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.
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.
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