Week 3 assignment 1 entailed selecting 2
social networking technologies and discuss why they were chosen and how will
they be incorporated into our professional practice.
As we know internet communications such as
blogs, podcast, tags, swapping of files offers our learners new ways on researching,
creating and learning. Social networking is a software that allows people
to come together around an idea or topic of interest. Smith (2007) suggest that
we no longer call it social networking, but academic networking.
Facebook (WWW.FACEBOOK.COM) has been growing
over the years and millions of people all over the world is using it. Many are using it frequently and comfortably
as a means of communication, keeping in touch with family, friends, colleagues,
etc. Using Facebook in teaching a second language will enhance the student
learning experience. It also creates for
learning environments that are independent and collaborative. Facebook
is free which is great. Technologies in
which Facebook can be used are desk top computers, laptops, smartphones and
tablets.
Second Life (WWW.SECONDLIFE.COM)
is a 3D world in
which one can see a real person and every place one visits is built by people like
ourselves. Second Life is an anxiety free, language
learning online language learning in which one has a character that can walk
around and meet people. Using Second Life with foreign language learners can
help increase their learning skills, helps with grammar and spelling as well as
increase the students’ conversational skills. It can be used both with adults
and children. Learning though Second
Life hopefully will help students as well as instructors further understand the
notion that intentional learning can happen outside of a classroom and outside
of traditional learning environments (Brown, 2008). Second Life can be used
with the following technologies connected to the internet - desktop or laptop
computers, smartphones and tablets, Second Life software, second life
character.
Both
Facebook and Second Life can be incorporated into my teaching because they are
free, they can be fun, they encourage students to share work socially, hold a
real life class (second life). Example
on my Friday class I can tell my student instead of lecture hall, we will meet
in Second life. Further instructions
will be sent to them by email. As for Facebook I would use it for class projects, for enhancing communication and for engaging my learners in ways that could not be done in a traditional class. Example using a series of games such as Farmville, Name Analyzer, and Fishville. All these games can will help the students develop their thinking skills.
The most important thing as a future educator
I first must be familiar with all aspects of using Facebook and Second Life before
using it within my class. Guidelines and
rules need to be established so that there will be no misunderstanding or
misuse of either one. .
Smith,
F. (2007). How to use Social-Networking Technology for Learning. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/how-use-social-networking-technology
Gracesinda,
ReplyDeleteThe social networking sites you selected, Facebook and Second Life, have a variety of uses for students and educators. I found the technology of Second Life to be an interesting way to help students learn a new language. Learning a new language for many students can be a challenging experience so having a resource like Second Life can make it easier to learn how to put sentences together.
Facebook has obviously been a leader in social networking sites for a long time, where students and teachers can communicate freely with others to get the information they need. As long as a student has access to the internet, then that student can experience learning using Facebook, as they collaborate with their peers. Educators can design their course accordingly with the use of Facebook. Also, playing learning games is a creative way, not to mention fun, to motivate student learning and evaluate what learning outcomes have been achieved.
Both of these social networking sites, when linked up to the right devices are instrumental in providing an enriching adult learning experience. And that is the advantage of using social networking; it allows learners to find alternatives or “think outside the box” to bring innovative education to learners. “Although collaborating with classmates through social media builds a system of relationships between students, it also provides instant pathways for disseminating and enhancing course-related knowledge outside the confines of the traditional classroom (Fewkes & McCabe, 2012; Hurt et al, 2012; Junco et al, 2011; Top, 2012). Lastly, I agree that for educators learning how to use social networking and educational technologies should be mandatory before requiring students to use them on their own.
Robin
References:
Fewkes, A. M., & McCabe, M. (2012). Facebook: Learning tool or distraction? Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 28(3), 92-98.
Hurt, N. E., Moss, G. S., Bradley, C. L., Larson, L. R., Lovelace, M. D., Prevost, L. B., … Camus, M. S. (2012). The ‘Facebook’ effect: College students’ perceptions of online discussions in the age of social networking. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 6(2), 1-24. Retrieved from http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/v6n2.html
Top, E. (2012). Blogging as a social medium in undergraduate courses: Sense of community best predictor of perceived learning. Internet and Higher Education, 15, 24-28. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.02.001
Robin,
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting on my blog. You made a great point of stating that one of the advantage of using social networking; allows learners to find alternatives or “think outside the box” to bring innovative education to learners. Thinking outside the box allow students to own the problem, think of new ways of doing things. That may even entail using social media site or social learning networks and understanding new technologies. Learning a new language is thinking outside the box for many adults, they are going outside their comfort zone.
Thanks again for reading my blog,
Gracesinda