Social networking at school is a controversial topic. Almost everyone I know has a Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest account. These are three of the main sites that come to mind when thinking about social networking. Most school systems have these sites blocked. I know my school does. But what about other social networking sites that are more school "appropriate?" I'm a member of many social networking sites that I didn't even consider social networking! Crazy I know!
Blogger is a social network community that I am using as we speak! I also have my own Reading Diva blog my reading class has used for the past few years to discuss the books they are reading. This is a great instructional tool for students to share that thoughts about any school related topic. My school does not block this site for which I am very grateful.
deviantART is a social networking site for the art community. I used to access this site with my reading class. It was interesting to see people's drawings for the characters in books we were reading. Because of the word "deviant" in the title our filter blocks this site, which is a shame. Students would love to sketch their favorite characters and compare them to those we could find on this site. Any of you artist or would-love-to-be-artist (like myself) should really check out this site.
Shelfari by Amazon is another social networking site of which I'm a member. I love this site because it lets you keep up with the books you are reading and what you're friends are reading. It displays what you've read, are reading, and plan to read on a book shelf. You can share your shelf on other social networking sites like Facebook. My blog has a link to and an icon of my shelf on my homepage. As I've been looking through media center webpages, I've noticed some of them also have Shelfari shelves. This is a great way to get students to share what they are reading with others. Another site similar to this that you may be a member of is goodreads. LibraryThing is also similar to these. I just chose Shelfari because I'm a frequent Amazon customer (I can't get enough of the smile on the box)! None of these sites are blocked by my school.
Until reading over the material provided by Dr. Cooper, I had never heard of Ning. This is a site for individuals to create their own social networks. The one Dr. Cooper shared was TeacherLibrarianNing. This is a great network that we should all join. Ning does have a monthly fee of $24.95 for as many as 10,000 members. This could be an inexpensive way to safely include a social networking site for the entire school. Administrators would feel much more safe with a site the school created rather than using Facebook.
Wattpad has taken over my sixteen-year old daughter's time. She loves to read and this site allows her to search for the types of stories and read them for free. Most are short-stories written by budding artists. What a great way to get our students to share their writing with the world. Many authors, such as Amanda Hocking, got started by posting their short stories online and a publisher snatched her up! Her story can encourage our students to pursue their dreams of writing. I'm not sure if Wattpad is blocked at my school. Some of the stories have adult-related themes. I have to monitor what my daughter reads. Because of this aspect, it may not be appropriate to use with middle or elementary school students.
I didn't share much research-based information this week. Mostly because this is a subject I am very opinionated about - actually I'm pretty opinionated about most subjects! We are teaching our students to be collaborators and share their ideas with others. Social networking is a great way to do it. Most of out students have Twitter or Facebook accounts. Why not use these to keep them engaged with instruction? I had a student Facebook account that I used outside of school to create groups for my classes and conduct discussions on books and math related topics. Because RESA leads discussions each year on the dangers of Facebook, I deleted my student account and rarely use my adult account. This is unfortunate, because I was able to keep up with previous students to keep them interested in discussing what they're reading. I'm not sure what you're thoughts are on social networking or your school's policies, but if we want to reach our students, we have to meet them on their interest level. Social networking is a great tool to do this!
I think you're right that social networking is totally ingrained in our society, yet schools are struggling to find appropriate ways to participate in social networks. It's a shame, because social networking would be such a powerful learning tool, allowing students to carry on discussions about school-related content well beyond their allotted class time.
ReplyDeleteI really like the social networks you mentioned that are reading-based. The only one I'm familiar with is good reads, but I think that Shelfari and LibraryThing would be excellent platforms for readers to share their opinions about the books they're reading as well, and I'm going to check them out.
I've also looked briefly at Edmodo, and to me, that looks like a good and safe way to involve students in online discussion.
Very interesting topic! Thank you for your insights.
I think the perception of social networking is beginning to change. The assumption that social networking sites only exist to share personal information or catch up on celebrity gossip is very limited and outdated. I think society and acceptance in the classroom has a ways to go, but clearly there are numerous sites with a lot of educational possibility. I think it's detrimential to students to shy away from the pop culture of communication that we all live in. A school environment should embrace the changes that happen socially instead of resist them. Of course there will be challenges and adjustments, but isn't this true with any change?
ReplyDeleteI checked out deviantART and I'm very curious. I'm an elementary art teacher and I'm anxious to see what this site has to offer.
Your list of social networking sites amazed me. It is hard to realize how many of them exist before you actually look at them in a list. I know that you only listed SOME of them. I too didn't realize that sites such as this blogger were considered a SNS. It is hard to define what is appropriate for the school setting. I have enjoyed using Shelfari to keep up with books that I have read or books that I might want to read in the future. Reviews that are provided by other users help provide insight of titles I might want to acquire in the future. The proper use of SNS is key to youth learning how to use them as tools to excel their learning process.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about Shelfari. I am not on social networking sites, but I just might have to consider this one. I am constantly looking for books to read, but I like to know what I am purchasing before I download it. I use my iPad to read books, but I still feel a little uncomfortable not being able to actually have the book in my hands prior to committing! This website looks like it might help me make better decisions. I was also thinking that we could share this site with our Brown Bag Book Club members because those students could share the books they read and see what other people are reading. Then they could make some suggestions for us for the book club. I can't wait to see if my district blocks this site or not. Thanks for sharing all of these sites!
ReplyDeleteI too used to have a Facebook account separate from my personal account for students. After various warnings about Facebook in faculty meetings and emails, I also deleted mine. I think it is so sad that we would be scared to use this website even when it is used in an educational and appropriate manner...
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, I certainly enjoyed learning about all of the social network opportunities out there aside from Facebook and Twitter, websites that can be used within the classroom in much the same manner as these familiar social networking. I'm very much considering using goodreads as part of my reading class. I already have 1 students that uses it regularly. Thanks for sharing these sites and giving me fresh ideas!
Thanks for sharing so many great social networking sites. I think that most people (including me) immediately think of sites such as Facebook and Twitter upon hearing the phrase social networking. However, there are a number of other formats that social networking can take, as you have pointed out.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Wattpad prior to reading your post. I spent some time on this site and have really enjoyed what I have found. What a great way to build that connection between reading and writing! I love that you have the ability to read pieces of writing from people who are not yet published authors. I also like the fact that users can post their own pieces of writing and share their creations with the world.
I am of the belief that social networking does have a place in schools. We would be totally kidding ourselves if we believed that students will not or even are currently not using social networking sites outside of school. Even our youngest students have knowledge of and are using social networking sites. I think that the benefits far outweigh the concerns and that if we teach students how to use the sites properly and safely while keeping a close eye on their activity, they can be a great addition to the curriculum.
I too, deleted my facebook account after our school district provided a social networking policy. The social networks that you mention were not all familiar to me. So I took a look at a few of them. It is apparent that students would enjoy and engage in viewing the art and reading the short stories that are available. Teachers would be able to encourage students to read and write across the curriculum as required by the common core standards.
ReplyDeleteThe filters that are currently in place based on school district policy and procedures are out of date. Many uses for social media are very appropriate for the school environment. Even administrative tasks could be accomplished. Notifications to parents and students about attendance, up coming events,and information needed by the school are just a few of the immediate uses.
Thank you for the sites that you shared. You provided enough information to allow me to choose which site to explore indepth. Your passion shows in your response.
Kelley,
ReplyDeleteI think those less than mainstream social networking sites are excellent alternatives to the "big three" you mentioned at the beginning of your post. I am familiar with Ning, but it is unfortunate it is not free. I completely agree with the fact that we have to constantly find ways to engage our students and safe social networking is the answer at the moment. Social networkingis the perfect way to encourage collaboration among our students. Thanks for providing some seemingly safer alternatives to "traditional" social networking.
Kelley, I think you have listed MANY great sites on how to use social networking to reach our students. It is obvious that you have a great opinion about this and it is what you care about. If they want us to teach them to become 21st century learners, how can we do it with out having access to 21st century schools? I also liked how you provided us with some alternatives to the main social networking sites.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list of social networking sites! I can’t wait to try them out. It’s a shame your system blocks deviantART because of the word deviant. That goes right along with our internet filtering project. I am a little torn about the use of Facebook as a social networking site in education. It seems like an easy way to get in touch with students because everyone seems to have a Facebook profile. However, people just post way too much personal information for me to be comfortable. Even though I am not personally friends with any of my current students, I have visited some of their pages out of curiosity, and those pictures cannot be unseen! Yikes! But those students chose to have that stuff public. Anyone can see them. And then I end up asking myself questions like, “Is this something I should report?” I don’t like it. There just aren’t enough boundaries there. Something like Edmodo seems much more appropriate.
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