One of my favorite website ideas. It's a little too neo-luddite for me in it's marketing, but I applaud the struggle to give power back to the people (even if they can't put the toothpaste back in the tube).
Given the harsh criticisms that social networks commonly face when it comes to their use by teenagers, I thought it would be useful to post this newspaper piece that presents the opposite argument: Social media might be usually considered to be just places of the lurking danger of real-life social isolation (among more gruesome dangers in this context), but they could also be seen as places where a teenager can be inventive, discover aptitudes and of course develop his/her social skills. Also, it discusses research which shows that teenagers are more often than not well aware of the dangers that lie behind the (ab)use of social media.
This was an interesting list that suggested social media tools to use as alternatives to those that dominate social interaction on the web. The idea behind the suggestions are that for many students Facebook and Twitter exist within a personal social sphere, and that offering a separate space for academic interaction can help preserve the distinction between the two. Tom addressed the benefits of that approach and reasons why it may be worth pursuing in his post this week in the Technology Tools class.
Survey finds faculty divided on social media in the classroom Do you friend your students on Facebook? Do you tweet, or use Twitter in the classroom? Do you network on LinkedIn, and participate in its groups? Does your college or university have a social media policy?
It shouldn't come as a surprise that social media has changed more than just how we pass the time, it has now infused itself into formal learning channels. Although adoption is slow (for instance, only 15% of teachers find value in Facebook, Wiki, and other social networks), time will only show that it will rise. I think that the integration of social media in higher education has its benefits and challenges... however I can say that undisputedly it is one of the better ways of increasing communication between academics and students.
Social Media | Feature There's an ongoing debate about the role social media should play in education. Advocates point out the benefits that social media provides for today's digital learners while critics call for regulation and for removing social media from classrooms. Finding a middle ground has become a challenge.
I think it depends on the course and the course learning objectives. Social networking may not be a tool that aids in encoding course content and thus, would be inappropriate to include.