in some cases, effective planning can eliminate many challenges as well.

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Some of the benefits of social networking in the classroom include providing students with a real life opportunity to practice digital citizenship, while also providing teachers with the opportunity to expand their Professional Learning Community. Social networking can be a great communication tool, connecting students to students, teachers to students, and to communicate with parents.  (Marquis, 2012). Also, utilized properly, social networking can help engage students in their learning. 

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According to Zhao (2012), social networking works by "increasing access to people and information in various forms, including Twitter feeds, blog posts, videos and books. These tools are also increasing people's ability to share information with networks and contribute their own thoughts." These tools provide great benefits to 21st century learning and should be used to not only engage students in their learning but to also allow them practice being a digital citizen. 

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Resources:

Davis, V. (2014, February 27). A Guidebook for Social Media in the Classroom. Edutopia. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis

Dunn, J. (2012, January 4). Why Students Like Social Media But Schools Don't - Edudemic. Edudemic. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from http://www.edudemic.com/students-social-media/

Marquis, J. (2012, February 3). Pros and Cons of Social Media in Education. OnlineUniversities.com. Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/02/pros-and-cons-of-social-media-in-education/

Zhao, E. (2012, April 30). Social Media And Video Games In Classrooms Can Yield Valuable Data For Teachers. The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/30/social-media-and-video-ga_n_1465082.html