I listened to a podcast by Dana Boyd, a PhD student at University of California, Berkley. It was on the topic of Social Networking and Privacy. If you are interested, it can be found here: http://epmedia.ecollege.com/media/emu/ABS-EDMT592-2798455/boyd.mp3.
Over the last few weeks, I have established accounts and profiles on several social networking sites. Through my experience with these sites, I have come to learn much more about the significance of an individuals profile and friends list. I was fairly comfortable with the information the sites encourage you to post, with other things, I just did not complete. However, after I listened to Boyd's podcast, I have looked at this process with a new light. I was making careful decisions when I was sharing my personal information - or more specifically - about what information to share. However, I do not think that kids will necessairly have the skill to make careful decisions with this.
Boyd described how todays youth view social networking sites as 'kid space,' often without an understanding of the potential audience. Kids do not recognize that potential viewers from sexual deviants to employers can and may use the posted information in ways the author had not intended. There is often a big gap between who the kids believe are viewing their information and who actually may be. At worst, this could put them in serious danger, or it could lose them a job opportunity, or simply upset a parent. Either way, the kids must recognize the "invisible audience." This is just one challenge that arises with younger kids using social networking. Certainly there are other problems that may arise with kids making their lives, activities and friends public.
I really appreciate Boyd's suggestions to educators. She encourages educating kids through conversation - not lecture, setting norms, keeping an open mind, modeling with your own profile, and simply be present. As with teaching a lesson in class, a student will learn much better through experience and engagement, rather than just listening. Along this reasoning, I see the advantages to teachers having heir own accounts and modeling how to appropriately use these social sites. A student will be much more likly to follow the lead of a teacher on the site than a teacher lecturing them about the sites.
Social networking sites are just one of the latest innovations that is demanding our attention. While kids are jumping in the deep end of these sites, we need to get in the pool with them and show them how to swim safetly. Kids simply claiming these sites as their space, and shunning adult intervention is short sited and foolish. They need to learn new types of lessons about privacy and safety that we never had to in our youth.
...now, remember to be home when the street lights come on.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Social Networking and Education
I have joined the social networking site Classroom 2.0. This is a network designed to allow educators at all levels to communicate and share ideas. There are about 5,800 members internationally, although mostly from the U.S.
I completed an introductory message set up to create a forum for new members. It did not take long to get comments from other people. However, the only comments I have received so far are from people who seem to be using the site as a business network. I have been contacted by people from business ventures such as Livetutor, an educational consultant, Living-Textbook, curriculum designers, and fund raisers. I felt a little like new prey to a group of waiting predators. It was a little disappointing to see the only contacts were people out to make money from people on the site.
To be more proactive, I joined a group within the site for Second Life. It is described as a forum where educators could discuss the potential use of 2L in education. So far, there has not been any recent discussion in the forum.
Social networking does appear to have potential for educators. It would be very useful to inquire about new ideas for teaching particular units and sharing our successes and challenges. further, I can imagine sharing whole unit plans. I have always felt that there is nothing wrong with stealing good lesson ideas in teaching (as long as you are not financially profitting from someone elses ideas...). I typically collaborate with other teachers in my content area, but this offers the opportunity to bring in a wealth of new ideas to the table.
However, as with many aspects of the internet, you need to sort through things you do not need, such as the business solicitations. I suppose there is a place for those as well, if you have an interest in what is being presented to you. But for my interest so far, they seem more of a nuisance. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss practical educational applications with other teachers. We'll have to see how things progress.
I completed an introductory message set up to create a forum for new members. It did not take long to get comments from other people. However, the only comments I have received so far are from people who seem to be using the site as a business network. I have been contacted by people from business ventures such as Livetutor, an educational consultant, Living-Textbook, curriculum designers, and fund raisers. I felt a little like new prey to a group of waiting predators. It was a little disappointing to see the only contacts were people out to make money from people on the site.
To be more proactive, I joined a group within the site for Second Life. It is described as a forum where educators could discuss the potential use of 2L in education. So far, there has not been any recent discussion in the forum.
Social networking does appear to have potential for educators. It would be very useful to inquire about new ideas for teaching particular units and sharing our successes and challenges. further, I can imagine sharing whole unit plans. I have always felt that there is nothing wrong with stealing good lesson ideas in teaching (as long as you are not financially profitting from someone elses ideas...). I typically collaborate with other teachers in my content area, but this offers the opportunity to bring in a wealth of new ideas to the table.
However, as with many aspects of the internet, you need to sort through things you do not need, such as the business solicitations. I suppose there is a place for those as well, if you have an interest in what is being presented to you. But for my interest so far, they seem more of a nuisance. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss practical educational applications with other teachers. We'll have to see how things progress.
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