Had a great discussion with the inquiry group today. We decided to continue the divide and conquer approach, each checking out one of the resources we’d previously located then reporting back to the group. On the “pros” side of using social media in the classroom, we talked about how it gives students the opportunity to share their learning with a wider community. We also saw an example of study done with Twitter where the researchers found its use for educational purposes led to a measurable increase in student engagement as well as GPA. Social media allows classroom discussions to go beyond the time and space allowed in the school day and provides students a safe way to interact with their ideas, each other, and their instructor. On the “cons” side, we spent some time talking about face-to-face communication and that we notice, as time online increases, our students are becoming less comfortable with social interactions in person.<\/p>\n
This tied in well with the whole class discussion on linguistic cognitive domains and structural coupling. I liked the idea that we require connection with other living entities and our environments in order to survive. The idea that words are powerful is not a foreign concept, but for some reason I haven’t made an effort to use words more appropriately to create a positive environment in my school. If we, as educators, need more practice in effective social communication, imagine how much our students could benefit from the same. It’s interesting that in searching for how to introduce social skills to students, the majority of the articles<\/a> involve LD students or those with specific disorders. I don’t think the struggle with social connections is limited to this group of students (or to students at all).<\/p>\n If you have time, check out this TED talk on the adolescent brain, in particular how young people form social connections:<\/p>\n