Interviews with students

Three current high school students were asked the following five
questions:


Student one is a male sophomore in high school, student two is a
female junior in high school, and student three is a female and also a sophomore
in high school.
1.Would you enjoy using a social networking site in the classroom for participating in online discussions? Student one and three both responded with an interest in participating in an online discussion while student two would only be interested if she found the topic interesting.

2. Do you think facebook can be effectively used in the classroom? Would you like having a class page on facebook where you can reach your teacher and communicate with other students? All the students believe that facebook could be used effectively and student two responded, “By being used in the classroom it may make facebook viewed as a more educated website rather than a social network.” They all also believed it would be a good use of communication between the students and teachers as well.

3. If you were asked to participate in an online class discussion, would you answer questions or participate differently than a discussion IN class. Would you feel more comfortable talking to other students through the internet than having to speak in class? Student two and three said they would be more comfortable participating in an online discussion rather than an in class one. While student one said he believed he would respond in the same manner.

4. Do you believe high school students would participate APPROPRIATELY in online discussions? Why or why not? All students believed that there could potentially be a few students who misbehave in an online discussion, but the majority would behave appropriately. Student three stated that “if a student misbehaved in an online discussion, they would probably act the same in class.”

5. Finally, if you were to participate in an online discussion using facebook or other social networking sites, would you answer in a less reserved way then a classroom discussion? In other words, would you say things in an online discussion that maybe you wouldn’t say in the classroom? The three students all believed they would respond differently in an online discussion. Student one and three both mentioned time and how more time would be allowed to respond while student two mentioned it would be nice because she could press the backspace button if she messed up.

Although the interviews had mixed results, it is clear to see that some students would benefit from having online discussions. However, as with any teaching strategy is important to keep in mind that all students are different and not all will benefit from having discussions online. I believe for that reason, online discussions should be used in moderation to allow students who are introverted to discuss without pressure of speaking in front of a classroom. Social networking sites are a great way to have online discussions because it builds on the students’ interest of communicating through the internet. The problem is finding a school district that allows access to the use of popular social networking sites, but there are alternatives. Tim Childers brings up a great alternative, Edmodo and explains “Edmodo is a free social networking site geared toward education.” Looking into Edmodo, one can either sign up as a teacher or student. The teachers page allows education tools like grading and can easily monitor what students are posting. It is a great site that allows security however a teacher would still need to monitor conversations very carefully.

References:

Childers, Tim. "From Social Networking to Academic Networking to a Paradigm Shift." Internet @ schools 18.3 (2011):8. This author explores the benefits of using social networking sites.

www.facebook.com

www.edmodo.com

Week Three

I was most interested in the topic of E-zines. Before the discussions, I had no idea what an E-zine was. After reading the article, I got the sense that E-zines are continuously updated as well as fan based. I find this to be a very progressive outlet. I wanted to look up an example of what an E-zine website would be and came across this site, http://ezinearticleshq.com/. After, I now have a better idea that E-zines are not only fan based, but fans can respond to the text easier than print magazines. Brian O brought up a great point that I failed to miss when reading the article on about E-zines. He mentioned that the article was from 1999. Now, when articles are written about technology, they become outdated extremely fast. I believe these is the reason I was confused about what an E-zine actually is. This article focused on E-zines being fan based. However now the internet has expanded almost infinitely and so too has the definition of an E-zine.

For my research project I am interested in using SNS effectively in  a high setting as a motivator  for students to engage in discussions. Jennifer W brought up a great question, “Do online classes protect against discrimination?” I found this idea of a computer screen acting as a comfort barrier interesting. I believe that online classes are successful because students engage in it more freely. According to the journal article, The Impact of Online Discussion on Face-to-Face Discussion and Academic Achievement,  “The results showed that the online intervention increased students' rate of participation and comfort level in Face-to-face discussions.” As a future teacher, this excites me because at a high school level many students are not comfortable or confident enough to engage in classroom discussions. This results in a discussion that is not thorough or meaningful. Online discussions break barriers and would lead to more in depth discussions between students and would promote lasting education. This is something every teacher strives for.

Yu, Serena W. "THE IMPACT OF ONLINE DISCUSSION ON FACE-TO-FACE DISCUSSION AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT." American secondary education 37.2 (2009):4.

Speed dating?

There is no doubt that we live in an increasingly fast paced world. I believe that there is more emphasis on people furthering their career and as a result, less on being in a relationship. I believe that online dating sites are so appealing to people now is because it allows people to meet and form a connection without really requiring a lot of time commitment. However there are a lot of setbacks with online dating sites. The most interesting problem I learning about was the hyperpersonal effect defined by the ABC article, Does Online Dating Work? as “a tendency to idealize people based on the bits and pieces of information they share.”  I believe this is a major problem with my generation. I have personally known people who have met someone online only to be disappointed when they actually meet in person.

After reading a post by Emily H in the class stating that the reason younger people don’t use online dating sites anymore is probably because we have more means of meeting people. Emily H states “We still have lots of different ways to meet people, in classes, out on the weekends, clubs and RSO's, and even after college while we are starting our new careers.” Meeting people in these times of situations would eliminate the hyperpersonal effect so I started thinking of other ways to eliminate this effect. I looked up common ways of meeting people and came across a site that suggested speed dating (http://www.ehow.com/info_8246995_other-people-besides-online-dating.html) as an option.

I believe that speed dating is a great alternative to online dating. It still requires little time for those of us who are busy with work, school, ect. However, speed dating eliminates the hyperpersonal effect since two people meet right away and false expectations decrease and there can be no idealization one what a person looks like. I am a big believer in personal chemistry and the only way to see if there is any connection between two people is to meet in person. Speed dating allows this without allowing an individual to falsely fantasize about someone. I posted a discussion on speed dating to see what other classmates thought about it. Anthony M brought up a good point and stated that speed dating may have some issues because there is such short time (or window) to actually connect with a person. A few other classmates also brought up a good point that speed dating is based a lot on physical appearance and therefore is not an effective means of meeting people. I believe though that physical appearance is important in a relationship and it is better to find out if one is attracted to a person at the very beginning rather than forming a relationship online and being disappointed when they meet. If I had to use any dating venue (online or not) I would be most comfortable with speed dating.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/online-dating-work/story?id=12896317

http://www.internet-romance.org/research/thesis/the-hyperpersonal-effects-of-computer-mediated-communication

Using SNS in the classroom

As a Chemistry Education major, I am always interested in how I can use technology in the classroom. It is important to keep in mind that the use of technology should not only be used to enhance a lesson but also as a way to capture and engage students. Even though I fairly comfortable and know about a lot of social networking sites (SNS), I have never given using them in classroom any thought. Reading the articles assigned this week, I was able to look more into the idea of effectively using SNS in the classroom.

According to the article, Benefits of Facebook Friends, using SNS increases social capital. High social capital can lead to many positive social outcomes. As a future high school teacher, I know that teaching lasting social skills is just as important as teaching the actual content. For this reason, after learning about all the benefits of using SNS, I can see how useful it can be using these is the classroom. However, it is also important to remember that high school students may not have the maturity to handle SNS in a school environment. I believe that if I were to use a SNS like Facebook, students would be comfortable using it and good discussions would also likely take place. On the other hand, the SNS would have to monitored on a constant basis to make sure the discussions continued to appropriate. Overall, however, I believe that SNS would be a great way to engage students in a more unconventional way.  It would also be a good way to make sure that what is being taught is being taught in a way that is keeping up with technological advances.

Chances are though that the school administration is not going to be on board with using a site like Facebook since most schools still have this site blocked. For this reason, I wanted to look into another way of tapping into the student’s interest in Facebook. I came across what is called “Fakebook.” It is a site that has been made for educational purposes. Facebook profiles are created for various historical figures. They write statuses about what was happening around the time they were alive, or any major contribution they made. They are also “friends” with other historical figures at the time and they have conversations with each other. I found this extremely interesting because it is a different way of teaching historical events in a fun, humorous way and a way that high school students would enjoy.

I believe it is extremely important to teach in ways that students will have an incentive to engage in learning. I am constantly looking up ways to use technology in a fun way. After learning about SNS, I believe they can be effective in the classroom.