EDUCATORS!
Your students are not who you think they are.
Take a quick
inventory of the multiple accounts that you access through the internet. There
are social sites like Facebook that allow casual to intimate interaction with
friends and family. Twitter inspires activism and engagement with topics that
are important to you. Then there are professional network sites like LinkedIn
that keep you in contact with peers and mentors in your industry. With a probable
exception of the newest teachers, most educators can recall an adolescence free
from the intertwined web of online social networks. The person sitting in your
class reflects only one small sliver of the larger social environment where
they exist.
Erik Erikson defined eight stages of
psychosocial development. Adolescence falls into the fifth stage called Ego
Identity vs. Role Confusion. Erikson explains this transition as a major stage
of development. The adolescent will experiment and challenge values in the
pursuit of a sense of self and personal identity (McLeod, 2013).Read more:
(The National Center for Biotechnology
Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and
genomic information.)
The struggle is not one that should be feared
or avoided. The development of these identities is one that educators have a
responsibility in nurturing. A society without boundaries is developing online that
adolescents can claim as their own. They are creating meaningful connections
with greater diversity and acceptance than any previous generation. They are
developing compelling web content. Knowledge is vast and accessible online.
Finally, a world market, with new economical dynamics is emerging.
Read more:
Read more:
(Edudemic was created in 2010 and has grown
into one of the most popular destinations to cover teaching, learning, and how
technology positively shapes our education.)
Investment equals motivation. Students have
additional access to their teachers and fellow students through digital
applications. The nature of collaboration in social networks establishes a
stronger connection to education. The “go anywhere, be anywhere” function of
social media networks changes the dynamic of the traditional classroom. New experiences
with high-order cognitive learning can become the norm for students in
21st-century classrooms.
Read more:
Read more:
(Academia Apps provides resources to
educators to help them incorporate technology effectively in the classroom.)
Incorporating & accounting for Social
Media in Education | Harry Dyer | TEDxNorwichED
Social media has a very powerful role in our lives! Nearly everyone is somehow involved with some form of social media and that certainly has advantages and disadvantages. Though I see the advantages of using social media in education, I remain skeptical on the disadvantages. Teaching students safe use is very important and will protect from risks. The information you provide covers both advantages and disadvantages thoroughly!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sani. I agree that safe use is the most important part of the equation to make social media work in educational environments. It is also unfortunate that many schools withhold technology until later grades, long after the development of social and moral norms. Earlier introduction and positive modeling from teachers will go a long way to correct some of those disadvantages.
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