Entry #2: Social Networking

Social networking such as Facebook and Twitter provide people with a vehicle for sharing ideas, experiences,and information free of charge. These networking sites have become the "new era" of communication for all who have access to them. Almost everywhere I turn, people of all ages (respectfully) log-on to a social network to chat with someone, to make a comment on an event or status, or to simply stay current on the latest news! What a phenomenon!

As a teacher I firmly believe that incorporating my students' interests within my lesson plans will promote success for students. Ex. Last school year one of my students loved automobiles and wanted to become a mechanic. I incorporated this interest toward our significant writing tasks: "Scaffolding a Composition", I permitted the student to create a step by step manual for performing an oil change. Utilizing social networking as an educational classroom tool is accomplishing the same goal and should definitely be a consideration across this country. "I believe that we must meet students “where they are” along a developmental continuum whether that be in the real world or through social media. Indeed, we have research evidence to show that there is a positive relationship between student engagement in social media like Facebook and student engagement and success in the classroom and beyond. Social media provide us the unique opportunity to extend engagement beyond the classroom using technology relevant to many of today’s students." (Junco 2011)

In order for me to fully utilize social networks in my classroom, I would need to have students obtain parental and administrative consent. I would also need to find out who has access to a computer at home or has a cell phone with internet access! In the event of someone not have either of the two, I would make alternative arrangements.

I consider Facebook to be one of the social networks that is at the top of my list. Currently all of my students have a Facebook account and I would be able to create a separate Facebook account for educational purposes only (I would not permit my personal contacts to have access to my students)! Now that I have learned how to successfully post informational links, video, etc. I see this network as information USA for my students for theme-centered units for  Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. For ex. I could post the link about the student suspended after Facebook comment and have my students use the video content and personal experiences to express their point of view of the matter.
This topic would be essential for an introductory discussion regarding appropriate social networking behavior  while reinforcing their persuasive craft.

In addition to or an alternative to Facebook (depending on parental consent), I would consider using Blogger (which we are currently utilizing) and Delicious. Delicious is a social network (and can serve as a social bookmark) that is available to everyone. It allows you to organize, save, and share your favorite links of a particular topic on the web. In Social Studies, my students are currently learning about the Middle East, its physical features, past and present civilizations . I can easily organize everything they need to via internet (Google map for location, video clips of people, desert lands, government and irrigation systems) and store the information in one place for them to utilize in class and at home.

Educators Connect is a social network for teachers only. This network allows teachers to collaborate for educational purposes. Teachers provide instructional suggestions, lesson plans, supplemental ideas, and behavioral strategies. Collaborating with other educators is essential in this profession. Teachers learn so much from each other when sharing instructional successes and failures. Collaboration can aide in teachers preservation and prevent early teacher burnout! I am creating an account this weekend!


A teacher's professional and personal online presence should mirror one another. People have this strange notion that clicking "private" or "friends only" will protect their comments but they are incorrect! Anything that is shared/posted online is sent directly into cyberspace and you can not take it back! For years I watched the news or read the newspapers about various professionals being terminated over comments made on social networks and was deterred from creating a social account. After long considerations, I realized that the social networks were not the problem, the users  created their own issues. I now own several social account and enjoy them as much as my students. My friends or followers are from various walks of life (pastor, former supervisor, current colleagues, family, and friends) . With that said, I do not participate in negative conversation and I always use grammatically correct sentence structure. Some may choose to have two different accounts: one for professional and the other for personal but BEWARE!  I mention this to say...whether you are posting a comment for a family member or a friend, pretend that your supervisor or the future employer will read your status! Rule of thumb: IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING POSITIVE TO SAY...DO NOT SAY ANYTHING! Here is an example of what NOT to do! Teacher loses her job over Facebook comment

Peace and Love~L'Tanya