When we learn we engage, when we engage do we learn?
“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”
Martin Luther King [2]
The development and launching of the countless amounts of social
networking sites has made significant changes to how our world functions. When
these networks began, they encouraged millions of people to participate in this
new way of life and as evidence clearly showed, succeeded tremendously.
I was focused on social media and will be for my TAI next year, for learning and advancement of students interaction when designing and developing a prototype. I believe we as teachers need to support and encourage better ways for students to use social media as a tool. Social media is our
modern day ‘discovery of fire.’ It has spread the globe at phenomenal speed and
in many ways, we cannot imagine life without it. A common argument surrounding
‘social media and technology’ is “does
it belong inside the classroom?” Journalist
John Cloud wrote an article in TIME magazine in 2012 titled “Gadgets go to
Class” which regarded the growing occurrence of introducing devices in schools.
The concept “BOYT – bring your own technology” allows students to bring their
devices not only into school but into classes as a way to interact with each
other during lessons (Cloud, 2012) .
Many different contributors have argued effectively by both for and against
this innovation.
Is our future for learning changing? Yes! I believe the style for students interaction must encourage community learning and the ... lovely African proverb: 'It takes a village to raise a child.' This can be said for today's learning and social media if used weel can provide broader connections for information with others.
Hi Kirsten, I enjoyed reading your post about the place of social media in school, and I will be following your progress on using it in the classroom. The development of powerful communication tools in our lifetime is stunning. It has amplified and accelerated the human love of networking and sharing - for good and bad! As with any tool it is how we use it that matters. Social media is very democratic which has both benefits and problems. It gives power to the individual. Schools need to acknowledge that students are used to having this power and teach them to use it for good. Looking forward to hearing how you get on!
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