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.