Assignment 9 Feedback on Chapters 5 and 6 

"The Socially Networked Classroom"

Chapter 5 - "Venti": Social Networking in an Unlimited Tech Environment

          This chapter is “Venti” which is for those educators who are ready to learn about using social media in the classroom such as Facebook.  This chapter provides a mix of activities that can be done both during time at school and at home or other places such as the libraries, after-school clubs, film festivals, and home schools. "It has been educators who work with students in non-classroom settings such as libraries or after-school programs who seem to have much more freedom in using games and online social networking tools." (Kist 2010)

Kist, the author provides an example of how one teacher used social networking site as a platform for her students that were able to post podcasts and also blogs in which they were able to get feedback from experts in the field. The teacher was able to create a secure group where the students and experts in the field could view the content and interact with the students. The teacher used the content and feedback from the interactions with the experts to create discussion and used the issues discussed to provide exams to show level of achievement.

Another example the author provides information on hybrid courses in which students are able to work on course work on campus and at home to provide flexibility for the students in which they do not have to attend class every day. Wiki Role Play Assignment is another example where students are able to used blogs and wikis as a learning platform where they are able to learn and interact with other students at any given time. The last example Kist, provides is Computer Gaming Club in which it is a multiplayer online role game that provides interactions between players. The author uses this chapter to let the readers know that this could be the future of education for a mixed approach to face to face and online learning.

 Chapter 6 - "Refill": Continuing the Dialogue

    This chapter consists of four questions from Kist, that address the concerns that educators continue to face regarding the use and some negative perceptions of social networking in the classroom. 

Will social networking be used to free students or more tightly limit their freedoms? The author, provides feedback to the readers that “we must protect our kids and students from this mean world and also protect them from ourselves.” (Kist 2010). Kids around the world have access to the internet and all types of social networking that they could become attached to only access social networking. Students will need to be able to access social networking as well as other platforms to allow them their freedom when it comes using it in the classroom and not just limit the resources that they can use toward gaining knowledge and also providing them with a choice. Some educators will not be allowed to provide other social networking platforms as they are not allowed to use them in the classroom.

The second question Kist provides the reader is about entertainment and education. What is the relationship between entertainment and education? According to Kist, the relationship between entertainment and education is not seen as a negative one. According to Kist, "All this cyberspace activity is seen as too much fun for the kids with not enough 'rigor'." (Kist 2010). Today the perception is that kids are seen as using technology and social networking for fun, not some believe that it is not for educational purposes. It is good to use social networking in the classroom, but there is a possible price to pay. According to the author, the perception is that kids get, "caught up in the fun of the media and losing sight of whatever academic content is also involved." (Kist 2010). This is an advantage that the kids are having fun with what they are possibly learning from doing these fun activities.

Is there enough time in my schedule for social networking? According to Kist, "teachers tend to feel that they need to get students completely comfortable with whatever tool they're using before making an assignment." (Kist 2010). The author has interviewed many teachers who have found ways to integrate the new media and social networking into the classroom. One of the suggestions that a teacher gave during the interview is to briefly demonstrate the technology skill to the class and rely on other students who are more tech savvy to help with tutorials for the other students. The teacher also suggests to not spend too much time on teaching the latest technology skills as they tend to change overnight. Kids will learn more from watching a tutorial or video than listen to the teacher on how to create a blog. According to Kist, "if it's not true that all students are 'digital natives,' we need to make sure that, yes, all students are exposed to breadth of curriculum content, but they are also able to 'read' and 'write' about this content in all the forms that are now available to them." (Kist 2010).     

What should our schools aspire to? The answer to this question is it depends on the school, educators and students on the outcome and the usage of using social networking in the classroom and to have the choice to use it or not. There can be a school reform or not, it just depends. One of the teachers that were interviewed for this book discussed that the biggest obstacle was the filing cabinets that are in the classrooms with old lesson plans and ideas. The filing cabinets should not be in the classroom and start from scratch and try new tools and learning to do things differently than the old way of doing things in the classroom. Overall, there is no definite answer.   

Reference

Kist, W. (2010). The socially networked classroom: Teaching in the new media age. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.