SNS…Educational, social, or both
I had no use for SNS’s like Facebook or Myspace until my fifth grade students started discussing their own pages. I also noticed my nieces and nephews wanting to get online more and myspace is where they were headed. It was then that I checked it out. On a good note I think SNS give students a forum to network with their peers and this gives them experience with using such technology. Many students though, unlike many teachers or adults in general, invite the opportunity to gain experience with new technology. So I don’t think gaining experience is an issue for kids. I also did not notice students networking with others to discuss educational topics. I think it was purely of a social nature. If we were to move their discussions to a blog or to a chat like one provided on Tapped In, then I can see the educational value to that kind of online discussion.
I’m sure we’ll talk about this more over the course of the semester but let’s not lose sight of the reality that eduation IS a social endeavor. One of the largest obstacles to online programs is that the net is perceived as being “isolating”
Sheah. Right.
I didn’t even know what MySpace was (I am still unfamiliar with FaceBook) until my children exposed me to it. I have a 23 year old daughter and a 16 year old son who both use Myspace to communicate with each other and their friends. My daughter is married and out on her own, but she and my son communicate daily through Myspace. I can see this SNS as being a good way for kids to socialize together. As our good teacher stated, education is a social endeavor. Perhaps there are uses for this type of SNS in the classroom.