Journal #7 (SEVEN): Beyond Social Networking: Building Toward Learning Communities

Reynard, Ruth (2009/07/15). Beyond social networking: Building toward learning communities. The Journal, Retrieved 08/01/2009, from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2009/07/15/Beyond-Social-Networking-Building-Toward-Learning-Communities.aspx?Page=1

Ruth Reynard presented some interesting information on how social networking tools and other web 2.0 applications can be incorporated into the classroom to help students develop some much needed technology skills while at the same time learning in a fun and exciting way. Kids already use social networking tools to communicate with each other so why not take advantage of the tools and apply them to teaching and learning. Social networking provides a great way to expand the teacher’s options to convey information and keep the learning process fresh. The author suggests that through the use of social networking and other web 2.0 tools kids can develop other skills such as collaboration and discussion. I don’t think that students can learn these skills solely from using web 2.0 tools but it surely can help. It should be said that the teacher is still the most important part of learning as teachers dictate how students learn and by what methods they transfer information to their students.

Is it to a teachers benefit to incorporate web 2.0 tools into the classroom?
Absolutely it is. I have no doubt that theses are great tools for teachers and every teacher should try to use these tools in their classroom. I am going to try these when I have my own classroom. Let’s face it; this new generation is more computer literate than ever before so they would feel comfortable in the virtual environment. I my opinion these tools can only make a teacher’s job easier.

Are there drawbacks to using these tools in the classroom?
Of course, there are drawbacks to everything. Social networking sites weren’t designed to be used for educational purposes. The issue for teachers is how they are going to use these tools solely for academic purposes. For example; if a teacher creates a blog for a class to use, the blog can be viewed by anyone and anyone can leave comments on the blog. This can lead to undesirable use of the blog in a way that is not conducive to learning. Teachers must be careful when implementing the tools in their classrooms.