I have recently taken to using Twitter, primarily to keep updated on interesting ideas and events rather than sending updates on my whereabouts and activities. As a ‘boomer’ I am what Marc Prensky terms a “digital immigrant” in that I have adopted new technologies – but my learning curve is quite steep and I am often hesitant in my practice.
Kids in schools today are in Prensky’s terms “digital natives,” and to them, technologies such as Twitter are second nature. Or as Don Tapscott says, “technology is like air to them.” Why is it then that most educators and administrators are so loathe to let kids use ‘their’ technologies in schools?
Eliminating distractions is one argument often presented in the case against social media technology in schools but in my view, this is a matter of classroom management more than anything else. If social media technologies, such as Twitter, are present without curricular application, the impulse for kids will be to use them in a distracting manner, adding to classroom management issues.
On the other hand, if teachers leverage the power of these technologies to further engage their students in class, the issue of distraction begins to fade and the classroom becomes a dynamic place for kids to be. Let me develop an example.
The last two weeks have seen significant events in Egypt that may lead to monumental changes in the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. The mainstream media provided spectacular coverage of events in Tahrir Square during the first week of the demonstrations, albeit their focus was primarily from a distance, and tended to play up the violence or potential for violence.
At the same time, many journalists and Egyptian citizens were on the ground in Tahrir Square and other parts of Cairo and Alexandria – posting on Twitter. Their view of events was markedly different from that presented by the mainstream media (and far more personal). Now that the demonstrations have quieted somewhat, the ‘story’ has faded in the mainstream media. However, events continue to unfold in Egypt and are being reported many times daily on Twitter and on the Al Jazeera English network (not available in the U.S. but accessible online).
Imagine the types of lessons that could be crafted if students had unfettered access to Twitter in their schools now. Teachers could ask groups of students to follow a specific Twitter feed, and in a collaborative activity have groups prepare a daily summary of events from their ‘correspondent’ on the ground (e.g. Sandmonkey), and share their reports with the class, or indeed the entire school via a blog.
What a marvelous opportunity for teachers to bring the world into their classrooms and deepen their students’ understanding of life, on the street, in a far distant country. This, of course, is dependent on teachers and administrators recognizing the potential value of social media in their schools rather than brushing it off as a mere ‘distraction.’
PS – You can ‘follow’ my ‘correspondents’ in Egypt too – Twitter @BriggsGeorge
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What are your thoughts abut the use of social media in the classroom? How can it be integrated into the curriculum? Should it be? Answer in the comment section below.
Isn't the central question about social media in classroom related to how it enhances the curriculum? And then, should we be so quick to embrace social media in the classroom before we know how it affects student learning?
In my classroom, I am reluctant to embrace the use of social media because A) I do not have a case for how it fits with my curriculum and B) I do not know how it may affect student learning. If there was evidence that incorporation of the technology helped students learn (in a controlled comparison, in which students are randomly assigned to the new and old curriculum), then we may proceed (but still with caution). However, I am not convinced that such evidence could be found.
In an informal data analysis, a colleague of mine (here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with college students) found that incorporation of podcasts into his class had an interesting effect. He recorded the podcasts based on the lecture topics, but the material was not on the test and was simply designed to be available for students who were interested in learning more. Among high performing students, use of the podcasts was associated with better test performance. But among the low performing students, use of the podcasts was associated with LOWER performance! In other words, for at-risk students, the incorporation of this particular new media technology meant they did worse on tests if they took advantage of the new technology.
There are many reasons why this may be the case, but it is still alarming. It shows that we cannot assume that incorporation of new media technologies will help learning, even if that technology is incorporated carefully into the curriculum. There are, no doubt, clever uses of new technology in the classroom, but before jumping into this, I urge all instructors to carefully consider its effect on all students – both the highly engaged and the at-risk students.
More thoughts here: http://blog.michaelbraun.me/2010/05/systematic-di…
My post related primarily to increasing engagement in the classroom rather than achieving an increase in test performance. With all due respect to your colleague's use of podcasts, I view this type of technology as simply an extension of teacher-centered, content-driven teaching. I have a strong view that student-centered, constructivist learning is more relevant and important for today's students. I also believe that many of the 'new' technologies today's 'digital native' students use can play an important role in increasing engagement in the classroom. I recommend checking the blog post that follows for an interesting, albeit unscientific, account of improved engagement (and evidence of learning). http://jplgough.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/social-m…
The 20 minute project has several benefits to me and my students. First, we pause the learning episode at approximately 20 minutes to summarize learning and check for questions. My entire lesson could change based on what the children say they are learning and their questions. I now hear from every child 20 minutes into class – no child is left behind. If someone is stuck or has questions, we stop and take care of it on the spot, in real time. The children's reactions are amazing!
It offers young learners an opportunity and the confidence to ask unanswered questions. It is so much better to answer their questions in the moment. And, the tweets help connect us as a faculty and a school. My 8th graders have been invited to the high school to participate in a project by a biology class. My students are making connections between classes they had not previously recognized or talked about.
Hi Michael and George…
I personally use social media for two things. I use blogging and Twitter as a form of professional development to read what other educators are thinking deeply about and discussing with others. I also use Twitter as a means of non-graded formative assessment. The 20 minute project at our school, referred to in George's reply, has teachers experimenting with primacy-recency from How the Brain Learns by Dr. David Sousa, non-graded formative assessment, and social media.
For the highly engaged and the at-risk student, there is more representations of their learning. It is most powerful when the children can hear and read, simultaneously, what one of their peers is learning or questioning. We are addressing multiple learning styles while modeling appropriate use of social media.
Thanks for thinking about this with me!