After reading about all the tools available for participating in and creating social networks, I realize that I am living in a world where everyone around me is already or is becoming connected through social networks in some way or another. My own daughter has a Facebook account, and so does many of my students. Many of them are either using Twitter already or know people who use it. Almost all of them are also using Skype very regularly. I am not a part of any of these social networks at this point.
I plan to start by exploring and eventually using the social network tool to communicate more effectively as an educator. This includes connecting with my students and with my colleagues. The article "Social Network Goes to School" has been a relatively informative read for me. At my school, some of my colleagues are on Skype and Facebook. Some teachers here also use blogs/wikis for various courses and school activities. Most teachers and students who begin to use these social networks are continuing to do so. I believe that it is definitely a very powerful tool for teaching and learning.
As a teacher, I can use this to communicate with students, colleagues, and other math teachers around the world. Students can also use this to ask questions, comment, and/or communicate with other students in their class. It could be a huge time-saver and allow teachers to have a personal level of communication with students. Of course, along with this, we need to be cautious about cyber security.
I am looking forward to becoming more connected through social networks.
I am not a proponent of teachers friending their students. Creating a page for your class may be more appropriate. You can use this to post daily assignments and things going on in your classroom. You can block comments if students post inappropriate material. It is a great learning lesson too for students. What is proper to post and not.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you joining our world! I love Skype to talk to my students around the world.