In our classrooms today, we have students that are used to having multimedia tools at their disposal. Graphics, interactions with others online while playing video games, and stimulating environments is something that students are interested in and crave. Social media is an avenue in which to do this.
Social media engages students. One of the ways to ensure the retention and application of content is to provide an environment that is stimulating. The engagement needs to be emotional as well. When the instructor can imbed the emotional factor, the retention level is much higher. Social media provides this avenue just within the name. Students are very social and this impacts their emotional side. When the students utilize social media, they are already engaged emotionally. Now the teachers need to tap into the academic side as well.
One social media tool that provides both emotional and academic appeal is Etherpad. Etherpad is a tool that allows the students to collaborate on their writing. Students post their writing and then others can help them edit their papers. Students can then return the favor. They may edit others' writing as well. This tool also provides the opportunity for students to write more and to encourage dialogue among peers. A bonus to Etherpad is it is free.
Another social media tool is Google Docs. Google Docs is free and offers the opportunity to again collaborate with peers on different assignments. These assignments range from written papers to spreadsheets and more. Beth Ritter-Guth, a teacher in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, said about Google Docs that it “allows the students to work together around their busy schedules. I love that there are a variety of output formats, as well, so accessibility is not an issue.” Accessibility not being an issue is one of the best components of social media. When students can access the information and work on it collaboratively, engagement is increased and learning can take place.
Finally social media provides the opportunity to begin developing skills that students need in the real world. According to an article entitled “7 Reasons to Leverage Social Networking Tools in the Classroom”, having students employ social media is important because the business world is embracing social media more each year. New jobs are being created because of social media. As one of the goals of schools is to prepare the students for the real world, utilizing social media in the classroom is an important part of the curriculum. This is a definite engage quality for the students. Graduation for some cannot come fast enough, but as educators we need to equip them for that day well.
Social media does engage students. Utilizing social media in the classroom will be a necessity in the next several years to prepare students for the real world.
Key words: social media, Google Docs, Etherpad
I used Google Docs in a class two years ago, and it worked well. The premise: We--in an online class--were interviewing one another. One person would write up questions, the other would answer, all on one document. It was quick, easy, and successful. Etherpad sounds interesting (like something I could implement in my classroom). My fear is if other students are editing students' writing, is it really theirs anymore. Like, if Student A writes report Y and Student B edits it, are these edits automatically apart of report Y or are they optional? I would love to know more; thanks for the information.
ReplyDeleteI will admit that I am very impressed by the theme that you carried through your blog in regards to web 2.0 technology and education. There is some very valuable information in these posts. Keep up the good work on staying on top of the new technology that is available to teachers. Great work this semester!
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