I think the lines of communication between students has opened up due to social networking; if someone misses class and have a facebook friend in their class, they can find out what assignments they have missed.
Kimberly,
yes it can really help students stay connected even when they have to be out.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I agree Robert. Social networking seems to lead to more cheating for students. It is also a very big distrction for them. I personally do not see the use for Facebook in the classroom.
I think this generation has been able to find positive and negative use for social networks.
This affects students interaction. It allows to see what people are doing currently and what they have done to see what they may be influenced with.
I use Social Media to teach all my math classes. The positive side is that students can get instant feedback and I save a lot of time on grading. Students can attend live chats that we can stay at home and learn. The bad side is that students not willing to change from standard classroom lecture and note taking method to internet interaction.
Social networks influence student's learning and life styles by checking emails daily and chat with people online instead of face to face.
Shukmei ,
I too have found that Gen Y is not always as fast to jump on technology in the classroom as we might think.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Shukmei,
yes this is a very connected generation.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I agree. This has no classroom value. It's more trouble than it's worth. We instructor's need to have the student's undivided attention while in the classroom.
Scott,
I personally wouldn't suggest using social networks in the classroom, but rather as a means to communicate students & to encourage them to communicate with one another outside of the classroom.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I work in a technical institute serving adults (average 18-24 year olds) and have found that social networking has no place in the classroom. The school prohibits the use of personal electronics in the classroom. As part of the training they receive a professionalism grade and when the instructor has a problem with keeping the student off the phone, it can cost the student a percentage of this grade. Students have used phones in class to the point of failing the class due to the fact the student does not have the self-discipline to follow the rules.
Before I was an instructor, I was in the field and watched really talented coworkers endanger their jobs due to their phone use. A lot of employers are not tolerating the texting, and phone calls while on the clock because it costs the company money in lost productivity. We are not doing the student justice by not making the student understand that some behavior will not be tolerated in the workplace.
As an instructor I feel that there is a time and place for everything and phones in class are not it. Students need to unplug from the social network and get down to why they are at school, To Learn a Trade. All the electronic interaction is distracting them from the program they are paying for.
Social networks can be a great asset if students use them properly. My experience has been bad because students would rather update their facebook status rather than use the time to research value information. I would make an exception if they were on Linkedln. I wish we had firewalls in our school.
I agree this can be helpful to a point. But we do have a need to remind our students of the source in which there using. They get caught up in the hipe of the social networking and forget what exactly it is they are on the network for. Yes we definitely liver the in a technological time and we definitely can use it to benefit us. Let us just remember SOURCE
Irving,
personally I would not use social networking in the class, but rather as an outside opportunity to communicate with students & for them to communicate with one another.
Dr. Ryan Meers
distracts them from learning because they are so interested in what is going on in facebook and other social networks verse learning the content they went to school for.
One thing that I seem to have noticed is that students (and instructors) that use social networking religiously to "stay connected" have lost the ability and etiquette skills to interact face to face.
Kelly,
yes, there definitely has to be a balance in our & our student's lives.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Social networks keep the Gen Yers connected, with forums and discussions out there they are kept updated with current information.
One way to use Twitter in the classroom is to pose a question and have the students give their response via your Twitter account. Another way is to use Tweetworks when students are working on group projects.
I use a LMS to communicate with students, but for those who don't have a LMS, Twitter can be used to communicate due dates, upcoming tests or any other information. Students and teachers can follow new stories from NatGeoSociety, CNNMoney and other news sites.
