Journal 7: Beyond Social Networking

Reynard, Ruth (July 15, 2009). Beyond Social Networking: Building Toward Learning Communities. Retrieved on August 7, 2009 from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2009/07/15/Beyond-Social-Networking-Building-Toward-Learning-Communities.aspx?Page=1

This article explores the benefits of social networking technologies in education. Incorporating social networking technologies, such as facebook, into the curriculum provides students with advanced ways to share information and create networks. Students can form groups to work on projects, where they can work, edit, and critique each others work promoting digital citizenship and group cooperation. Also, incorporating social networking sites into curriculum will provide important technological skills that will help them in many facets of life, such as being able to create an online portfolio for a professional opportunity. But, as a teacher one cannot become too friendly with students through the incorporation of social networking technologies. This can come off as creepy and turn off students towards involvement with these social networking tools. Teachers can be nice, but must manage how they incorporate these tools into curriculum.

Is it possible for teachers with less experience with computers to be able to incorporate social networking tools into their class?
I feel that social networking tools like facebook are pretty user friendly and easy to use. Anyone in the field of education knows how to use microsoft word and using facebook is no more difficult. These social networking tools are designed to be easy to understand and use and with a little effort anyone should be able to incorporate them into their classrooms.

How should teachers incorporate social networking sites?
Teachers should definitely not be friends with a student on a website like facebook. Incorporating a class blog or a class facebook account would be a great idea, but crossing the boundary of personal life and professional life on the part of the teacher should not be crossed.