Jan 07 2008
Social Networking - What’s the Big Deal?
For that last few years I have been a quiet observer surfing the education and edtech blogosphere. Cautiously, I introduced my classroom students to the idea of communicating through blogging to enhance their writing and communication skills. In typical teacher fashion I created a closed network full of rules, regulations, and safety nets for the protection of my students, and to be honest, to cover my own posterior. I immersed myself as a learner in the online world of social networking and communication. So what is the big deal anyway? We have Myspace, Facebook, Skype, Web2.0, Student2.0, Teacher2.0, Twitter, Edublog after Edublog, the list is endless. Each day a new tool, a new source of knowledge, a new means to communicate pops up on the Internet. Where does it all begin? Where does it all end? Or Does it? The following are the observations of this fledgling blogger. The “Big Ah Ha” for me, (I really hate that overused phrase, but sometimes it just fits) communication centered on content rich knowledge. I have personally been exposed to some of the best content concerning the application of technology in education via these social networks. Individuals that share my common interests and my passion for providing the best learning opportunities for students join together in a community environment to share the best and most current information available. The members of the community act together as a networked filter to challenge the information in a collaborative effort to provide the best of the best. When the combined efforts of a community are focused on a common goal, the level of communication is heightened. The technology of social networking breaks down the barriers of communication allowing for genuine global input. The dangers of such communication involve but are not limited to the network becoming too specialized or isolated from the broader global community. The responsibility of keeping the open lines of communication fresh and current falls on the individual participants within the network. The beauty of social networking lies in the breadth of the life experience brought to the network by its participants. I feel that it is the genuine human element that each individual brings to the dialogue that authenticates the content being shared. Ideas are tested, challenged, and tweaked to create a learning environment that meets the unique needs of different classroom populations. This type of communication also provides vast learning opportunities beyond the classroom walls. The experience has rejuvenated my passion for learning.Of course there are those that participate to further their own agenda or feed their egos. My experience is that the majority of social network participants are genuine individuals that, like myself, want to improve the condition of education on a global level. Perhaps the most interesting part of this has been the real life experiences outside of education that have been shared. I toyed with the idea of linking the names of some of the contributors with their perspective blog sites, but as I have not met many of them in person I choose to respect their privacy. I will however share some of the human insight that makes this type of communication so much fun. I have been privy to the gastronomic delicacies of several contributors. The pot-roast pizza rolls intrigue me. I experienced the Rose Bowl parade via twitter right down to the description of two children having a toe-to-toe silly string fight. I discovered our school firewall blocks outgoing video conferencing as I participated in a demo of Adobe Connect. I watched in awe at one person’s display of their year in pictures, inspiring myself and countless others to participate in 366/2008. I rang in the New Year following tweets from around the globe. People from as far away as Australia have reached out to me offering advice and encouragement to continue with this journey. I wish to express my gratitude to all that have provided me with a wealth of information that will have a positive impact on the learning environment for my students. I hope that I will be able to contribute enough valuable information in the future to “pay it back”.Now for the next step. How to bring my excitement from this learning journey into my classroom in the hopes that I can awaken the passion and potential for learning that I know each student that enters my room possesses. I’m open to suggestions.
