What are the Educational Benefits of Social Networking for Students and Teachers?
Will Richardson, author of Weblogg-ed blog and Learner-in-Chief at Connective Learning; Wednesday, October 17, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Central Time. New research by NSBA and Grunwald Associates shows that teens are doing more than hanging out in social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. In fact, 70 percent of online students report discussing education-related topics such as college or college planning, learning outside of school, and careers; and 50 percent of online students say they talk specifically about schoolwork. But how can schools harness this engaging technology tool in the classroom to increase learning for students? Be part of a lively online discussion Wednesday, October 17, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Central Time to explore this hot topic. Live from NSBA's TL Conference in Nashville will be moderating expert Will Richardson, author of Weblogg-ed blog and Learner-in-Chief at Connective Learning. We invite you to join the discussion during the live hour or post your questions now. (Note: The discussion will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m. Mountain/10 a.m. Pacific)
Join us here at the scheduled hour for a lively dialogue on this timely education topic.
Will Richardson writes:
Welcome to today's online discussion on schools and social networking tools. Let's get started!
A parent from Santa Monica, Calif. asks:
My 13-year-old spends a great deal of time on his MySpace page. How can I, as a parent, make sure he gets the benefits of this tool?
Will Richardson writes:
I think the best way to make sure your child is safe and getting something positive out of MySpace is to sit with him or her and talk about what MySpace is. Obviously there are dangers, but there are many good things that kids can learn at MySpace as well. It's networking, and in their futures, they are going to have to know how to network in safe, ethical and effective ways.
An individual from Washington, D.C. asks:
Myspace seems to reign in the social networking arena, but other services like Facebook or Flickr seem to be more secure and offer better actual services. How do you see the social networking landscape developing with respect to customized features, applications, or audiences? Will the Myspace craze ever fade as new services prove to be more relevant and/or more reliable?
Will Richardson writes:
The landscape is changing, but it's not going away. And as Facebook is demonstrating, the more open you make the tool, the more personalized it will become. Ning.com is a great example in that we can now build our own social networks around whatever our interests or passions are. So the "MySpace craze" will continue, but there will be lots of individual MySpaces that we interact with.
A school board member from Franklin Wi asks:
I don't see anything happening
Will Richardson writes:
Sorry for the late start...
An individual from Boston, MA asks:
I was surprised that the NSBA's report did not acknowledge that social network sites like MySpace and Facebook are commercial sites and driven by advertising dollars. Given that these sites have things like ads for junk food and media that parents might object to, should we really be promoting them in schools? What about the fact these sites plan to data mine students personal information in order to personalized advertising? Isn't that a major concern?
Will Richardson writes:
I think we need to promote the safe, effective and ethical use of social tools, not necessarily individual sites. But we also have to help kids navigate the ads and the other marketing content that they'll find everywhere on the Internet. We have to find ways of making these sites and shifts real in our schools so that when our kids access them from home or outside our walls, they'll be literate in their use.
A school district administrator from Rocky Mount, Virginia asks:
I am curious as to how some districts are providing protection for children who are engaged in social networking. I am interested in implementing ePals student safe email and student safe Blogging.
Will Richardson writes:
ePals is a great solution for younger kids, and definitely worth exploring for your district. But at the end of the day, I think we need to give our kids opportunities to work and interact in the open environments in which they will eventually find themselves. I think we protect our kids best by helping them to recognize and react to the potential threats that are out there, and the only way we can do that is to sit by them as they interact with that real world "out there".
A reporter from Woodbridge, CT asks:
In Connecticut, High School Senior Avery Doninger wrote a blog post using a derogatory term criticizing the school administration in a blog post at home one evening. The school administration banned her from running for re-election to class office. The students have rallied in support of her, in part through online social networks. She won re-election on write-in votes by the students, and the administration refused to recognize the results. This has led to a legal battle that is now headed to the U.S. Second Circuit of Appeals. (More details at
http://www.orient-lodge.com/Connecticut) How can school administrations redirect derogatory criticisms that rally the students against them into valuable teachable moments?
Will Richardson writes:
Without knowing the specifics of this particular case, it's hard to know exactly what options the administration had. But I would have to ask what this particular reaction teaches the students? The reality is that we simply cannot control what people are going to write or say about us these days, and that there are all sorts of gray areas that go along with these situations. I wonder, however, whether the administrators themselves are modeling the appropriate use of these technologies for their students, and whether or not the use of blogs and other social tools are being taught in the curriculum. I think the biggest reason students make poor decisions at times about the uses of these technologies is that no one is teaching them how to do it well and they have few models for their use. (Note: Tomorrow at 12 noon CST there will a chat here on "Navigating the Legal Landmines Around New Technologies.)
An individual from Arlington, VA asks:
I think it is important for teachers to incorporate technology into the classroom environment as much as possible to both maintain student interest and to prepare students for the future. As a curriculum developer, what can I provide to teachers to help them integrate new technologies - in this case social networking - into the classroom?
Will Richardson writes:
First and foremost, I would suggest that you help teachers understand the uses of these tools in their own learning practice. I really believe that until we understand the potentials and pitfalls of these shifts and these tools for ourselves, how they can connect us and transform our own learning, that it's difficult to understand the pedagogies that make their use successful in the classroom. Just as you wouldn't hire a math teacher who couldn't do math, you shouldn't ask teachers who don't use the technologies for themselves to integrate them into their curricula.
A parent from Walnut Creek, CA asks:
Because the study was funded by MySpace owner News Corp. and conducted by a PR company Grunwald, did that influence why there weren't concerns raised in the report about children's exposure to marketing influences on social networks? And isn't there an increasing movement to get commercialism out of schools, e.g., the marketing for junk food which is found on MySpace?
Will Richardson writes:
Tough for me to answer as I wasn't involved in the study. But again, the reality is that students are being exposed to advertisements and marketing influences everywhere they look. If we want our students to have a "media literacy", whether that medium in television or music or the Web, I think it becomes problematic for us to help them with that if we restrict access to the very things we're trying to teach them about.
An individual from Madison, WI asks:
One idea would be for schools to pick their battles for challenging content on sites and teaching the valuable lesson of what constitutes free speech that is protected and what constitutes slander that is punishable by law.
Will Richardson writes:
Agreed. There are teachable moments every day if we can get over our fears.
An individual from Knoxville, Tennessee asks:
Are you aware of any school systems that have updated or refined their web publishing and acceptable use policies in such a way as to embrace the safe, ethical use of social and participatory software and applications (rather than restrict access to them)? If so, can you cite some examples or point me to them? I am a graduate student researching how central systems of authority (schools) are adapting to the new web landscape. Some school leaders in my community are receptive to the new tools, but they want to see models of how other systems are managing.
Will Richardson writes:
Many schools are rewriting their acceptable use policies to cover the uses of social technologies and Web publishing. Here is one from Arapahoe High School. But again, I think this requires more than just a good policy. It requires that we start conversations with all of the constituents in a school district so that everyone gets a chance to think about the complexities that this environment now presents.
An individual from Knoxville, Tennessee asks:
I think we have an issue where I live of folks (including educators) hiding behind antiquated policies as a way to avoid adapting to the reality of the new environment. How do we stimulate these conversations among constituents?
Will Richardson writes:
I agree. Not doing anything about these shifts is easier, but certainly not in the best interests of our students. I think the way to start the conversation is to be as transparent as possible abou the work our students and teachers are doing and to invite parents and businesspeople and others into the process. It takes leadership and vision, but it's crucial that everyone understands what the stakes are.
An individual from Knoxville, Tennessee asks:
And thank you for the link!
Will Richardson writes:
You're welcome!
An individual from Madison, WI asks:
So you foresee any pitfalls of teacher using social networking sites to create class or project groups for their students to join? In college a professor of mine used an online discussion board to jumpstart class discussion of readings, to get input from students who are less inclined to speak up in class and as a way to assess participation.
Will Richardson writes:
Pitfalls? Sure! As with anything new, we'll make some mistakes along the way. But, again, we can avoid many of those mistakes if we take the time to help teachers understand these tools for themselves before using them with students.
An individual from Knoxville, Tennessee asks:
I hope all who are tuned in right now will check out your blog and especially read your recent accounts about your trip to China. Those passages were beautifully written and very inspiring.
An individual from Walnut Creek, CA asks:
Just as we shouldn't have textbooks written by Chevron, should we have social networks in school that are driven by companies whose primary aim is to make money from users? Why did the report not address non-commercial social networks developed to actually educate children?
Will Richardson writes:
Again, I can't answer for the report writers. But my sense is that they wanted to provide a context for a larger conversation about these tools. I think a lot of folks were shocked by the extent to which our students are using these technologies. And, hopefully, that will lead to some discussion about a wide range of tools, some non-commercial ones included, that might have classroom potential.
A state school board association staff member from Trenton, NJ asks:
I see that the policy text you provided says, "It is ok to disagree but not to be disagreeable." I like that, but here is some text that is more specific: Prohibited Language Prohibited language applies to public messages, private messages, and material posted on web pages. "Users shall not send or receive messages that contain obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, or threatening language." Is that text suitable as on-line etiquette?
Will Richardson writes:
I think that's suitable. But let's be realistic. No policy is worth much if it's not consistently modeled and taught. One thing that I find striking is how little education there is around the AUP. It's usually "Here. Sign it." And most don't even read it. So at some point, the words in the AUP have to be visible in the practice of the professionals in the school, and we have to embed that way of doing business throughout our K-12 curriculum.
Will Richardson writes:
That wraps up today's discussion. Thanks very much for participating. Will
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