Entry 3: The Use of Social Networking Sites in Education

The Subject

On December 4^th, 2010, Dr. Michele Einspar, a contributing author for suite101.com, posted an article called “Using Facebook in Education” on the website’s Teaching and Technology page.  Even though the article is over four months old, I couldn’t resist from taking a closer look at it.  According to Einspar, the popular social networking site Facebook can be a learning tool that may lead to academic success.  She believes that sites like Facebook can be used to connect students to each other as well as connect teachers to students and parents.  Einspar references two high school teachers that currently use this technology in their classrooms.  According to them, Facebook engages students and gives them a sense of belonging.  They also use Facebook to post assignments and hold discussion forums.  Facebook should be used carefully, however.  These two teachers suggest utilizing the website via a fan page and advise against “friending” students.

My Participation

I chose to post a comment on this article because the use of Facebook is a huge topic in society, especially in education.  I feel that most attitudes towards Facebook are negative.  I completely agree with what the teachers in this article are trying to do with Facebook.  However, there are better tools to use, in my opinion.  In my last post, I discussed the online tool Moodle.  Almost everything a teacher can do on Facebook, he/she can do on Moodle.  Teachers may feel as though Facebook is better because students already use it and are familiar with it.  However, I believe that teachers should discourage students from spending time on Facebook, not give them a reason to log in.  Facebook can be an avenue for students to be hateful and engage in cyber bullying.  Around March 31^st, I attempted to comment on this article and express my concerns.  However, since I am not a suite101 member, my comment must be viewed and may be moderated before it is posted.  To this day, my comment has not been made viewable. (I wonder why!)  Furthermore, the article does not have a single comment posted.  Could we take this to mean that some people do not have supportive words to offer? Maybe.

My Learning

Reading this article reinforced my support for using technology as a communication tool.  I still believe that it is important for parents and students to be actively involved in class activities, especially in the younger grades.  I do warn educators to chose their online tool very carefully.  Although sites such as Facebook may be fun and appealing to students, it may be better to use a more reputable site geared towards educational uses.

Final Reflection

I enjoyed using Google Reader very much.  Over time I found myself subscribing to more and more feeds.  Several however, were not updated often.  If you are thinking about subscribing to RSS feeds, I suggest checking the number of subscribers and/or number of posts per week.  This information can be found as you search for feeds using your Reader.  This will give you a hint as to how active the feed is.  My experience actually did exceed my expectations.  I love checking my Reader and skimming through the articles.  I especially like articles from the New York Times, which offers hundreds.  I will definitely continue to use my Google Reader.   

            

Entry 2: Online Communication Tools for Educators

The Subject

I recently read an article from suite101.com’s Teaching and Technology page.  The article, “Moodle: Keeping Educators and Parents Connected in the New Age,” was posted on February 27, 2011 by Danny Waldo, M.S.  Mr. Waldo is a classroom teacher who is an active political lobbyist for education issues.  There were four comments posted in response to this article.  The discussion began February 28^th and ended March 28^th with my comment.  The article was about an online tool called Moodle.  Moodle allows educators to connect with students and their parents.  Parents and teachers are able to communicate freely over the Internet, increasing parent involvement.  Teachers and parents can post on discussion boards, clearing up any confusion on deadlines, expectations, etc. Teachers can post homework assignments, update calendars, and provide printable school documents.  The discussion of Moodle included overwhelming support for the technology.  Kelly Hardman uses Moodle in her classroom and highly recommends it to other educators.  I ended the discussion by commenting on how I like the ability to post supplemental material for students.  I definitely plan on using Moodle (or a similar tool) in my classroom!

My Participation

I chose to post a comment on this article because I remember using a similar web tool in high school.  It was extremely helpful to be able to double check assignments and easily contact my teacher.  I still agree with the use of these tools, especially in the younger grades.  Parent involvement is very important for the successes of young students.  Using the Internet is easier and more reliable than relying on the students to relay information or pass on papers.  Everyone who commented on this article agreed with the benefits of Moodle.  We all liked the ability to easily assess information.  One person stated that the use of technology is necessary to improve lines of communication.

My Learning

As a result of reading this article I would recommend the use of Moodle to other teachers.  Most educators recognize the importance of communication between themselves and students and parents.  Moodle is an easy and safe way to use technology to communicate.  More and more teachers are using similar online tools in their higher-level courses.  It is important to understand that using these tools in younger grades and including the parents is just as beneficial to learning.

Entry 1: My go-to resources...

Recently, I opened a Google Reader account and began searching for educational resource feeds to subscribe to.  After days of searching I realized how difficult this could be, especially when trying to find recent, active discussions.  However I did manage to find a few blogs and websites that I am interested in. The feeds either focus on integrating technology into the science classroom or science and education in general.   The feeds I decided to subscribe to are as follows:

-Beth’s Thoughts on Technology in the Classroom

URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/BethsThoughtsOnTechnologyInTheClassroom

This is a blog that focuses on technology and learning.  Beth Knittle was a middle school science teacher for nineteen years and is currently a K-12 Technology Integration Specialist.  Her job is to support teachers who wish to integrate technology in their classrooms.  I decided to subscribe to this feed because I feel like I can connect with and seek advice from Beth.

-Mr. Gonzalez’s Classroom

URL: http://www.educatoral.com/wordpress/feed/

In his blog Mr. Gonzalez writes about teaching science to adolescents.  The blog contains many posts related to the integration of technology.  He has been teaching for ten years and has a very impressive resume.  Mr. Gonzalez is an award and grant winner who is constantly working to better education.  I subscribed to his blog because I believe that he has a lot of experience and many good insights.

-New York Times > Education

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/nyt/Education.xml

The New York Times is a very popular American newspaper.  Written on a ninth grade reading level as opposed to a fifth, it is considered a “high end” paper. The education section contains articles on the education system in the U.S.  I subscribed because I believe all educators should keep up with this source.

-Suite 101: Teaching and Technology Articles

URL: http://rss.suite101.com/teachingtechnology.xml

This feed contains an array of articles posted by various paid professional authors.  Suite 101 contains sections for many different topics.  I chose the teaching and technology section because it contains up to date tips on using technology to teach.

-The Education Technology Blog

URL: http://www.educationtechnologyblog.com/1/feed

This is Jonathan Wylies’ blog.  He is an elementary school teacher who has been teaching for nine years in schools in the U.S. and the U.K.  He is also a technology specialist who has worked for four years on ways to enhance teaching and learning through technology.  Similar to the reason why I subscribed to Beth’s blog, I subscribed to Jonathan’s because I believe he will provide me with interesting ideas on how to use technology in the classroom.  He seems to be very open to helping other teachers.