About 25 years ago I was working in a church library in
Tokyo. Each Sunday morning after the
worship service, the library was the place to be—social networking at its
best. Individuals from many different
nationalities (over 40 were represented in the church’s membership) were
talking and building relationships. From
corporate executives to English teachers and entertainers to nannies, people
were connecting.
Today social networking usually refers to online communities
and groups connected by a website. The
list of available networks is almost endless and continues to grow. Most of the networks are designed for members
to connect and communicate through messaging, announcements or blogs. Could there be a place for these sites in a
school setting?
Educators are finding creative ways to incorporate social
networking into their classrooms. One
teacher I have worked with created a Facebook group for her class. She posted assignments, due dates, class
notes, study guides and other information to assist her students and notify
parents. In many parent conferences,
parents admitted they had not checked for email messages we had sent but they
had checked the Facebook page! This
social networking site was very effective for communicating with parents. Facebook has also been used successfully in
schools by clubs, sports teams and other organizations. These groups use the network to notify
members of upcoming events or practice changes or just to keep members
connected.
I have recently experienced a few other social networking
sites through some of my courses. Diigo (www.diigo.com) is a great professional
networking site for sharing information.
With the Diigo toolbar, users can easily bookmark websites, highlight
information, and add tags and sticky notes to pages. They can create groups for sharing
information and comments between members.
Bookmarked pages can be emailed to anyone or to everyone in a
group. Media specialists can set up
groups for each grade and/or content area for sharing information. Teachers can send or post links for students
to access sites with the highlights and sticky notes visible. Sticky notes allow users to comment on
others’ notes. Students can also use
this collaborative site for group projects.
LibraryThing (www.librarything.com)
is another networking site for connecting readers. Members create their profile and add books to
their libraries, which can be shared with other members. Tags, stars, comments and reviews can be attached
to each book. Members can connect with
other members who share similar libraries.
Recommendations for other books are provided based on the books in one’s
library. Many of my recommendations are
books I want to read or have read and have not yet added to my library. LibraryThing’s widget can be inserted into a
media specialist’s blog or media center website for a direct link to a member’s
library, enabling students to connect with the librarian and comment on books. Through the Early Reviewers program, members can
sign up for new books in exchange for writing reviews. I have just received a not-yet-published book
to read and review through this program.
Some social networking sites are designed to link adults
professionally, such as LinkedIn. TeacherLibrarianNing
(http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com/)
is a network specifically for media specialists and other educators. Groups, blogs and chats provide opportunities
for connecting. Members share
professional tips, news feeds, videos, events and more.
Aspects of social
networking may soon be available through the media center’s online
catalog. Destiny, which is used by many
Georgia media centers, has already begun to incorporate many features, such as
starring and reviewing books. I have
seen quite an interest in the online catalog in an elementary media center,
where I am temporarily working. As
students have requested certain books, I have introduced them to the online
catalog. Most were not aware of its
existence, but word has gotten around.
Students are coming in and asking how to look up books on the computer. Some first and second graders have been the biggest
users, even though I’ve had to help them spell “Sponge Bob” or “president.” Compared to online booksellers, our catalogs
are rather boring, but these students have loved being able to look up and find
a book. If they could also comment on
and review the books they read, such as with Destiny’s new features, I think
they would have a genuine interest in reading books. This motivation would be much better than AR
points! I would welcome the opportunity
for young students to record audio or video reviews of books. Older students would find a new way to
connect to the media center.
As online social networks continue to expand and develop, the
educational opportunities they provide will also increase. Keeping the 21st Century learner
engaged is challenging enough, and social networking may be part of the
solution to making that connection.
References
Fiehn, B. (2008, September 1). Social networking and your library OPAC! Internet
@ Schools. Retrieved from http://www.mmischools.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=59618
Mathews, B. S. (2007). Online social networking. In Courtney, N. (Ed.), Library 2.0 and beyond
(pp. 75-89). Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited
I was unaware of some of your examples of different types of social media. Diingo and TeacherLibrarianNing are new sites I had never heard of before. Social Networking is great on the professional level. As a media specialist, you are usually the only one in your school. Social media can be a great resource if you have questions or need professional advice.
ReplyDeleteI would caution using Facebook in the classroom. I am not friends with any parent or student on Facebook. I see it as too risky. You never know what someone else might post about you. I think there are many other great social media tools that can be used to communicate with students and parents.
I do like LibraryThing. I have used it before and I think it is a good tool to use as a media specialist. The reviews are useful and you can see related books that are not "computer generated". Yes, technically they are but they were suggested based off of other people liking the same book not off of key words or author.
I like your idea about AR points. If a student could record/write a review and receive points, I think it would be a bigger motivator than AR points.
Susan,
ReplyDeleteI like that your post mainly steered away from the social networking sites that are most familiar - FaceBook, mySpace, etc. Your post shows that in addition to the chat type networking sites, many other options are available. I have seen LibraryThing, but your other site mentioned, Diigo sounds like a great site and I plan on visiting it as soon as I'm done typing! The idea of sharing appropriate career material, like TeacherLibrarianNing shares, instead of somewhat useless chatter (what I consider most of FaceBook material) is another important aspect of networking sites. Thanks for bringing this to our attention and reminding us that there is much more to social networking than what first comes to mind. THANKS!
While I personally use Social Networking more than should - I find that what I think is 20 minutes on Facebook is more like an hour, I haven't experienced it as the parent of a student using it for educational purposes. I think the most powerful thing you shared was the example of a teacher using Facebook as a medium to communicate with students about assignments and to update parents. I think this is a great example of how to positively use Social Networking in a school setting, and causes me to reconsider my apprehension about Social Networking in an elementary school level.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am still a believer in requiring students to take at least one lesson on internet safety prior to using Social Networking in a classroom setting, your blog made me consider that when you allow parental access; many children will self monitor their behavior, or their parents will monitor it, which reduces the overall safety risk.
Thanks for example - caused me to stop think!
Susan,
ReplyDeleteI liked the point you make about social networking being a tool to energize a love of reading by allowing students to post reviews and comments about what they're reading. It's very important to get them thinking more about actually reading for content rather than reading for AR points. I know that I've read blogs and journal articles that indicate young readers are looking for the enjoyment of reading and quickly become disenchanted because there's a point value attached. Having the ability to participate in social circles to discuss books is a great way for students to learn about the perspectives and experiences that others have with the same book they're reading. It opens possibilities for teaching about collaboration, carrying out mature discussions, and learning on a level that cannot fully be achieved through mere classroom activities. All sharing is voluntary. That's the beauty of it.
Very informative post. I had not heard of Diigo. After visiting their website and looking at the information video I found it to be similar to Delicious. I found out about Delicious last semester and how easy it was to save websites searches and being able to access them anywhere. While looking over Diigo's site I even saw a link to FAQ's for transitioning from Delicious to Diigo, great to have for someone comparing the two powerful sites. You also mention professional social networking website Linkedin. I use that daily along with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to promote my business and stay abreast of technology changes through groups I've joined. Social networking through the Internet is indeed here to stay.
ReplyDelete