Is there a place for Social Networking in the classroom?

Although there is so much happening in the world of technology and education I sometimes find myself challenged on what to write about. Recently I’ve become somewhat addicted to Facebook and, as I was thinking about what to write for this edition of the newsletter, I was also clicking back and forth between my Facebook page, viewing Facebook emails, and then handling a Facebook chat with a student in Algeria. I was also noting that I had “98″ friends and had not yet reached “100.” So I obsessed about how to get two more friends. As this was happening, Leigh Wolf, our MAET program coordinator, came by my office and we chatted about Facebook, my writer’s block, and the idea that this article could focus on the educational applications of Facebook.

I did a quick online search through ISTE for articles on the educational uses of social networks and found resources on Web 2.0 technologies including blogs, wikis, etc. But I found little on the uses of Facebook, MySpace, or the other mainstream social networking programs. Then the thought crossed my mind, “hey, aren’t we using a blog for this newsletter??” Can’t we then ask our readers for their input on the use of programs such as Facebook and MySpace? The answer is “of course we can!”

As my conversation continued here in the College of Education on this topic I learned that Punya Mishra, associate professor and director of the Master’s in Educational Technology program, used Facebook during the summer MAET program. His graduate assistant, Michael Deschryver, said the following about the experience,

This was a hybrid sequence of courses, with two weeks of face-to-face classes, and then a month online. Students started using Facebook on their own during the face-to-face classes for social purposes, and we then decided to use it for all of the course interactions during the month online. This was very successful, and the students provided us with positive feedback about using Facebook for the course purposes. In addition, since we were “friended” by all of these students, we continue to see social, academic, and professional interactions among them after the completion of the summer courses, evidencing the potential for Facebook not only to extend learning beyond the classroom, but the semester constraints, as well.

In addition, Leigh pointed out that MAET students in the recent Plymouth, England graduating cohort did a video on the “Ten Educational Applications on Facebook.” The students, Fatina Al-Ahmad, Scott Christian and Suhasini Iyengar talk about using applications in Facebook for language, math, the environment, vocabulary, etc. You can see the great job they did by watching the video below.

Lastly, I use Facebook to talk with colleagues and connect with past students globally. This provides me with opportunities for conversations and perspectives I might not otherwise have. But can this be used effectively in the K-12 classroom? My Facebook probably looks quite different than a 14 or 15 year olds Facebook. How do we know they’ve accessed appropriate and approved content? What effect does the advertising have?

Many, many questions with very few answers. Your task is now to educate, inform, and enlighten our readers with your comments, your points and counterpoints, and examples of how you may be using social networks in your classrooms or in an educational environment.

Please take a few minutes to participate in the following poll on whether you agree with the use of social networking applications in the K-12 classroom. Then be sure to add your comments to this article by clicking on the Comment link at the bottom of this posting. Please feel free to speak your mind and/or share your examples. In the next issue I’ll provide you with the results of this survey and we can continue our conversation on this important topic.

PS: Feel free to add me to your Facebook ;-)

Best Regards,

Joe Codde
Professor and Director
Educational Technology Certificate Program