Social Networking, I think, is kind of a scary topic for many educators. As soon as we see these two words, we immediately think of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. When it comes to protecting our students' privacy, and ensuring they are not encountering bad people on the Internet, these certainly don't seem too conducive. However, I think there are a lot of ways of incorporating social networking into the classroom that can be both safe, and learning-centred.
The biggest thing that we, as educators, need to think of before introducing social networking into the classroom is safety. Similar to any other time we are allowing our students to use the Internet, we need to ensure that they are safe in what they're doing. I'd absolutely suggest teachers try out any of the tools they plan on using in the classroom, and I don't just mean testing the usability, but rather thoroughly exploring the site to ensure that, no matter where the students are clicking, they are not being bombarded by advertisements, inappropriate text or images, or a page asking them to input their personal information.
As well, we should never be limited to the most well-known sites as educators. There are plenty of social networking sites that allow students to communicate with other students in their district, in a neighboring district, or around the world. Sites created specifically by educators, schools, or administration provide a wealth of knowledge on particular subjects, varying across the curriculum. This is one of my favorites:
http://www.care2.com/.
Simply called "Care2", this site combines a lot of different topics into one networking site, and I think it could be very beneficial in the classroom, especially in higher grades. It is up-to-date, seems to be monitored quite well (In the hour I spent on it, I couldn't find any inappropriate posts), and really offers a wide variety of information, from people all over the world. This site is open to the public, and members can join the Care2 community free-of-charge, allowing them to participate in discussions, post their own articles, and add their petitions or causes to the "petitionsite" found within the page. The topics found on the site could easily be incorporated into Social Studies, Science, Health/CALM classes, Religion, Art, or Foods/Fashions electives. I've chosen to elaborate on three of those:
1. Social Studies - This site is full of activism and political justice. Incorporating it into a Social Studies class could be as easy as having students choose one of the current events articles and summarizing it for the class. There is a whole list of various petitions that are currently ongoing, giving students the chance to learn about the petitioning process, and how various individuals take a stand on issues they are facing. The sections on human rights, women's rights, and civil rights could inspire topics for debate in the classroom, of offer a supplement to learning about them in the classroom by offering a real-life view of what is going on. There is also a section on politics, which could be worked into learning about the political spectrum, the election process, maybe even putting together a mock classroom election.
2. Science - There are a few sections on Care2 that can work in conjunction with the science curricula in junior high and high school, and these involve topics like global warming, the environment and wildlife, gardening and nature, and green initiatives. There are articles that show current events going on in environmental issues and global warming, and suggestions for things like making everyday activities green, and destroying nature as little as possible. Students could choose one of these topics and present to the class, relating it to what they've been covering. This could lead into comparisons with other countries, especially factoring in something like carbon emissions, and remnants of the Kyoto Protocol. Students can take an in-depth look at endangered species and their protection, earthquakes and volcanoes, water quality, and many other articles that pertain to a wide number of science topics.
3. Health - Topics range from diet and nutrition, healthy food recipes, naturopathy or natural health remedies, sleep, yoga, mind health, and there is even a separate section women's health. Again, going through the various topics, the posts and articles allow students to explore diverse ideas and inform themselves on many different aspects of health. Health, I find, is often one of those classes that gets worked into the classroom when its possible. Topics like this make it easy to incorporate health in classes like foods, psychology, science, CALM, etc. Students could summarize, create presentations, write their own article, or even try out one of the remedies or recipes listed. Some of the organic dessert recipes sound absolutely delicious! Students could get together and make one to share with the class, for example.
More than anything, I think this type of information can act as a great supplement to classroom learning, and can also teach students to be critical of the information they read online, looking for authenticity and support. It opens up research opportunities for essays, presentations, articles, video responses, blog posts, etc.
So don't be afraid to try social networking in the classroom. Much like any other form of technology, get informed, and get going! The students will love it, and I bet you will, too.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Internet Resources, and a bit on Authenticity
Like any good University student, when I need to research a specific topic, I go one of two ways:
1. Do I need papers to support information? I'll do a search on our library database.
2. Do I need general information? I'll go to Google.
The Internet is a source of boundless resources that we have access to in seconds. Whether we are looking for generic information, graphics, data, figures, or a program that puts them all together, it is there for us.
One of the biggest problems I have with using the Internet to find information is actually the fact that it is boundless. Not only do searches get millions of hits from pages that the site thinks are related, but these can be pages from anyone with a computer, anywhere around the world. How do I know which site contains the specific information I'm looking for, at a level that I can understand, and with enough depth that I can use it in University? The best tool I've found is simply limiting my searches. Google has a fabulous option called "Advanced Search" which allows you to pick out specific phrases that you want in you search, verbatim or anywhere within, as well as phrases that you'd like to leave out. You can also choose the reading level of the site, the language it is presented in, recency of updates, file types, and sites within a particular domain, or similar to a site you already know of. Narrowing it down makes a lot of difference, as does the ability to tell if a site is trustworthy. Here is where authenticity comes in.
Authenticity poses the question, "Is the information I'm reading correct?" So, of those millions of resources that our advanced search has narrowed down to 400, how do we start to figure out which sites are going to be beneficial to us - which sites contain correct information that we can actually use? There are a lot of little factors that play into authenticity of Internet sources. First, look at where the site is coming from, or who the author is. Is this individual a scholar in his or her field, or did they just condense the _____________-for-Dummies of what it is you're looking for? Next, look at the information itself. Are there facts that stand out that you know are true and/or false? If you are looking for political or controversial information, are both sides represented, or is there a definite bias? Is the site up to date? Can you easily access the information you need within the site itself? All of these factors help us to know whether or not we are using an authentic site.
I actually did my online presentation on authenticity. So, in paradigm, I was searching for authentic resources that would tell me about authenticity on the Internet. It's difficult to trust a site that is telling you how to trust sites, especially when discrepancies fall between them. After a lot of looking, and bit of narrowing down, I found a few sites that supported one another, and all seemed fairly trustworthy. The information is posted in my presentation below, so be sure to check it out if you are more interested in specifics!
Here is a slidecast I created for an online presentation project on Issues in Education and the Internet. This presentation deals with Authenticity of Internet sources, and how to ensure that students know how to tell if documents online are true or not.
Enjoy!
http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www.slideshare.net/EvaGorny/authenticity-6941827
1. Do I need papers to support information? I'll do a search on our library database.
2. Do I need general information? I'll go to Google.
The Internet is a source of boundless resources that we have access to in seconds. Whether we are looking for generic information, graphics, data, figures, or a program that puts them all together, it is there for us.
One of the biggest problems I have with using the Internet to find information is actually the fact that it is boundless. Not only do searches get millions of hits from pages that the site thinks are related, but these can be pages from anyone with a computer, anywhere around the world. How do I know which site contains the specific information I'm looking for, at a level that I can understand, and with enough depth that I can use it in University? The best tool I've found is simply limiting my searches. Google has a fabulous option called "Advanced Search" which allows you to pick out specific phrases that you want in you search, verbatim or anywhere within, as well as phrases that you'd like to leave out. You can also choose the reading level of the site, the language it is presented in, recency of updates, file types, and sites within a particular domain, or similar to a site you already know of. Narrowing it down makes a lot of difference, as does the ability to tell if a site is trustworthy. Here is where authenticity comes in.
Authenticity poses the question, "Is the information I'm reading correct?" So, of those millions of resources that our advanced search has narrowed down to 400, how do we start to figure out which sites are going to be beneficial to us - which sites contain correct information that we can actually use? There are a lot of little factors that play into authenticity of Internet sources. First, look at where the site is coming from, or who the author is. Is this individual a scholar in his or her field, or did they just condense the _____________-for-Dummies of what it is you're looking for? Next, look at the information itself. Are there facts that stand out that you know are true and/or false? If you are looking for political or controversial information, are both sides represented, or is there a definite bias? Is the site up to date? Can you easily access the information you need within the site itself? All of these factors help us to know whether or not we are using an authentic site.
I actually did my online presentation on authenticity. So, in paradigm, I was searching for authentic resources that would tell me about authenticity on the Internet. It's difficult to trust a site that is telling you how to trust sites, especially when discrepancies fall between them. After a lot of looking, and bit of narrowing down, I found a few sites that supported one another, and all seemed fairly trustworthy. The information is posted in my presentation below, so be sure to check it out if you are more interested in specifics!
Here is a slidecast I created for an online presentation project on Issues in Education and the Internet. This presentation deals with Authenticity of Internet sources, and how to ensure that students know how to tell if documents online are true or not.
Enjoy!
http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www.slideshare.net/EvaGorny/authenticity-6941827
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Internet Safety and Education
I think Internet Safety is one of the biggest issues that we, as educators, have to face. In this day and age, our students are constantly accessing the Internet, whether at home or at school. Looking at my own life, the amount of time I spend on the Internet is ridiculous, whether I'm doing research for a class project, checking my email, participating in an online class, or just wasting time on Facebook. My work schedule, banking information, calendar, social life, and solid chunk of my communicating with the rest of the world is done online. As such, it's not far off to suggest that students, too, are spending more and more time on the Internet, as there is simply more for them to do. There are countless game sites, both educational and, well, non-educational, homework help blogs, Wikipedia, chatrooms, messaging sites… etc.
The issue arises in the fact that anyone can post material to the Internet. Not only that, but the advertisements that we are constantly bombarded with are not often in our control. Companies pay millions of dollars for Google, Facebook, and similar sites to post their ads on the sides of various pages. If those ads have inappropriate content, it can still be posted onto my Facebook page. Further, even if I click the "X" or mark it as inappropriate, the very next day, a new ad will pop up, this time with different material, that may or may not be appropriate. It's difficult to draw the line on where exactly "appropriate" is, but it is well within reason that children not be exposed to ads for alcohol, cigarettes, or X-rated products, or any products that are being sold with sex.
This, of course, is only one side of Internet safety. So, we teach our students what sites are appropriate and kid-safe, maybe even advertisement-free. It is also crucial for them to be able to protect themselves from online predators that may be looking for them in chat rooms, on gaming sites, or even on Facebook. It's frightening to think that, even with the most minimal amount of information, certain individuals have the ability to find us. Students need to learn what information they need to keep private, and why it's important for them to do so.
I think a problem arises here in that students are first and foremost taught to always be truthful, and to trust adults. When it comes to Internet safety, we are telling them that, sometimes it's okay to lie about your identity, like making up a screen name or a user profile, and not putting an actual address/phone number, etc. We are also telling them that, they really shouldn't be trusting anyone they meet online, whether they are an adult, or even if they say they are another student. Of course, the methods of a teacher are always in the best interest of a student, and it is important for them to know of the risks involved. But, there is certainly a fine line, and perhaps that falls between appropriate in the classroom, even in society, and appropriate online.
When it comes to use in the classroom, the Internet is a fabulous resource, and should absolutely be used to its full potential. I believe it falls to the teacher to try out any and all sites that he or she will be using in the classroom, to check:
Are there appropriate ads, or none at all?
Is there a privacy setting?
Is any content open to the public?
Are user-names visible?
Do students need an email/profile on the site to access it?
Is the site worth using? Does it offer educational merit and authenticity?
Aside from questions like these, I believe it is also of utmost importance that we inform our students of proper "etiquette"on the Internet, as we can't safeguard them forever.
The issue arises in the fact that anyone can post material to the Internet. Not only that, but the advertisements that we are constantly bombarded with are not often in our control. Companies pay millions of dollars for Google, Facebook, and similar sites to post their ads on the sides of various pages. If those ads have inappropriate content, it can still be posted onto my Facebook page. Further, even if I click the "X" or mark it as inappropriate, the very next day, a new ad will pop up, this time with different material, that may or may not be appropriate. It's difficult to draw the line on where exactly "appropriate" is, but it is well within reason that children not be exposed to ads for alcohol, cigarettes, or X-rated products, or any products that are being sold with sex.
This, of course, is only one side of Internet safety. So, we teach our students what sites are appropriate and kid-safe, maybe even advertisement-free. It is also crucial for them to be able to protect themselves from online predators that may be looking for them in chat rooms, on gaming sites, or even on Facebook. It's frightening to think that, even with the most minimal amount of information, certain individuals have the ability to find us. Students need to learn what information they need to keep private, and why it's important for them to do so.
I think a problem arises here in that students are first and foremost taught to always be truthful, and to trust adults. When it comes to Internet safety, we are telling them that, sometimes it's okay to lie about your identity, like making up a screen name or a user profile, and not putting an actual address/phone number, etc. We are also telling them that, they really shouldn't be trusting anyone they meet online, whether they are an adult, or even if they say they are another student. Of course, the methods of a teacher are always in the best interest of a student, and it is important for them to know of the risks involved. But, there is certainly a fine line, and perhaps that falls between appropriate in the classroom, even in society, and appropriate online.
When it comes to use in the classroom, the Internet is a fabulous resource, and should absolutely be used to its full potential. I believe it falls to the teacher to try out any and all sites that he or she will be using in the classroom, to check:
Are there appropriate ads, or none at all?
Is there a privacy setting?
Is any content open to the public?
Are user-names visible?
Do students need an email/profile on the site to access it?
Is the site worth using? Does it offer educational merit and authenticity?
Aside from questions like these, I believe it is also of utmost importance that we inform our students of proper "etiquette"on the Internet, as we can't safeguard them forever.
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