Journal #3

Kessler, S. (2010, September 29). The Case For Social Media in Schools. Retrieved October 18, 2015, from http://mashable.com/2010/09/29/social-media-in-school

I'll be honest — I read both articles. I wasn't sure which one would resonate with me more and let's say that Kessler's article was one I agreed on much more than Dr. Norm Friesen's article. 

Kessler talks about how social media is a big part of kid's lives and it's going to continue to get bigger. This article was written five years ago and in just that small period of time, the "net" has grown exponentially. She talks about how when students are engaged online, they are learning better and they are enjoying it. Students who did homework for no credit, but just the pure enjoyment of learning used to be made fun of when I was in school for being a "nerd" or a "geek." But now that the platform is one they are familiar with and having fun whilst learning? This is something all kids won't mind too much doing.

As someone who is involved deeply (too deeply) in the One Direction online community, I can see how using social media is a very effective way to connect with others and sharpen a skill set. Maybe students are learning the basic facts that are taught in school about the presidents or biology, but I see so many people willing to share stories, artwork, and various other creative pieces online and receive feedback from it that helps inspire them to follow a passion. Students are able to learn from other's, whether it's those in their classroom or someone 15,000 miles away in another country, and be exposed to all sorts of cultures. And this is exactly what Kessler mentions in her article about social media being a collaborative entity. I have heard so many stories of people making great friends because they were able to bond over a shared interest over the Internet.

However, this does bring up the topic about online safety that Kessler talks about. Using sites such as Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook should be done carefully. Kessler mentions that there are platforms like Edmodo and KidBlog specifically designed for school related social media learning. Depending on the grade level, I do feel like it would be vital that a teacher does stick with this confined social media platforms. The Internet is a big place and while parents should be careful of what their kid's do online, kid's are getting smarter and smarter and many of them know how to turn of the parental controls.

Kessler mentions one teacher that uses cellphones to text students that are often late and while I understand the thought behind this, personally, I think this is a red flag. Such direct communication through a non-educational device seems wrong. Perhaps I'm a bit old-school, but something about this just rubs me the wrong way. A student may be late all the time due to their parent's inability to take them to school and the student can't help it; by texting them, it could create anxiety and unwillingness to talk to the professor about issues. Maybe I'm exaggerating or thinking too much about it, but perhaps there's an alternative to this teacher's method.

Q. 1 | Would using social media as a platform for learning in a classroom help increase participation, especially those students who may have social anxiety or be more introverted?

Yes; I wholeheartedly believe online discussions can help those who are not as vocal in the classroom as their classmates. As someone who is on the shyer side, I have found it much easier to express myself via written word than spoken word. Introverted students could write out and proofread their comments in a discussion to make sure their point is being expressed correctly. I think this should also then be taken into account towards the normal "participation" credit for a class. Raising your hand in class can be intimidating and even if you know the answer, you may not want to do it; therefore, you get docked the points because of your personality. By having online discussions, the stress of losing points could then go down.

Q. 2 | What is a good alternative to a teacher texting a student who is chronically late? 

I think one good alternative (yet pricey) would be to have school issued phone for students that could only allow students/teachers to send limit messages back and forth. This isn't realistic, of course though. Another could be to create or find an app for phones that would act like a social media environment between teacher and student. It could be something that would not allow images to be sent (for safety reasons) and maybe a time limit option. It could be something where maybe the teacher enters the absences/tardies in the app and the student receives a push notification once they have a certain number. Perhaps if it escalated too far, the parents would then be notified to make sure the student isn't skipping class. Granted, the parents would need to be involved in any of these options to make sure the privacy and safety of their child is kept.