Exploring Social Networks for Classroom Use

I explored a few social network sites that could be utilized in classrooms.  Here is a reflection that I wrote for my Teaching with 21st Century Tools class.  I looked at Facebook, YouTube, Wikispaces, and Skype.  I would love your thoughts and opinions for utilizing these social networks in the classroom or ways that you use them!

Social networking sites have been slowly making their way into classrooms across the world.  These sites have a lot to offer students and can enhance their learning environment, but knowing how to use and monitor the sites is imperative for maintaining safety and privacy for all students.  The social networking sites that I have experience using are Facebook, YouTube, and Skype.  As I explored more social networking sites this past week, I began thinking about benefits and drawbacks for using these sites within the educational environment. 

Courtesy of Facebook.com

            First of all, I believe that some of the social networking sites should be kept for personal use and not implemented into the classroom.  Facebook is one of these sites.  Facebook is a great site to keep in touch with friends and family.  Most students have Facebook accounts and the information (i.e., images, posts) that put on their pages is not always appropriate.  It would be very difficult monitoring this type of social networking site and trying to get the students of thinking of this site as an educational tool, rather than a social tool.  Therefore, I believe that Facebook should be kept as a personal, social tool, rather than implementing the site into the classroom. 

 Courtesy of YouTube.com

            Next, YouTube has many benefits and drawbacks when using it in the classroom.  I really enjoy using YouTube to share educational lessons with my students.  I have even made screencast-o-matic lessons for my students to access from YouTube.  The site has a lot of educational material that students are able to access and view for additional enrichment of the material that they have learned.  I have had my students make their own videos and upload them to YouTube as well.  However, YouTube also has a lot of inappropriate videos that students do not need to be viewing.  For this reason, my school district set up an Internet filter that will not allow students to access YouTube.  YouTube can be an excellent tool for students and teachers to access in the classroom.  Before introducing this site into the classroom, rules and perimeters need to be established, so that students are viewing and commenting on safe, educational videos.

Courtesy of wikispaces.com

            Also, Wikispaces is another social networking site that I have recently explored more closely.  I find wikispaces to be an excellent site for students to collaborate with each other.  Students will learn a lot of valuable academic skills as well as citizenship skills necessary for functioning appropriately in today’s society.  Wikispaces is a secure site, which will keep the students safe and protected.  Students can access additional resources to enhance their learning while collaborating with their classmates.  This is one tool that I am exploring more, so that I will be able to incorporate it into my classroom.

Courtesy of Skype.com
            Finally, Skype is a wonderful tool that I should be using more in my classroom.  I just started using Skype a few months again.  I overheard other teachers talking about how they were having students in their middle school classes Skype students in elementary classes.  The middle school students were reading to the elementary schools.  I thought this was a fabulous idea for using this tool.  I began pondering the idea of having pen pals with students in other districts.  Students would be able to Skype their pen pals.  This would be a great tool for pen pals in foreign language classes as well.  Students would be able to Skype students in other countries, as long as the time zone aligned well with school hours.  I never really explored the benefits of using Skype in the classroom, but after discussing other ways that my colleagues were using the site, I began to think of ideas for using it in the class.

            Overall, there are a variety of educational uses for social networking sites in the classroom.  Utilizing these different tools in the classroom will keep students actively engaged in their learning while learning important 21^st century skills.  The benefits for most of the sites outweigh the drawbacks.  Facebook is one site that I do not think should be implemented into the classrooms at this time.  Wikispaces, Skype, and YouTube are all sites that have amazing educational benefits.  Each site has unique tools that will enhance student learning while creating a 21^st century learning environment.  As I continue my professional development, I will be educating myself on all of the tools these sites have to offer, so that I can effectively implement them into my classroom.