Using Social Online Networks
Social media can be defined as websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. This leads onto social networking, the use of dedicated websites and applications to interact with other users, or to find people with similar interests to one's own. This helps me clarify, what social media I am using in my teaching. Am I just creating or sharing, or including the next step, where my students are interacting with others?
My students are using Seesaw where they upload work to share and get feedback from family and whānau. This is sharing, but it is usually a one way interaction. It cannot be classed as true networking. The children see other’s work and comment. All postings, including comments are moderated by me. We also use the BLOG component, but it is passworded and again, only accessible to family and not a global audience. The children do not have individual BLOG pages. It is primarily an e-portfolio, a showcase of the student’s work and a connection with the family. Seesaw has only been introduced schoolwide this year and we are still developing student and teacher skills to use if effectively.
Seesaw is a safe stepping stone to the wider world of social networking for younger students. The children can learn the skills of Internet safety, appropriate postings and privacy issues before I take them further. The next challenge for me is to connect to other Blogs, of which I have the URL addresses either within the school or Seesaw community. I can also remove the password to make it open access. As explained in Using Social Media In the Classroom, linking to global sites will help develop empathy for others and expose them to different world views. Sharing from Seesaw directly to a class twitter account will also be a new challenge. The rationale is that many of these sites are all connected, including Google Docs, Google+, and are all ways in which I can begin to develop the social networking gradually.
My students have just got their own gmail passwords and are on Google classrooms. They can now email and share work with their peers. In Establishing Safeguards, it stresses the importance of establishing a purpose for using social media. What are the benefits for my students? Part of the rationale has been to prepare the Year 4’s for a BYOD class next year, but there are many other factors. It is developing the 21st century learning skills where the students can work collaboratively, sharing their work and giving feedback. The students can work at home, anytime, anywhere. With this has come new responsibilities, understanding and following the school code of practice. My next challenge is to set up a Google+ class community where they can interact in a safe environment and I can monitor it.
Much of this is new learning and challenging for me. As stated in Connected Educators, we tell our students to be lifelong learners, we need to be that ourselves. However with social media, it is often the students teaching the teacher. I like the concept of Teachback, where one person (who may be a teacher, an expert, or another student) explains their knowledge of a topic to a learner. Then that learner attempts to explain, or teach back, what they have understood. This offers two benefits. It ensures understanding but also leads to further discussion where both parties become the learners. With technology moving and changing so fast, we can’t know it all!
I like the way you are scaffolding your students into social networking. It ensures they are aware of the importance of safety before they go out independently into the wider world. At a young age they are beginning to use social media at home such as the Roblox game which has a social media component. It is important to connect with parents and inform them as they can support and guide their child in managing what can be a 'minefield.'
ReplyDeleteThe Netsafe Guide For Schools, Digital Technology, Safe and Responsible Use in Schools, talks about how the learning environment transitions from being highly protective in the early Primary years to one that supports self managing learners. It does not advocate unnecessarily restricting digital technology but developing a managed approach that begins with the emphasis on 'protection', developing to 'guided 'and moving more into 'learned' where the students are more confident to manage risk. They also advocate developing communication channels with students, parents and whanau and decisions around online safety and digital citizenship. We were lucky to have John Parsons from Simulate 2 Educate speak to students, staff and parents about digital safety and consistent messages were given to all three groups. We want children to use it. It is a big part of their world. There are many benefits to their learning, but there are some challenges and potential risks. We want them to use it safely and by scaffolding in the early years gives them a good base to build on. We can't control what happens at home, but hopefully the students will transfer the messages and skills they learn at school.
ReplyDeleteHi Janet. I enjoyed reading your blog as it highlighted the significance of starting 'social networking' from an early age. 'Seesaw' is a great foundation for presenting work, ideas and getting feedback in a safe, closed environment; particularly significant for primary school students. As a parent of primary school children, it has been interesting seeing updates on my children's learning. However, it's another social network to get involved with.. we could be online all day! Your discussion on Teachback is an interesting one but as a History teacher I have some concerns. While exposure and discussion on a variety of areas is exciting, we still need to be mindful of the source; question and challenge its reliability. The "tsumnami" of social networking sites means we have to teach our students - regardless of age - the skills to be smart users. They need to consider their audience, critically analyse the information they find, carefully consider their responses etc. It's all 21st century skills in the making! Carmen
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly regarding the reliability and validity of sites. It is my term's topic, Believe It Or Not! That is just what we are investigating. There were crocodilians once in New Zealand! and the old favourite site - The Tree Octopus. It does need to begin at an early age - also acknowledging resources and plagiarism. If they want to be part of the digital world, they need to be aware of these things and follow the acceptable user guidelines.
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