In 300-500 words…ready…set…go!
1. What group did you join in Diigo and why?
The first time we were required to explore Diigo, I searched for groups related to math education. This time, I chose to join Educational Mashups, as this is what we are focusing on for our group projects.
2. What is the appeal for the young and old to network in online places like the ones you examined this week?
The appeal is simplicity for personal needs. According to the video, Social Media in Plain English, social media is by the people, for the people. From a single person to a huge corporation, the choice is yours. What are you choosing? As stated in the 2011 Horizon Report, you, as the learner, choose the tools and the pace to fit your needs. This choice also includes the people and connections you see in any social networking platform (Social Networking in Plain English).
3. If used in a classroom, how might networking websites positively and negatively affect teaching and learning?
A benefit is the ability to connect users, giving the ability to learn while doing. The ability to work with others at a distance as well as in person is important (Flat Connections Global Project). A disadvantage would be the overwhelming distraction of the amount of websites available, as well as for students to determine which are legitimate. The list of social networking sites on Wikipedia was overwhelming to me!
4. In what kind of site might you tend to spend most of your time networking and for what purpose?
I think many of us share a commonality in the loss of time we experience in Facebook. It’s mindless. It passes time. It allows for connections with friends and family without the boundaries of time. Plus, it’s fun. I love looking at the variety of pictures people post.
5. In what ways will this benefit you and what do you think might be the drawbacks?
I began using Facebook as a Personal Learning Environment (PLE) this semester. My Curriculum and Instruction cohort meets once every week, but the weather has not allowed us to maintain our schedule. We created a group on Facebook. There, we post important documents to review and critique. This has been very helpful to all of us, as we are all in the midst of writing curriculum for the first time. The drawback, as I mentioned above, is the complete loss of time I experience while scrolling through peoples posts and pictures.
Resources
Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., & Haywood, K. (2011). The 2011
Horizon Report. Austin Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Flat Connections Global Project. (n.d.). - Building bridges for the future through collaborative projects. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from http://flatconnectionsglobalproject.net/
List of social networking websites. (2014, February 13). Wikipedia. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites
Social Media in Plain English. (2008, May 28). YouTube. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE
Social Networking in Plain English. (2007, June 27). YouTube. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc
I think it’s really great that you were able to find a group on Diigo related to Mashups. I hope you will be able to utilize some of that information. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that the majority of people young and old that join social networking sites do so with the intention to simply socialize-fulfill personal needs. Since taking this class I have opened up more than I ever expected with trying new forms of networking and joining social groups. As I mentioned in my own blogs I always Googled everything I wanted to know and never really collaborated with people online. Honestly do not have the time. Now I am learning how I can incorporate these different forms of technology into the classroom. I do think without support from colleagues and a trial and error period (pilot class) incorporating social networking could be difficult in a traditional class because students are accustom to using it only for personal needs not really educational needs.
There were a lot of social networks on Wikipedia as you mentioned. I had to sort through the list and look at the specifics-location and who they were geared for to really figure out which ones I wanted to review. Overwhelming for me as well.