Monday, March 26, 2012
Are Social Media websites really helpful in classroom instruction?
This question is brought up frequently in various content areas. While some people think it is a big distraction to students and has no positive benefits at all, others think its usage is beneficial and is a great way to incorporate something they enjoy into the curriculum. I personally feel that in my subject area of foreign language that it has its positive and negative attributes. It is positive in the sense that students are able to speak with people from countries with the target language in an easy and fun way. However, once students go of course and start talking to their friends, family etc. it gets to be very distracting. Because of this, it is important that teachers allot specific time periods for students to use sites such as facebook, myspace, etc. and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to in order to get the most out of this interesting learning experience.
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Since your content area is language, it may be beneficial to find specific social networking sites that can be used for language improvement. Sort of like a Facebook but is specifically meant for this. Or, even a Facebook page the student creates that is solely meant for the classroom use. I say both of these things just to get the student away from their personal accounts. Especially for language, I think social networking could be a really great tool and I don't think it should be something that's avoided entirely, but it should definitely be modified and heavily monitored.
ReplyDeleteDanielle I think that you bring up an interesting point with the use of social networking in the classroom. I believe that the incorporation of this type of media is very helpful to students. From a personal example, I learned a lot of technical and computer vocabulary when I switched my Facebook account into Italian. Often times the type of vocabulary that one would need to operate an Italian computer is not covered in enough depth in the classroom. Additionally, in my case I am fortunate enough to have family to which I speak Italian at home but all of them are older and do not use this type of vocabulary in daily speech. Furthermore, I like the point that Greg raises when he says that it would be worthwhile to locate a site that is foreign to students. That way they will be able to completely benefit from using a website in Italian and will not succumb to temptation. Moreover, students should be able to use the social networking at home as well in order to practice. Language acquisition does not happen overnight: the more practice students get the better, and I feel that social networking can provide this practice while ensuring that the students enjoy themselves.
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