I have really enjoyed social networking on a "social level" so far. I have been on Facebook for over a year and really have come to enjoy it. I have reconnected with old friends, connected with friends of friends with whom I have shared interests, and had a great time with friends sharing interesting, noteworthy, funny, and nostalgic things to me on the internet.
I can only imagine the role of Facebook or other social networks for my previous secondary students. When I was their teacher they emailed each other. Now they probably Facebook each other. I text, they text, I Facebook, they Facebook. I think one of the biggest differences between the my texting and Facebooking activities and those of high school students is the amount of time doing these things! That and the speed at which we can text!
My first problem with social networking first arose with crossing personal and professional lines on Facebook. I first used Facebook for personal networking. Then, a few co-workers invited me to be their friends. I felt uncomfortable, I ignored their requests, then I opened up an alternate account to be active on a social network professionally. I'd probably do the same as a teacher.
So much has changed in the 3 years since I have been a teacher, and that's not much time! I imagine that social networking plays such a strong role in the social lives of students, that I would need to harness the powers of the tools. I imagine a Spanish Club Facebook page and a Spanish club Twitter account. Maybe even accounts for Spanish class itself so my students could show off their new skills and have fun expressing what they are learning to parents, peers and their communities.
Professionally, social networks seem to be an extraordinarily powerful tool for teachers to collaborate, share ideas, and communicate in general. In less than one week of having a LinkedIn account, a Ning account, and a Twitter account, I have been in touch with other teachers about current topics. One thing that I don't miss about being a teacher is the isolation I experienced in the classroom sometimes. Social networking is a solution to this problem. I was the only foreign language instructor in the district. I had no team members or departmental colleagues to bounce ideas off of or to learn from. I literally had to come up with departmental meeting reports with myself as the only participant! If I were to be in the same isolated situation next time around I would reach out to other foreign language teachers on the web using social networking tools. My departmental meetings would certainly be more dynamic. I could benefit from this networking and thus my students would.
You touched on two topics that are very relevant to me; crossing the boundary between personal and professional lives and isolation in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI have had a very difficult time using Facebook because so many of my "hats" enter one arena. Maybe I am a different person depending on my role, but it is hard to share the same thoughts with both groups. My son has two accounts, one as a teacher and one for his friends.
Isolation, especially as a foreign language teacher, is hard to deal with. These communication technologies really make it easier to prevent this isolation.