Assignment:
Part 1
I do not believe that Facebook or social media that allows you to capture everyday life be allowed in the classroom setting. Social media has become more than I believe what it was intended to be, a way to connect and keep up with friends and family has turned into a comparison and constant battle of trying to impress others. I do have facebook but not the other social media outlets, I find them too hard to use. It is a very personal tool that shouldnt be brought into the classroom because of the content and it doesn't really offer any educational pros. I keep in contact with my family and friends from high school and college mainly, but it seems it is always has a political agenda or constant comparison.
It also becomes so much of a norm that you are using it for everything to include believing everything you see on those social media outlets. I'm older than my husband and it's like the phone sometimes is glued to his hand. I can put it down and not worry about it and I hate bringing it to bed. I'd rather leave it in the kitchen and go to bed peacefully. I do find it useful for contact with friends and to see how they are doing.
I do not think there are any benefits to social media being in the classroom for either work or communication. Unless it is tied into the assignment. I do not see any value to be gained from social networking because of the use of communicating is not for educational purpose. That is why they have LinkedIn or other uses for communication via educational purposes. If anything it could cause a biased and unprofessional take on education.
Part 2
Discuss whether or not you think these online social network environments are an appropriate tool to integrate into the online classroom. Are there benefits to using these social networks for course work and/or communication? What is your experience with social networking?
I think online social network environment can be used appropriately in an online classroom.
The use of social networking has become a huge influence on student engagement and social interaction amongst teacher and students. According to the article "Social Media in Higher Education," one of the main points stated in this article was that "social media seeks to help improve the student experience and can promote positive interactions amongst the member of different backgrounds as well produces a more cohesive learning environment" (Rowan-Kenyon et al, 2016). In the initial question, it referred to social networking environments like social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. However, I would consider Class emails, discussion board, and other spaces to post course materials as social network environments. The benefits of these social networks are to enhance the instructor and students' level of productivity and increase the amount of communication within the learning community.
Throughout my undergraduate years, many of my largely populated courses had some type of social networking interaction tagged along. For example, I took an online course called Nutrition 118. Students, as well as the instructor, joined together to create a facebook group page so that she (the professor) was able to connect and make herself more accessible for her students who can't make it to her office hours. Also, this group was helpful for students because we had the opportunity to converse with one another about different topics throughout the class and offer feedback and support to each other.
References:
Nilson, L. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors (3rd ed.).
Rowan-Kenyon, Heather T.; Martínez Alemán, Ana M., Gin, Kevin; Blakeley, Bryan; Gismondi, Adam; Lewis, Jonathan; McCready, Adam; Zepp, Daniel; Knight, Sarah. (2016). Social Media In Higher Education. ASHE Higher Education Report. Vol. 42 Issue 5, p7-128. 128p.