Dr. Christopher,
What a GREAT post! I agree with you but many instructors' fear of inappropriate connection with someone outside. You have to do what you think is best but I really think your students benefit greatly from your social networking views.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
It means that in as little as 6 steps everyone in the world may view your post or uploaded file. Its a measure of just how quickly information spreads in social networks and why it is critical that you are careful and responsible about what you are posting.
Thomas,
Aren't you surprised how easy it is to connect to someone that someone else you know, knows. It means information can travel very vast.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Social networking can be a benefit to connect students to larger learning communities. The phrase “six degrees of separation†indicates that there can be many possibilities to connect to learners that share the same views and educational levels. This will expand a student knowledge base and extend communication and collaboration skills, which will not only benefit the students but the classroom as a whole. The learning opportunities for students are unlimited using social media to extend learning within and outside the classroom. It also contributes to students developing communication and technology skills needed in the global market place. However, students should also be aware that social media aids in forming new social networks and they need to be careful in sharing personal information.
Phyllis Gooden, Ph.D.
Hello Michael
That was a very good example of the "six degrees of separation." The concept can be quite fascinating and interesting. I attended a conference brunch at a college library association meeting through following up on a colleague's email. At the brunch, I had the pleasure of meeting a bestselling author and chatting with him. He invited all of us at the brunch to contact him via social media. It will be fascinating to discover the possibilities of where this will lead since the many venues of social media expands social networks.
Phyllis Gooden, Ph. D.
Hello Shannon,
I agree with your viewpoint. Since so many students are using social media for social contacts as a natural way to communicate daily, encouraging students to use social media sites for learning experiences offer many opportunities for the online classroom. Good point!
Phyllis Gooden, Ph. D.
The "six degrees of separation" concept is fantastic for those who are into social networking, which eventually will become an important part of everyone's daily rituals :); anyway, this is simply sharing with a friend, who in turns shares with friends and so forth and so on. Social can be construed in many different ways, I think that a decent way to see it is as simple as the old test of being in the room where a secret is passed from one person to the next in a circle to by the time it returns to the sender the message has changed completely or is not what was stated. To something more controlled to the sender of the social networking message having more control of the message, even as it is distributed and filtered to other persons and hopefully conveyed correctly when you receive it back from others, the way you sent out the message. Social networking allows the questions to be asked and the messenger / sender to respond quickly for clarity.
Michael
Phyllis,
Great post. Using social media is an great opportunity to teach students to diverse their personal life from their professional life. it is amazing that student really don't think about the impact of social media. Look at what happened to the leader from Microsoft and his comments of women asking for a raise. It hit Twitter before the meeting was over.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Phyllis,
Isn't that fabulous! How can we use this tool to introduce students to experts in the field and really have conversations. It also provides good (and bad) examples of writing.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Michael,
I agree with you. You need to use it to provide a context of real world. It is so important students know how to separate their personal and professional communication. There are so many examples of poor social behavior as examples.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Social networking allows internet communities in order to network and build contacts which can be useful through out their lives and career. It works in a way of networking and inviting others to join the communities in order to have a diverse group of people.
Stacy,
You are right, We have to get them thinking about social networking in context of their profession. They don't understand how prevalent social networking is in the business world.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
In social networking, one person can contact six people and those six people can contact six more and that list can go on endlessly. This is the "six degrees of separation" concept. Ultimately, this can be very helpful to provide one with different opinions and perspectives.
I think that it is exciting to know that we can potentially meet anyone based off the fact that someone that we know may know another and that person can introduce us to someone that we would like to meet. With the existence of social media, this concept makes it more likely for this to occur.
I really like this question, as it makes you think about the importance of social media and the way it connects people. This form of media can bring a variety of individuals together from all parts of the world, with many varying viewpoints, and allows them to discuss and often understand the material through many lenses. Social media allows what could be a small community to expand their horizons and benefit from sharing their views, and being able to see many viewpoints from multiple levels of education and knowledge, whether from a practitioners standpoints to a more academic point of view. This form of media allows the learner to make connections with those individuals they should know within their field and who otherwise they may never have been able to meet. Through these connects the individuals are able to share information and experiences. I think it is one thing to read about a topic, or hear a professor lecture on about a topic, but to be able to ask questions and share experiences provides a richer learning environment.
David Makin
I see it as an example of just how small a community it really can be when one collaborates. It should also alert us to how fast good (and bad) news can travel. Anything we post for classes should be credible and factual. Social networking is a powerful tool.
Six degrees of separation means that we are five people away from being connected to everyone on the planet. The sixth person is yourself. However, the right five people must be chosen.
I think that it is a deep insight into the nature of human relations. It means that we are much closer to everyone on the plant than we think. It allows us as a species to remove the divisions of race, age, nationality, sex, gender, or anything else that has been used by elites to divide us. We are one planet and one human race.
What an outstanding idea!
Donald L. Buresh
