Blogs, Blogging and RSS Feed

RSS Feed and Blogging

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication (Richardson, 2010) and it refers to using a service that allows you to subscribe to sites and have new information brought to you. There’s no need to go looking around to find out who’s got new content on their sites. Services like Google Reader allow users to subscribe to interesting blogs or other sites, then sit back and wait for all new entries to come to them. You can then scroll through the information on your reader or click on the title of the article to be redirected to the original site.

A blog, short for weblog, is an online journal. It allows writers to communicate a range of topics, links, anecdotes, pictures, ideas, lesson plans… the list is endless. And it lets these ‘bloggers’ communicate these things to a pretty much endless world of viewers.

Together, RSS feed and blogging have formed an information revolution: RSS feeds allow users to quickly and efficiently collect data from blogs and other websites and blogging allows writers to share their thoughts, opinions and experiences with a potentially international audience. RSS feed buttons are attached to almost every blogging platform, completing the circle. With the streamlining of data collection, users gain additional time for data synthesis and analysis.  

My First Experiences with RSS Feed and Reading Blogs

Setting up RSS feed using Google Reader was easy enough, especially since I had a number of recommended sites to add right away. The more I explored sites, networked through Twitter and searched using my search engines, the more sites I found to subscribe to. I admit that most of what I subscribed to appealed to me professionally, but my husband soon set up his own RSS feed and subscribed to a number of store fliers (those of you who have been reading my blog have probably realized by now that my husband is a flier and sale junky).

Setting up the account and subscriptions was the easy part. Reading through all the data was slightly more daunting. Initially I was only checking Google Reader periodically, and often I’d have literally hundreds of unread items. And it felt like hearing the telephone ring as you get out of the shower – you know you don’t have to dash out and get it but the continuous wail of the ring creates an urgency to answer. There are articles to read and I must read them!  

Through discussion with others, I realized that I have the power to be selective. In the words of my prof, “I’m brutal when it comes to reading on Reader. If the title doesn’t interest me, I mark it as read and move on.” I quickly adapted that approach and am enjoying my Google Reader time all the more.

One of my most memorable first reads had me inadvertently stumbling into a debate about the nature of schools. Not surprising, since it was September, and many bloggers and their children were back to school. I read a post on Weblogg-ed, which is a site maintained by Will Richardson. This is the same person who wrote the text that has become a god-send during this course and has literally changed my teaching, so obviously, I was especially interested to read his blog. The first post I read was entitled A Parent 2.0’s Back to School Dilemma. It outlined a visit by Alec Courosa to his child’s first grade classroom. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Richardson’s post outlined Courosa’s tweets complaining publically about what he saw during his visits to the classroom. While I believe that everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, publically tweeting things like

made me nervous. This really seemed like a public attack to me. I imagined teachers and parents walking away from my first parent-teacher night this year, tweeting about how much of a moron I am and openly subverting my efforts to work with their children. I seriously started to wonder about the course of education I had decided to persue.

Then I read the come back, posted by Lee Kolbert on A Geeky Momma’s Blog. Entitled “I’m Not Who You Think I Am,” it took exception to the criticisms Courosa had levied against his child’s teacher and sounded reasonable and moderate. This blog was suggested reading too, and I began to realize that perhaps it was the discourse I was intended to hear and not just the criticism. I decided to keep reading.

A More Experienced Reader  

As I’ve spent more time with blogs, I have begun to realize that blog posts roughly seem to fall into one of three categories.

#1 Philosophical and Reformist

Proving that the time spent considering my teaching philosophy during teacher training wasn’t wasted, I have seen that many posts seem to center around the ‘why’ of teaching and how that influences the ‘what.’ It is heartening to read personal and revealing accounts of what others are thinking about such topics as being a teacher or what really matters in the curriculum. For example, just before Halloween, David Warlick’s 2 Cents Worth blog featured a post entitled the “Qualities of an Effective Teacher.” In it he quotes commenter Betsy Gross’ definition of an effective educator:

...I believe effective educators must be creative thinkers with an ability to inspire and empower all learners. They must be compassionate, understanding and unwilling to give up on a child. They must be explicit and systematic, yet generously flexible, in their instruction. They must be knowledgeable of subject matter as well as the technologies of the day’s prevailing information landscape. They must be observant of student behavior to identify what each student does and does not understand, and how they can apply what they understand. They must be able to read and understand test data and read the faces of their learners. In short, teaching is a very difficult job and requires many characteristics to meet the needs of diversified learners. Teachers are also among the most powerful people on the planet.

This is an excellent example of the type of inspirational and CHALLENGING posts I’ve read time and again on the various education blogs. These bloggers are not only musing about what educators should be or what school could be, but they seem to be challenging readers to live up to the task. Reading this quote, I find myself challenged to ‘read the faces’ of my students and show compassion and understanding when a child has repeated the same mistake for the 20^th time or has been rude to my face. Perhaps firm compassion and understanding, but compassion and understanding none-the-less. It can be a scary thing to publically write of ideals, as so few of us truly live up to all of them. Yet, without ideals, how can we know where to go?
            In the same vein, Warlick’s post entitled “10+ Ways to Promote a Learning Culture in Your School” suggests things like starting staff meetings with a talk on something you’ve learned, stopping students in the hall and asking them what they’ve just learned or asking teachers to write about what they learned on vacation and post it to the school’s website. While some of his suggestions may seem like a pain (write? Who, me?) and others are not possible in my setting (my school doesn’t have a website) each point does make me wonder, “what more could we do?”
            Likewise, posts on the problems in education abound. Following Edutopia using my RSS feed, I can see a stream of Tweets about conferences and other links to education reform. In addition, I encountered this:

“We’re not really motivated to learn to gain knowledge,” Ranganathan said. “We just want to memorize it and get a good grade and get into a good school.” … “Especially after the final exam, you just forget it afterward.”

(Richardson, October 2010)

This quote, taken from the movie Race to Nowhere and provided by Will Richardson in his blog Webblog-ed, addresses the problems with standardized testing and the rote learning of facts. From testing to technology in the classroom, there isn’t much that escapes the attention of education bloggers. And maybe it shouldn’t. In my undergrad years I had a TA who once carried on about the value of dissent in our society. He mused that without dissent there could be no change. Playing nice only supports the status quo whereas dissent brings into focus the problems in a system and forces at the very least a closer look. I personally dislike public dissent, especially that which is proffered without an eye to providing suggested alternatives. Complaining for complainant’s sake only produces hard feelings. However, I can not deny that respectful dissent with specific, constructive purpose and concrete alternatives to current practices is necessary for growth.

#2 Technology in the Classroom

            I suppose that it only makes sense that those who blog should also have an affinity for technology. If not, then their writings would likely be in journals in their top desk drawers (like mine were) or sent to journals or magazines. However, the extent to which so many bloggers are posting time and again about technology in the classroom is astounding. Numerous posts are a general outcry for the inclusion of technology and websites in the classroom so that students do not feel the sense of isolation from the ‘real world’ that they currently feel.

            Doug Johnson’s post on his Blue Skunk Blog entitled, “Dear Students, please lead a thoughtful revolution” (November 2010) sums up this outcry well. Having been asked to address the Student Advisory Council about the future of technology in his school district, Johnson states his intentions to advocate for a “1:1” ratio of students to computers, stating that he hopes for “every student (to) have an individual computing device - a laptop, netbook, tablet, or some yet to be invented thing-a-ma-jig that will link wirelessly to our school network and the Internet” (Johnson, November 2010).  In providing students with access to technology and accompanying education on how to use it, Johnson hopes that students will graduate with skills ranging from being able to “find and evaluate information that (they) can use to solve real problems” and becoming more “self-directed in (their) education” to “understand(ing) and practic(ing) global citizenship” (Johnson, Novemeber 2010).

            What is interesting is that Johnson is quite careful to state that technology on its own can’t provide a better education. This seems to be in direct antithesis to the point of the video he embeds in his post. (I’ve embedded the same video below).

Having just last night gone to a local electronics store to price out an IPad, this video was particularly interesting to me. At first, this video seems to indicate that teaching could be done directly through the IPad, rendering class time unnecessary. This is likely a scary proposition for many teachers. Yet, if you look at what the IPad is providing, it is all supplemental to the initial teaching. Students are testing what they’ve learned using the quizzing function and being provided with INSTANT CONTROL OF ERROR, so that mistakes do not become ingrained and need to be unlearned, like relearning how to spell onion o-n-i-o-n after spelling it oinion for years. In addition, studying becomes social and portable, which means it is more likely to be done, and guest lecturers (or perhaps replays of your own lessons) can be accessed for further instruction. The initial teaching is not irrelevant, rather the technology entrenches, enriches and expands the initial teaching. Overall, his post does a great job of arguing for technology in the classroom.

Other posts give more specific examples of technology use in the classroom. These are the posts that appeal most to me, as I am already a convert of including technology in the classroom and I am now looking for specific ways to do this.

One of the first such posts I encountered was from A Geeky Mamma’s Blog. Kolbert was reviewing the IPEVO document camera. Of course, this led to the question, “What’s a document camera?” Her post included a description of the camera and her reasons for liking it (low price, size, ease of use and clarity of images). She also suggested that the camera was “perfect for science experiment demonstrations, any dangerous demonstrations or where supplies are limited” (Kolbert, September 2010). I didn’t exactly consider buying the camera because I don’t have a projector. However, this post allowed me to dream about what I could use in the future and start to plan what I need to acquire to get there. Currently, when I want to share something with my students, I either have to print it out and give it to them or make an overhead. If I want to share from the computer, we all have to gather around one computer and look at the tiny screen. (I’m not kidding! We do this all the time, even in the computer lab as there is no projector there either.) Thanks Kolbert, for helping me start to put the pieces together. I know my winter break will be full of research on how to get a projector.

            Posts on technology and how to use it in the classroom are everywhere:

• Kirsten Winkler of Edchat posted recently that Facebook has linked with Livestream, allowing people to produce their own shows on Facebook (Winkler, November 2010). Teachers can take advantage by streaming lessons live on their Facebook page for students to view.
• Stephen Abram, author of Stephen’s Lighthouse blog, has taught me about QR codes (those black patterns arranged in a square that you can scan with a smart phone or other device to reveal additional information) and Netflix in Canada and has got me thinking about eBooks.
• Buffy Hamilton, the Unquiet Librarian, has me thinking about using Skype as an interviewing tool, as she did with author Allan Stratton (Hamilton, November 2010).
• Judy O’Connell has me really wanting an IPad after seeing a preview of Bram Stoker’s book Dracula on the device (October, 2010). Her ‘Student Tools - Let them Fly’ section lists a myriad of sites offering tools for students to accomplish what they want to do. Highlights include links to sites like http://www.soundzabound.com/ (a royalty-free music site), http://classtools.net/ (lets teachers create their own games, quizzes, etc. for their blogs) and a number of blogging platforms.

Finally, “Apps for Student Teacher Librarians,” posted on the Never Ending Search blog published by master librarian Joyce Valenza reads like a syllabus for extended learning in the field of technology in the classroom (Valenza, November, 2010). This is absolutely where I will look in January when I continue my tech studies on my own.

#3 Comments on Current Educational Trends

            Many posts also take up debates on current trends in education. Obviously, educational reform, educational philosophy and technology in the classroom constitute current trends. But there are others. From detailing webinars and conferences to debates on whether or not to spend money on books or technology in the library and the appropriateness of ‘friending’ students on Facebook, if it’s happening out there in the educational world, someone is blogging about it.

Take this cartoon, reproduced from Kolbert’s blog:

(Kolbert, 2010).

I was warned during teacher training not to let parent’s expectations factor when assessing and grading students. It’s true that keeping parents happy seems to be a trend in education recently, so it’s not surprising to see bloggers blogging about it. Want to know what the latest trends are in education? Look no further that Twitter and education blogs.

RSS in the Classroom

            While subscribing to blogs makes up much of what I used Google Reader for in the classroom, there were also some other great sites that I subscribed to.

• World News for Children is an audio podcast produced by the BBC. It delivers radio quality news for children on current topics. Initially, I went to http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/wnc, then I set up the RSS feed and the new podcasts come to me.
• http://www.sciencefix.com/ is a site that contains, among other things, videos of science experiments. My RSS feed captures the new additions and sends them to me.
• Just One More book is a site that offers podcasts of reviews of literature. It can be found at http://www.justonemorebook.com/, and you can subscribe to have new additions sent to a Google Reader or other RSS account.
• YouTube also lets users subscribe. Type in a channel or user you want to follow into the ‘add a subscription’ box and you will be notified of future posts. I subscribed to CATvolution after watching the YouTube video on the Air Car.

My Classroom Blog

            With the creation of a blog to showcase my own work, it wasn’t too much of a leap to starting a classroom blog. Among classroom or student blogs, four basic categories can be distinguished: the classroom news blog, the mirror blog (featuring student reflections), the showcase blog (featuring student work) and the Literature Response blog (Zawilinski, 2009). Without fully intending it, my classroom blog is a combination of the news and showcase blog, although, the fact is, it has morphed into an entity of its own since I first launched it. It can be viewed at http://www.divisionfourclasswebsite.blogspot.com/.

            The learning curve has been steep with the creation of the blog. I have found that some things I thought would be a problem were not, yet problems have cropped up where I thought there would be none.

Problems I anticipated

First, I anticipated some administration resistance, because I was the only one in the school planning to set up a blog and because of the ability for parents to comment in such an open forum. In actual fact, my principal was all for it. Interestingly, I came across an article outlining how one district had mandated that all teachers needed to use blogs to communicate with parents. The author clearly pointed out how the blogging seemed inauthentic and shallow as a result, and stated that,

If you want classroom technology to be used in imaginative and effective ways, you have to let teachers discover those methods on their own. You cannot force innovation.

(Bushweller, 2006)

I realized that perhaps the lack of top-down directives ordering the use of technology such as blogs was likely the result of respecting our professional autonomy, rather than a lack of support for use of tech in the classroom.

In addition, I anticipated that I would not get permission for all students to use the site. I sent home a fairly detailed notice regarding the blog along with a permission slip asking for signatures giving students permission to do three different things: contribute to the blog, post work to the blog and have pictures or videos of themselves posted to the blog. (I have reprinted the notice and permission slip on the page with the same title. Click the link to the right.)  I split the permission slip up in this way in anticipation that some parents might be uncomfortable having work or pictures/video published, but would still like their child to contribute to updates to the blog. What I found was that 22 out of 27 students returned permission slips allowing them to do all three. This was a shocker. I really hadn’t anticipated such a high percentage of students being allowed to post work and pictures/video. In addition, of the remaining 5 students, no one asked to be omitted entirely from the project. Each of these 5 students were allowed to at least post updates to the blog. What was even more interesting was that 2 of the 5 students who had permission limited to posting updates had their parents revamp their permission to do all three things later in the term. (I suspect that the recent video assignment probably produced a change of heart.) Of the remaining 3, two students have voiced that they themselves were the ones to decide that they didn’t want their work or pictures/video on the blog.

Finally, I anticipated that there could be the occasional negative comment from parents or even the general public regarding the blog. In an informal survey of school superintendents, it was found that many chose not to blog as a result of previous negative comments on blogs or due to the fear that “they would never be able to manage comments posted by members of the public and would end up in perpetual debate through the blog (Rochelle, 2009).  My fears were similar, however, unfounded. By setting the parameters early about what is and isn’t acceptable, and through the good fortune of working with a group of supportive parents, I have found that all comments posted to the blog have been relevant and positive.

Problems I didn’t anticipate

While it is true that there haven’t been any negative comments, unfortunately, there have been quite few comments at all. I have a couple of students who are following the site or who have commented, but that’s it. I worry that this reveals a problem I hadn’t anticipated – that relatively few parents are accessing the blog. Some students claim that their parents can’t find the site. I have sent home the URL several times and given out my email so that I can send a link, but I suspect that this continues to be a problem. In the future, I believe that spending more time promoting the website will lead to more wide spread usage and visits from parents. Closer to the end of the term I plan to send out a quick questionnaire asking parents about the blog. (The questionnaire can be found on its own page. Look for the link to the right). It is my hope to gain insight into what is working and what needed to be revamped.

Before I started the blog, I was concerned that I wouldn’t have time for it. I was given the sound advice to, “just build it into my day” (Branch, 2010). I started the blog with the intention of building it into my day by having a new student post updates each day. This way, the students will learn about summaries by summarizing our days and they would do all the work. All I would have to do is give each student 10 minutes at the end of the day, about the same amount of time I would give students to fill in planners and stack chairs. There were a few problems with this plan. First, by the time November hit, the class was busily trying to finish up projects and that last 10 minutes became quite precious to some. We started to go several days between student updates, and I often filled the void. Also, many students seemed unclear about what they should post. A few sentences were all some of them posted. Others could only recall their favorite parts of the day (like PE or recess) and had difficulty with the summaries. Virtually everything was text. Even when I suggested the use of pictures to document the day, this was hampered by the fact that we only had access to the school’s camera, which meant borrowing it when it wasn’t in use, then returning it to the secretary and waiting for her to upload the pictures and email them to me. This was eventually solved by bringing my own camera to school for students to use. More than anything, I sensed that students were not focused on creating updates at the end of the day. They knew it was home time and were more worried about making it out of the class on time than about what to write or display. I realized that I had built the blog into my day, but at the wrong time and in the wrong way. Upon reflection, next year I plan to:

1.      Spend the first 2 or three weeks creating posts of my own. In doing so, I will create examples of what I want the students to do. Many students are visual learners and having an example to follow is invaluable.

2.      Each student would be responsible for posting on an entire week, not just a day. This will provide more opportunities to highlight interesting events.

3.      I would call the posts ‘school news reports’ and not summaries. I think the term summary made students think that they were to capture events in as briefly as possible. To the contrary, I want students to make the events come alive. Given an entire week to chronicle, I am hoping that each student will become a reporter, carrying around a note pad and camera to each event, in hopes of capturing a photo or a story.

4.      I need to adjust the due date of the post. Posting at the end of the day doesn’t work. Posting on Friday mornings would omit Fridays from the posts, and many of the news worthy activities in our school occur on Fridays. Posting on a Monday means waiting through the weekend, and weekends are a time when many would check the blog. I am lucky enough this year to have a prep Friday afternoons. Perhaps I can build in posting time during the prep.

The future of blogging in my classroom

            One thing’s for sure: I will continue to maintain a classroom blog in the future.  Once the problem of viewership is dealt with, I think that a classroom blog has the unique ability to bridge the gap between school and home. As a working parent myself, I have often felt cut off from what my child is doing in the classroom. ‘Fine’ and ‘nothing’ are the only answers I ever seem to get from my boys when I ask about how their day was or what they learned. I was first attracted to setting up the blog so that parents could venture into our classroom and see that, while all is fine, we certainly aren’t learning ‘nothing.’ This is what will keep me blogging.

            Later this school year I plan to introduce book reports to complement our Literature Circles, Habitat videos in science and, possibly, Glogster posters. All of this will go onto the blog.

            Next year, I am hoping to branch out into having each student create and maintain his or her own blog. The true power of the blog seems to lie in its ability to let students communicate with others by posting their own ideas and work. No matter how much I try, this year’s class blog has my personality all over it. The student’s personality is relegated to the background. In addition, I am the one doing most of the ‘tech stuff’ when posting. It is my hope that creating individual student blogs will allow students to learn valuable tech skills, as well as maintain a record of their learning and develop their voice when writing for large audiences. The class blog will continue to function as a source of information and news reports on school business, while student blogs can be a more subjective record of individual journeys through school.

References:

Abrams, S. (2010). QR codes infographic. Retrieved from:

http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/11/24/qr-codes-infographic/

Abrams, S. (2010). Netflix & Libraries. Retrieved from:

http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/09/25/netflix-libraries/

Branch, J. (2010). Personal correspondence.

Bushweller. (2006, November). CLASSROOM TECH: Thou Shalt Blog. Teacher

Magazine, 18(3), 45. Retrieved November 23, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1182063871).

Hamilton, B. (2010). Literature/inquiry circles meets research: author allan Stratton visits

the unquiet librarian via skype. Retrieved from: http://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/literatureinquiry-circles-meets-research-author-allan-stratton-visits-the-unquiet-library-via-skype/

Johnson, D. (2010). Dear students, please lead a thoughtful revolution. Retrieved from:

http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2010/11/21/dear-students-please-lead-a-thoughtful-revolution.html

Kolbert, L. (2010). I’m not who you think I am. Retrieved from:

http://macmomma.blogspot.com/2010/09/im-not-who-you-think-i-am.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AGeekymommasBlog+%28A+GeekyMomma%27s+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Kolbert, L. (2010). The IPEVO document camera at $69.95. Retrieved from:

http://macmomma.blogspot.com/2010/09/ipevo-document-camera-at-6900.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AGeekymommasBlog+%28A+GeekyMomma%27s+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

O’Connell, J. (2010). Sink your iteeth into Dracula. Retrieved from:

http://heyjude.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/sink-you-iteeth-into-dracula/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wordpress%2FTWOx+%28HeyJude%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

O’Connell, J. (2010). Student tools-let them fly. Retrieved from:

http://heyjude.wordpress.com/student-tools-let-them-fly/ 

Richardson, W. (2010). A parent 2.0’s back to school dilemma. Retrieved from:

http://weblogg-ed.com/2010/a-parent-20s-back-to-school-dilemma/

Richardson, W. (2010). You know this is true. Retrieved from:

http://weblogg-ed.com/2010/you-know-this-is-true/

Rochelle, N.. (2009, August). To Blog or Not to Blog? School Administrator, 66(7), 17-

19. Retrieved November 23, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1810719721).

Valenza, J. (2010). Apps for student teacher librarians. Retrieved from:

http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/neverendingsearch/2010/11/06/apps-for-student-teacher-librarians/

Winkler, K. (2010). Host your own show (classes) on facebook with livestream.

Retrieved from: http://www.kirstenwinkler.com/host-your-own-show-classes-on-facebook-with-livestream/

Warlick, D. (2010). Qualities of an Effective Teacher. Retrieved from:

http://blog.simplek12.com/education/21-signs-youre-a-21st-century-teacher/

Warlick, D. (2010). 10+ Ways to Promote a Learning Culture in Your School. Retrieved

from: http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/?s=10%2B+Ways+to+Promote+a+Learning+Culture+in+Your+School

Wikipedia. (2010). QR Code. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code

Zawilinski, L.. (2009). HOT Blogging: A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher

Order Thinking. The Reading Teacher, 62(8), 650-661. Retrieved November 23, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1707486871).

Twitter

A Day in the Life of a Teacher

Wednesday morning schedule:

4:55                        Get out of bed. Kind of hard today. As last night’s tweet shows, I was up late helping my son use Animoto to create an All About Me video

5:10 to 5:30            Run on the tread mill (only time for 20-25 minutes most mornings lately)

6:00                         Out the door

6:30                         Drop off husband at work

6:40                         At work and ready to start the day

6:40-7:30                 Double check day plan, catch up on e-class discussions, check email, read a few articles

7:30                        Check Twitter

I’m sitting at my desk while the morning custodian is cleaning the room. He and I are the only ones in the school for probably at least another half hour. We exchange pleasantries, then he goes on to sweep and mop while I check my Twitter account for anything new in the educational world. Today, I come across the following tweet:

langwitches    6th gr.stdents learning &formulating own opinions abt ethics of animal dissection in schools. Help by adding ur thoughts http://bit.ly/9x0rXa

Interesting. Teaching grade four, dissection isn’t something I’ve really thought much about since my own experiences in grade eleven. So I clicked on the link and explored. What I found was impressive but shocking. A middle school is questioning the continued value of dissection in a world newly equipped with virtual dissection programs. Some of the facts shock me:

• (some animals) are vivisected (this means that they have a procedure done to them while they are alive.)
• Undercover investigations of biological supply companies found nightmarish acts of animal cruelty including the drowning of rabbits and embalming of cats while they were still alive

The students have done their homework and I’m at least rethinking my years on the pro-side of the dissection argument.

Clicking on the link provided by the National Geographic tweet, I find myself looking at the brilliantly coloured tombstones in the cemetery in Chichicastenango, Guatemala.

Mental note: must show this to my class. We’ve been looking at landmarks as part of our geography unit and this cemetery will be a sharp contrast to the gray-stone filled cemetery down the street.

After researching Facebook and thinking about privacy, Courosa’s tweet catches my eye:

courosa    RT @sjciske: Watch your tweets! Are Canadian Police Getting More Access to Your Internet Data? [TNW Canada] http://bit.ly/cwTMdE

I try to bring up the link, but the school computer isn’t letting me.

A quick glance at the Target tweet advising that Black Friday is approaching, then I have to log off. It is after 8 now and a co-worker is coming through the door to talk to me. Then I have to talk to the librarian and figure out why the newly donated telescope has magically appeared in my room. Another day is about to begin.

12:45

The hall is abuzz with the excited chatter of students returning to classes, thrilled to have had play time on a day that has transitioned so quickly from blustery rain to beautiful sun. The trees are still dancing, leaves shimmering in the wind, and the crystal clear blue sky almost takes my mind off of the mess in the class. Art materials clutter desks, waiting for students to come back. The paintings will have to wait until the students return from the library.

My new schedule has the added benefit of opening up time for reflection and professional development during the day. I photocopy in the mornings, missing the jam of people usually clogging our tiny photocopier room during recess and lunch. Now I can use my preps and breaks for other things.

So, I go back to Twitter and am greeted with

shareski    I wonder how my slow cook meatballs are doing?

 and I think, “whoops! I forgot to check the popcorn chicken situation before leaving for work this morning. Hope there’s enough for dinner.” This was posted only 20 seconds before from via Tweetdeck, which reminds me that I had planned to check out taking Twitter mobile.

Pushing past this tweet, I’m greeted by a new National Geographic post:

NatGeoSociety    The Milky Way Is Blowing Bubbles: http://on.natgeo.com/dhm978 #space #mystery #science

Having spent the morning in the computer lab with my students, working on our Spaceology Inquiry projects, I’m pretty stoked to open this amazing picture

A post from Global News BC is asking for a ‘person in their sixties who is still working with no plans to retire at 65’ while Mashable has a link to a video interview with Mark Zuckerburg, founder of Facebook and the History channel post is reminding me to check out the newest ‘this day in history’ video. So many places I could take my research, and only 15 minutes left until the students come back. I decide to pull myself away from the tweets from people I’m following and turn to the task at hand. I had stumbled across the group edchat last time I was on Twitter and I wanted to take a peek at what was going on. I’m rewarded with the tweet:

birklearns    50 Ideas for Project Based Learning --neat ways to engage learners! http://bit.ly/c9KH1M #edchat #cpchat #bcpvpa #edreform

So I click on the link and find a list of helpful suggestions on how to use inquiry in the classroom. I only have time for a cursory scan before I’m off to pick up my students. I’ll have to revisit the site later.

A busy afternoon ensues. Three o’clock arrives and parents are waiting outside my door to talk to me. I have a meeting with one of my own son’s teachers scheduled for 3:30. No time for Twitter after school. No problem. There’s always tomorrow.

My Initial Experiences with Twitter

               

I have to admit to being underwhelmed by the idea of researching and using Twitter. Like many, I didn’t know much about it. I somehow had gotten the impression that Twitter was like Facebook and that Facebook’s popularity would somehow eventually make Twitter obsolete, so why bother using it. The only person I ever knew that used Twitter was, ironically, my 70ish year old Grandfather. He came to town for a visit a year ago and the first thing he did was put a Twitter icon on my Dad’s computer. As my Dad complained later, he never asked if he could do this nor did he ever explain why he used Twitter and it never occurred to me to ask.

                In reading to find out more on the subject of Twitter, I encountered Brett Young's initial views on the subject:

Are you kidding? Why on earth would I join a site where all it is is updating my status over and over. I have Facebook, thanks, that's enough for me. This Twitter thing sounds dumb. It will be here and gone like MySpace. I don't even know anybody that is on it and how can I keep my privacy protected by people I don't want know anything about! Plus, you only get 140 characters to type something. BLAH! (2010)

Some of this sounds familiar, except that no one was bugging me to join, so I didn’t need to recite the speech to anyone else.

                I first signed up for Twitter in early July of this year. The process was simple, as illustrated below:

As you can see, I created an account, started following the recommended people, then logged off and didn’t think about it again until September. As it turned out not to be a required part of the course I was taking, I simply didn’t see the need to use it.

                Unfortunately, this initial jaunt into the Twitterverse caused a fair amount of stress upon reading the requirements for this course. Knowing that I needed to follow Twitter and having previously found very little that I could do with it, a panic started to seep into my subconscious. I needn’t have worried. One Saturday morning lying in bed with my husband, lap top propped on pillows, skimming through the tweets on my home page and I really started to see what Twitter could offer me. Maybe it was because I didn’t quite understand what they meant and my eyes were drawn to what my brain wanted to puzzle out.  Or maybe it’s the nature of the people I initially started to follow. Whatever it was, the first thing I noticed were the links. All of these people sharing links to sites containing solid educational ideas, theories and resources. I spent a lot of time clicking on links and discovering what was being shared.

                Over the course of several days, I discovered other things I could do with Twitter. The cool thing about Twitter, as with so many social networking sites, is that you can find other people or organizations to connect with by looking at the people you are following and checking out  what they are doing. If someone you are following retweets (forwards) a message, the original tweeter may be someone you want to follow. I’ve found a number of people to follow using this feature. In addition, using the search box to the right, you can search for people or institutions to follow. Initially this was not all that successful. I tried searching for the authors of some of the books my class will be reading, but found only private individuals with messages professing undying love or excitement over an approaching holiday. Some searches did reveal useful links. Searching for the History Channel, I discovered not only the link but also the ‘this day in history’ videos that I can’t wait to use in my class. I also went back to some websites, like the Target store website, where I had seen the ‘follow on Twitter’ links and signed up to follow that way. My husband was quite impressed with this, stating, “That’s so cool! Now the new deals come straight to us instead of us looking for them. Now all we need is an Iphone so we can follow when we’re down in the states or out and about.” I was well on my way now to using Twitter to meet both professional and personal goals.

Twitter for Personal Use
          At a party the other day, I asked a friend of mine if she was on Twitter. She smiled and shook her head, saying that she was really resisting joining as she had enough on-line activities taking up her time. Her boyfriend, however, was as devoted a tweeter as he was a sports fan and would send her texts of the news he found on Twitter all the time. He was thrilled with the ability of Twitter users to find out up to the minute sports news and share them. My friend pointed out that even sportscasters were using Twitter, siting a trade that was posted on Twitter, then broadcast on the news 4 minutes later, with the sportscaster admitting that he might not have heard of the trade this early had it not been for Twitter.
          This is the part of Twitter that excites me. Sharing information and exchanging ideas in real time. I can post a question and someone will likely answer it quickly. I can be notified when the next Fred Meyer flier is ready and then check it out through the link or on the RSS feed. The minute something happens, let's say, in the Canuck hockey world, not only would I know about it but also what all my contacts think of it. Twitter may be the end of blank looks on my part when someone says, 'hey, did you hear about.."

Twitter for Professional Use

                Twitter is gaining popularity. The following slide show outlines a variety of ways Twitter can be useful for education professionals.

Twitter for teachers

View more presentations from koxley.

Twitter Nuts and Bolts

                Twitter itself represents a new way of communicating and collaborating with others, and, much as one learns a new language and set of norms when immersed in a new culture, there are a few things new tweeters need to know.

                Once your account is set up and you are following others, it’s important to decide what your goals are with this account. If networking with other education professionals is your goal, then you need to create a personal learning community (PLN) and actively participate in it. Start by searching for education professionals you know of – people you know in real life or whose blogs you read, for example. Click on their names and visit their profile pages. Check and see who they are following by looking at the list of posts on the profile page and try following some of those people.

                To build up you Twitter presence, actively post items that would be of interest to others.  Personal information is fine, but it will probably only be of interest to people you know well. Posting links to useful sites that outline professional development opportunities, resources or lesson plans seems to be the best way of sharing information. Due to the limited number of characters allowed in a tweet, there are sites that allow Twitter users to shrink the url of the site they want to direct others to. Let’s say that I want to direct people to a video of CTV BC’s news cast on the resignation of BC Premier Gordon Campbell. If I copy and past the following URL - http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101103/bc_campbell_announcement_101103/20101103?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

I wouldn’t have any room to explain what the url is or post my opinions. Using a URL shrinker, like Bit.ly, allows me to create space in my tweets for more than a url (Ludwig, 2010). To use it:

It is also a good idea to make sure that you come off as a legitimate person to follow. Upon creating a practice account (to get the ‘how to’ shots) I was instantly followed by two women claiming that ‘cool men message me’ and that they hoped not to spend another night alone. Since I deactivated the account quickly, I didn’t need to go through the process of blocking them from following me, however, it was a little disconcerting. Librarian Bobbie Newman states that her criteria for following someone includes making sure that he or she has a real name and bio and that this person is not relying on the default avatar (2010).

Oops! That includes me. So I tried to add a photo, but each time I ended up with this error message:

I admit that I haven't yet solved my problem, although I plan to keep trying. Maybe if I tweet about it, someone will have the answer.

One final thing...

I wasn't on Twitter for very long before someone suggested that I use Tweetdeck. The following set of pictures out lines the process I went through to set up and use Tweetdeck. Tweetdeck not only brings my tweets to me on my desktop, it also allows me to read tweets, reply to tweets, retweet and search at the same time. If I had a portable device, Tweetdeck would be even more useful.




















































References

Bradley, P. (2009). Using twitter in libraries. Retrieved from http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/295581

College@home. (2010). Twitter for librarians: the ultimate guide. Retrieved from: http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/295582

Johnson, S. (2009). How twitter will change the way we live. Retrieved from: http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/328540

Kingston, C. (2010). Twitter for Beginners. Retrieved from: http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/295578

Ludwig, S. (2009). Top 10 twitter tips for beginners. Retrieved from: http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/295579

Nelson, C. (2009). Cultivating a PLN through your reader. Retrieved from: http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/789220

Newman, B. (2010). How to decide who to follow on twitter. Retrieved from: http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/1541195

Newman, B. (2010). 10 ways twitter will make you a better employee, better at your job and benefit your library. Retrieved from: http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/2466229

O’Connell, J. (2009). Making twitter work for me – and you! Retrieved from: http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/916667

Tech & Learning. (2009). Nine reasons to twitter in schools. Retrieved from http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/297714

Wikipedia. (2010). Twitter. Retreived from: http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/295574

Young, B. (2010). Is this thing on? Retrieved from: http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/1195312

Social Networking

The Bewitching Nature of Social Networking

            Remember the old saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know?” Social networking, according to the Common Craft video of the same name, refers to the process of establishing contacts with individuals through other individuals in hopes of accomplishing a goal. The more people you connect with at social functions, the more likely you are to meet your spouse, next boss, future business partner, etc. Ever watch those old Bewitched episodes?

The advertising executive, Darrin, is always bringing clients home for dinner, or golfing or having drinks with the boss at the country club. That’s social networking.

See, Darrin makes a good impression on the boss. The boss asks him to entertain a client at dinner.

The client asks Darrin to go golfing and introduces Darrin to his best friend, a man who just happens to have advertising needs of his own.

A few months later, they all meet up again at the annual Country Club Christmas party, where Darrin meets the new client’s brother, who is also looking to do some advertising.

Everyone’s advertising needs are met and Darrin moves up the company ladder.

            All of this merry-making is social networking. People get together at functions, meet new people, and new social or professional alliances are formed. Social networking on the web works in a similar way. People connect with friends and make connections to new friends through existing ones. Each connection provides an opportunity to create a relationship that satisfies a need. And, unlike during the dinner parties of the past, interactions with friends and FOFs (friend of a friend) can be measured and carefully constructed, yet done in your underwear.

Facebook Magic

            While Darrin networked at the country club and Samantha networked at the witch’s council, mortals were creating Facebook for the rest of us. The most popular social networking site right now has to be Facebook. Facebook is free and easy to use. Users create an account with an email and a password, and then are free to search for and add friends. Facebook also allows users to communicate through private messages or public messages posted to a friend’s wall, create event invitations, play games, take quizzes or create groups or pages focused on a topic or product. Most people seem to use Facebook for social purposes, however, increasingly some have started to use it to promote commercial interests or to bring awareness to causes. Facebook may have potential educational applications as well, but more on that later.

            Doug Johnson, the blogger behind Blue Skunk Blog, states that he always thought that Facebook’s, “value on the surface seems recreational in nature,” and I have to agree. It took me awhile to see the value of using Facebook in my life. Many of my friends were already on Facebook and bugging me to join before I gave it a shot. It wasn’t long before I was adding friends. Facebook’s ability to allow me to catch up with old acquaintances was even better than going to my high school reunion! After the initial blush of interest wore off, I found that my visits to Facebook were fewer and further between. I do find Facebook useful for emailing family, friends and co-workers, as all the profiles are in one place and I don’t need to worry about email addresses. If a message isn’t urgent, I have a general rule: text if it’s during a decent hour of the day, send a message through Facebook if it isn’t. Facebook is also useful for planning events and responding to event invitations. I have also noticed that some of my friends are using Facebook to promote their businesses and recruit clients. My elder son uses Facebook to share photos of family trips and to play games, while my younger son is still in the “Facewho?” stage. My Dad created a Facebook site because he wanted to share a video of himself zip lining through Whistler, and Facebook allowed him to share it with the maximum amount of people in as user friendly a platform as possible. Now that he has an account, he uses it to play games and communicate with relatives.

            As Facebook is a relatively new (over the last 6 years) social networking medium, there seems to be some debate about what constitutes generally acceptable rules for behavior while online. One video states the following rules:

• don’t change your relationship status without consulting the other person
• don’t post embarrassing photos
• be discreet when posting messages on another person’s wall
• don’t start hate groups

(Yourtango, 2009).

While I am unlikely to be changing my relationship status soon nor do I see starting any sort of hate group in my future, I identify with the other two. I actually have never seen the point of contacting anyone through their wall other than to post happy birthday. I figure that most conversations are private, and, even if they aren’t, why bore people with details they have no need of? That said, I have seen all manner of things posted to the walls of others and I wonder if there is ever any fall out for those I know personally. As for embarrassing pictures, I have my fair share, but they are all the “America’s Funniest Home Videos” G-rated variety. I did have one friend, however, that went through her photo album and posted the most unflattering pictures of all her friends that she could find. Bad hair days, giant pimples, funny faces… all preserved for posterity via Facebook. She did it to be funny. It wasn’t, but it was harmless.

How can I create magic?

            There seems to be much debate about the usefulness of Facebook as an educational tool. Some say that Facebook, like other social networking sites, has the potential to provide homework help or promote academic discussions by linking students with other students or experts. In a study conducted through Harvard, researchers found that high school students were using social networking sites to get help from others. One participant in the study stated, “If I am stuck on a project, I might send a chat message to a friend, and he might provide an answer or say, 'Take a deep breath; you can do this,'" (Blanding, 2009 ). In addition to providing support, the study found that students were using these sites to follow independent paths of study and explore creative interests, such as writing. When asked how social networking helped them, students identified that, “technical skills (65 percent), followed by creativity (61 percent), appreciation for diversity (46 percent), and communication skills (43 percent) (Blanding, 2009)” were being learned through this medium.

            It’s difficult to argue that providing students with a network of peers and adults who can help them in their academic pursuits is a bad thing. Further, the access to help social networking provides, coupled with the potential for collaborative educational endeavors makes social networking even more appealing.

            But what, exactly, would using Facebook in my classroom look like? First of all, my students are too young to create their own accounts legally, so all access would have to be through my account. This is just not a viable option. If my students were old enough to create their own accounts, however, there are a few things I can think of for them to do.

            First, creating or joining a group could be useful. There are a number of groups on Facebook, and so many of them support a worthwhile cause or charity.

Tori’s law is a petition to better the Amber Alert process, something that students could discuss and possibly support. The Princess Project, provides help for those girls who are graduating but can’t afford the dress or pampering that goes along with the grad process. This is a great project to discuss in the senior high school grades, as some students may be all for it, while others may feel that these girls should get jobs to pay for dresses or may have general objections to the inflated prom process itself.

Creating a group could be an empowering experience for students. Students could pick a charity or a school-wide goal and recruit classmates and others to join. Imagine creating the group “School X contributes to the food bank.” The group could send a message sent out to others to take all recycling to the local recycling depot, but, instead of getting money back, as them to add it to the School X account. At the end of the year, the student administrators for the group could cash out the account and donate the money to the food bank. Think of how powerful that would be, especially if the general population joined in. Or, it you just want your students to have access, you can create a secret group. I’ve included a picture of a group invitation from a high school friend of mine. She is a personal trainer and uses Facebook to recruit clients. Look closely under the group invitation. The line reads “this is a secret group. It will not show up in your profile.” This refers to the ability to create a group and only allowing those you invite to join.

Another option is to create a page. To do this, go to www.facebook.com/pages/create/php.


You’ll be given the option to create a community page (probably the more useful) or an official page, which is better for fan clubs, businesses or promotions. When creating the page, you can customize it with pictures and information and it will be attached to your profile.

2010-11-11_1205

As a test, I created a page called Reading. From here I could post information about books and articles students may find interesting and I could reinforce home reading time. The discussions area could allow for the discussion of books, an authentic extension of school-based literature circles. I could also have created a homework or projects page that could allow students to discuss project ideas and provide homework help.

Perhaps the most important educational use for Facebook in the classroom is the ability to search out significant individuals or groups and check out their Facebook presence. Who are significant individuals or groups? That depends. Studying Space in Science? Check out:

Reading the book Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (as my class is)?

Studying government, and would like to learn more about the Prime Minister:

Or maybe I’d like to show my political preferences:

There’s a lot of information on Facebook, with links to Wikipedia and blogs to boot. Older children undoubtedly are already looking here for information, so harnessing it for use in the classroom just makes sense.

To cast a spell or not cast a spell? That is the question.

Everyone knew that the best way for Samantha to get things done was to twitch her nose and cast a spell, yet she tried to live life without the magic crutch. Denial was a virtue. Should the same be said of Facebook in the classroom? There are some concerns about using Facebook at school. Some educators have “fears of exposing students to inappropriate online content (or of) students making inadvertent contact with sexual predators” (Brady, 2010). Others are concerned that bullying will happen as a result of Facebook time. One New Jersey middle school principal banned Facebook at school stating that, "There is absolutely no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site!" (Anonymous, 2010). He also asked that parents ban Facebook in their homes, citing concerns over bullying and a reduction of hours spent on homework or sports. In addition, many educators have concerns about privacy.  On Facebook, the, “people classified as “friends” have the ability to download and share your information with others” (Johnson, 2009).

And these friends don’t always exercise the best judgment, nor do they necessarily have a student’s best interest at heart. This creates a problem for students. A bullying incident that could be nipped in the bud at school, for example, or a night of thoughtlessness could become viral through Facebook, ruining a student’s reputation for years to come. Do we really want the unfortunate exploits of young people to haunt them for the rest of their lives?

Yet this seems to be the very reason that some choose to included Facebook in the curriculum. Richardson summarizes the argument well:

I mean really, if you’re on the board of ed, sitting in the superintendent’s chair, serving as principal, or even “just” a parent, how can the following reality not cause you to call a meeting and get Facebook into the curriculum: Upwards of 75% of the kids in your high school use Facebook. You need a manual to figure out how to appropriately set your privacy settings on Facebook .Because of that (to some extent, at least), lots of your kids are doing not so great things in public that might get them into trouble…Most of the younger kids in your system are going to be on Facebook when they are in your high school. No one is teaching them .Over and over again, I find that people’s mental model of who can see what doesn’t match up with reality. People think “everyone” includes everyone who searches for them on Facebook. They never imagine that “everyone” includes every third party sucking up data for goddess only knows what purpose. They think that if they lock down everything in the settings that they see, that they’re completely locked down. They don’t get that their friends lists, interests, likes, primary photo, affiliations, and other content is publicly accessible.

(Richardson, 2010).

High school teacher Mike Slowinski concurs. He challenges educators to think about their obligation to students through posing the question "If our students are in a world where potential employers and colleges check these (Facebook) sites… wouldn't we want to teach (students) how to use social networks safely and responsibly?" (Curwood, 2010). In addition, he states that, “Even though students may be digital natives, we can’t expect them to understand what online academic work entails in terms of formality and content" (Curwood, 2010) without some sort of formal training. Even the American Library Association (ALA) is acknowledging the need for better teaching in terms of protecting one’s privacy. Rather than banning social networking or sticking their heads in the sand to avoid the issue, the ALA held Privacy Week from May 2-8, 2010 (Adams, 2010).

With an eye to preserving my own privacy, I took a good look at my privacy settings and changed a few things. While I didn’t “need a manual,” I admit that I did need patience and time, despite the assurance from Mark Zuckerburg that Facebook staff had recently reviewed and simplified the setting of privacy controls. Even at that, I gave up clearing all the apps that I no longer used, as I have about 25 and I needed to delete them one at a time. I considered getting rid of apps all together, but that would have blocked Slideshare, which is one particularly useful educational tool. I did make sure to double check who has access to my posts as, “at a minimum, educators should have all privacy settings set to “only friends”. “Friends of friends” and “Networks and Friends” open your content to a large group of unknown people. Your privacy and that of your family may be a risk. People you do not know may be looking at you, your home, your kids, your grandkids, - your lives!” seemed like sound advice (Johnson, 2009).

So it seems that, along with the general internet safety lessons that we are to teach students, there needs to be a place for Facebook, or for that matter, all social networking safety. Many advocate for the creation of specific guidelines for social networking at the school or even district level. Some considerations for these guidelines are:

• Do not use commentary deemed to be defamatory, obscene, proprietary, or libelous.
• Exercise caution with regards to exaggeration, colorful language, guesswork, obscenity, copyrighted materials, legal conclusions, and derogatory remarks or characterizations.
• Post only what you want the world to see.
• Do not discuss students or coworkers or publicly criticize school policies or personnel.
• Do not post images that include students.
• Do not accept students as friends… Decline any student-initiated friend requests.
• Do not initiate friendships with students­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

(Johnson, 2009).

Do witches and men mix?

Samantha’s mother didn’t seem to think so. Endora’s derisive attitude towards her son-in-law mirrors that of those who feel that teachers shouldn’t use Facebook at all. Indeed, some teachers are bound by district policy that prohibits its use. Johnson states:

As educators we have a professional image to uphold and how we conduct ourselves online helps determine this image. As reported by the media, there have been instances of educators demonstrating professional misconduct while engaging in inappropriate dialogue about their schools and/or students or posting pictures and videos of themselves engaged in inappropriate activity. Some educators feel that being online shields them from having their personal lives examined. But increasingly… educators’ online identities are too often public and can cause serious repercussions.

(Johnson, 2009)

Personally, I think this is a slippery slope. While I agree that educators have a ‘professional image to uphold,’ that image is dynamic and reflects the times. What is the professional image I am to reflect? 100 years ago, I’m fairly sure it would have been that of an unmarried, devoutly religious, caucasion woman from a ‘good’ family. Does that reflect the norms of this day and age? Besides, there are a number of mediums through which teachers, or others, could disgrace themselves. Perhaps, if we were all subject to carefully crafted social networking guidelines when we were teens ourselves, then the ‘serious repercussions’ mentioned above could be avoided. A more persuasive argument, in my opinion, is that, “we (teachers and parents) have a responsibility to understand what Facebook is all about,” (Richardson, 2010) even if it’s just so we can educate children on the pitfalls and understand what’s happened when problems arise.

           

Looking back at the suggestions for Facebook policy, you’ll see that friending students is not advised. This leads to another hotly debated controversy with regards to Facebook and education. Frankly, I was surprised that such a controversy exists. Being an elementary teacher, it has never been an issue for me. The extreme age difference between myself and my students dictates a quite formal relationship, although I suspect it might be the same if I taught high school, as that is just my personality. I listen to my students, I advise my students and I’d like to think I teach my students a thing or two, but I am not what I would call chummy. It is the same with parents. I am friendly, but not a friend. Consequently, only one student has ever tried to friend me, and he wasn’t even my student. He was a co-worker’s student and Facebook friend and I believe he just sent out friend requests to everyone on her friends list.

            Personal feelings aside, after considering the weight of evidence, I feel that teacher’s should continue to exercise autonomy when deciding to friend or not friend students, as, again, I believe that professional autonomy is a right worth preserving. Many school districts, however, are drafting policies and, “depending on how the policy is written, it may-intentionally or otherwise-prohibit friending students on social networks.” I suppose that each teacher must first familiarize him or herself with the district’s policy, then think carefully about any possible repercussions.

A place of their own

Sam and Darren found their little haven: a house outside the city, fit for visiting bosses and clients and the occasional relative that zapped in for a visit. What about us? For those who feel that Facebook has no place in their lives or classrooms, there are other social networking sites out there. Before turning our attention to them, it’s worth defending social networking in an educational setting in general.

            As previously stated, students who first started social networking to connect with friends quickly found that this was a platform through which they could learn and express themselves creatively. Students could exchange information on topics of interest with peers, professionals and experts. Poems and stories previously relegated to the diary hidden at the bottom of the sock drawer suddenly were shared with a public audience. Questions didn’t have to wait for Monday, as they could be posted and responded to, and not even necessarily by the teacher.

            There are other reasons to address social networking in the classroom. According to author and influential business thinker Gary Hamel,

The experience of growing up online will profoundly shape the workplace expectations of “Generation F” – the Facebook Generation. At a minimum, they’ll expect the social environment of work to reflect the social context of the Web…

(Hamel, 2009)

What is this new social environment and what will it mean for the work place? Hamel lists 12 important distinctions between traditional work environments and the new environment on the horizon.

1. All ideas compete on an equal footing. On the Web, every idea has the chance to gain a following.

2. Contribution counts for more than credentials.

3. Hierarchies are natural, not prescribed.

4. Leaders serve rather than preside.

5. Tasks are chosen, not assigned.

6. Groups are self-defining and -organizing.

7. Resources get attracted, not allocated.

8. Power comes from sharing information, not hoarding it.

9. Opinions compound and decisions are peer-reviewed.

10. Users can veto most policy decisions.

11. Intrinsic rewards matter most.

12. Hackers are heroes.

(Hamel, 2009).

Think about what this new social atmosphere means for the classroom. For students to become ready for the new business world, and for classrooms to make them ready, there needs to be a shift. Teachers can’t train students to blindly follow authority, completing the real work of designing tasks and creating groups and leaving students to move through the paces. We need to design dynamic spaces for students to learn. Students need the opportunity to put forward ideas, chose worthwhile tasks and complete them in carefully chosen groups of differentiated specialties (#1,5&6). They need to have the opportunity to be a leader and question what a leader does (#3&4). They need to be able to share and review ideas and complete tasks with a vested interest in doing an excellent job (#8,9&11). Social networking platforms can help students do this, by giving them the opportunity to express ideas, propose projects, set criteria, find and share information, form groups, divide the work, etc. And for this reason, social networking needs to make it to the classroom.

There are roughly two types of sites: those for educators and those for the general public, including students.

Teachers who don’t want to join Facebook or who would like to join a public forum for the sake of exchanging educational ideas have a few options. Each site is a closed site, in that membership must be approved before you can join and contribute. I signed up for TeacherLibrarianNing (available at http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com/) and Classroom 2.0 (available at http://www.classroom20.com/). Upon signing up, each gave a message that my membership was awaiting approval, and I needed to wait for an email confirmation. While nothing is ever completely secure, this gave me a little bit of reassurance that information shared through these sites will be professional. More importantly, I feel that actual discussions about teaching will result from these sites, as opposed to on my Facebook account, where I only ever seem to send and receive messages of a personal nature.

            For the general public, including students, there’s Ning.com. Nings are sites that offer a “Facebook-like environment (through which teachers can) deliver some… curriculum and teach some social networking skills as well” (Richardson, 2010). While I say that Nings are for the general public, I mean that anyone can set up a Ning around any passion, or search for a Ning based on an interest. Nings offer their creators the option of keeping the Ning private, which means restricting membership to only those they approve. This means that teachers can offer a social networking experience with few of the pitfalls of Facebook. Of course, there should still be an iron-clad set of safety, privacy and polite use guidelines in place. Closing the site to outsiders is just added insurance that you can enforce these guidelines.

There are a couple of issues with Ning.com. First, searching for a Ning through the search function results in hits that are either inappropriate for students or so loosely related to the topic searched as to be useless. Students and teachers need to carefully sift through what Nings a search turns up. Also, many sites require you to ask for permission to view the contents, which, while a major plus for educators, is a pain when trying to perform a cursory inspection of a site. In addition, when creating your own Ning, you have to build up its popularity. This isn’t an issue if you only want students to access the site, but if you were hoping to attract others, you may not be able to do so as fast as when connected to as heavily-visited a site as Facebook. Students under 13 cannot access sites or create their own.  Finally, there seems to be a cost associated with the service, which is nominal and may be waved for educational sites.

If you can overcome these set backs, creating a Ning could be for you. If my students were older, I think creating a Ning for each major research project throughout the year would be a great way to connect students and allow them to share ideas and answer each others questions. I’m sure I have time to come up with a solution for the age problem, as it seems that social networking is here to stay.

Resources

Adams, H.. (2010, April). Choose Privacy Week: A New ALA Initiative. School Library Monthly, 26(8),

48-49.  Retrieved November 10, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2002785871).

Anonymous, . Kicked Off Facebook. (2010, September). Scholastic Action, 34(2), 20-21,T5.  Retrieved

November 10, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2140715091).

Blanding, M. (2009). Thanks for the add. now help me with my homework. Retrieved from:

http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/295594

Brady, K.. (2010, February). Lifting the Limits on Social Networking Sites. School Administrator, 67(2), 8. 

Retrieved November 10, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1950191201).

Christopher Harris.  (2010, April). Friend Me? School Library Journal, 56(4), 16.  Retrieved November 10,

2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2002800041).

Curwood, J.. (2010, March). BEYOND GOOGLE. Instructor (1999), 119(5), 49-53.  Retrieved November

10, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1998413271).

Hamel, G. (2009). The facebook generation vs. the fortune 500. retrieved from:

                http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/436956

Johnson, D. (2009). Guidelines for educators using social networking sites. Retrieved from:

http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/916695.

Richardson, W. (2010) Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms. California:

Corwin.

Richardson, W. (2010). Teach. Facebook. Now. Retrieved from: http://weblogg-ed.com/2010/teach-       facebook-now/

Yourtango. (2009). Facebook manners and you. Retrieved from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROYzrm5SBM