Social Media Networking
Do you believe students and instructors should be connected on social media outlets? Why or why not?
Misuse of Social Media can deteriorate the professional relationship between instructor and student. I think using social media sites can benefit the student if you keep your personal and student relationships seperate. Creating a seperate account for the class will keep information exchanged class oriented. The student is already familiar with social media, so it is a way to level with them and get them involved. Misuse of this type of technology could make relationships with students too friendly and the student may lack the authoritative respect necessary in the classroom.
Tina,
Thank you for your post to the forum. You bring up a good point, when using social media tools in the classroom posts should be closely monitored because there is the risk students will not practice proper internet etiquette. I also believe separate accounts are in order for both the learner and the facilitator, keeping the learning environment professional and appropriate at all times. Best wishes for continued success in your classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
I do think that social media outlets should be utilized by students and instructors, with some obvious caveats. Linkedin, Twitter, and Skype can be useful for sharing information within an education environment, as described in this course. Linkedin provides great networking opportunities. Twitter and Skype are a wonderful way to share information remotely. Sites such as Facebook are, perhaps, inappropriate for instructors and students to make connections, unless a specific class site is created on Facebook.
I dont like the idea of connecting social media with the students, I think that is going to delete the line between instructors and students.
Roberto,
I understand your hesitation and agree a line must be drawn when it comes to sharing tidbits from our personal lives with students. You may want to think of setting up a Twitter account as being analogous to a news feed you may subscribe to through Yahoo or Google. Many professionals in the field leverage Twitter to grow their brand and share ideas with peers and interested consumers of their products and services. As an educator, this is something you do each time you step into a classroom. Sending out little chunks of knowledge between class sessions is a great way to keep students actively engaged outside of the classroom. Doing what you feel most comfortable with is key to incorporating new teaching and learning techniques.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Irwin,
Yes, Facebook is quite different from the other outlets mentioned here and I agree, a separate account for school and work should be set up when using this social media tool. When studying sociology for example, Facebook is a gold mine; it is knowing when and if it is appropriate that is key. LinkedIn on the other hand is a fantastic tool for all students and future graduates and has the potential to increase placement rates as well as your institutions visibility in the field.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
I feel that the instructor and student could be on a social media but there must be some ground rules and there must be professionalism on both parts
Romessia,
Agreed, a set of guidelines should definately be reviewed, agreed upon, and implimented in class before venturing into social media learning. Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Students and instructors connecting on social media outlets can be complicated because of the possibility that information from an instructors personal life will available for anyone to see.Posting of photographs or text can be copied and stored.It seems that Sites such as Facebook have the ability to make connections to other sites without a persons knowledge. As Technology improves
this process will increase with social media being able to Track store and compile our online information selections.
Yes, I feel that it is very important to keep up with the current events in your subject by using social media.
It's funny - here we are reading about the benefits of creating a facebook page for the class, but my school actually forbids instructors and other employees from accepting friend requests from students. I agree that it is all in how it is used and presented. I absolutely agree that students might just by habit communicate on a classroom page in the same informal manner they communicate on a personal page. I think this would take some in-class modeling or maybe showing examples of appropriate posts from previous classes in order for students to use it in an appropriate way. In terms of breaking down personal barriers that shouldn't be broken down, I think that is all in how the instructor handles the situation. I tend to share some personal information with students in the physical classroom anyway, and rather than detract from the relationship/professional environment, I actually feel like students respect me more when they feel like I am a real person with day-to-day concerns similar to their own.
There are a few benefits to connecting with students via social media. However, I believe the negatives far out weigh the positives.
The instructor is at risk of any number of complaints or accusations of improper relationships. The instructor is also subjected to numerous interruptions and lack of control of your personal time. Since the instructor is constantly contacted at odd hours for trivial questions (students do not study at regular hours.)
I do not think that an instructor should sacrifice their personal time or privacy freely. Because students tend to be self-centered and forget that we are not just sitting around waiting for their questions.
Definitely they should be connected on social media outlets because it is a wonderful took for students to "talk with one another."
LE,
Google+ is, in my opinion, the best social media outlet available now to connect with current and former students. If set up correctly, connection can be categorized by class or subject matter, and it is a great way to host an impromptu chat should students request clarification on assignment specifications or simply a follow up discussion on a topic some may have struggled with. I do understand your valid concerns about being able to separate work from personal time. What is great about social media is you are in control of when, where, and how you use it as a learning and communication tool.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Kristin,
Perhaps the LMS your institution utilizes has a discussion board feature that can be used in place of Facebook or Google+. With proper coaching, students quickly learn to adhere to the online communication guidelines developed for a course. In my experience, there is a risk of ad hom attacks, students attempting to win an argument by attacking the speaker's character, so carefully monitoring threads is important in the event a student requires additional coaching in this area.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
James,
RSS feeds, which have been around for some time now, is also a fantastic way to aggregate information that can be used for professional development as well as a means of providing current, relevant information that can be shared with students.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Yes. I believe students and instructors should definitely be connected on social media outlets. It gives instructors and students the opportunity to discuss coursework and communicate in a familiar format that is non-threatening. Feedback is automatic and ongoing which allows students to be engaged and instructors to make evaluations.
Of course! For many of our younger students, this is the only way in which many of them communicate. If we engage them with topics in this format, they are more likely to participate and they will possibly see their instructors as more accesible and understanding.
This is such a hard decision. Many schools prohibit this type of contact. However, if the instructor has a "professional" page (for the students) and then a personal page (with a different name not associated with the instructor) then the instructor would be able to interact with the students on this level. BUT, some students may try to take advantage of this situation, so it must be monitored very closely. An instructor could lose the "authoritive figure" if things are too friendly. Maybe having a facebook or twitter page/account for the class and the instructor being the monitor of the page to watch for inappropriate comments/behaviors is an idea, however it needs to have the approval of the administration of the school.
