It has increased the time laps between communication, allowing students to have several means of communication and assistance.
The social network can have pros and cons that go with it. Unfortunately, to those I have seen in the past, it has been used for cheating and that is the negative side to it. The positive side is that they can work together in their projects and accomplish a group work
James,
this is an excellent point & the emphasis needs to be on relevant parameters that may be set by your institution or may be reached through your own careful consideration.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Lance,
I would be careful in a sweeping generalization of "inappropriate" as this is a personal opinion & preference. If your institution does not allow this, clearly you should honor that request. Additionally, you may determine that it is best for you to refrain from that interaction, but others may very well reach a different conclusion & have equally valid points as to why they do connect with students via Facebook and LinkedIn. One of the goals we have is to develop our students to be critical thinkers & evaluate our own positions as well as others, we should be good examples of this.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
This is an intersting discussion. I have two children from the X gen and one from the Y gen. And they all are busy with social media in different ways. I being of the early Boomer gen have some difficulty with social media. I certainly believe social media should be part of the learning experience. But with relevent peramiters or it certainly could be difficult to control the learning experience.
Dr. Meers,
Having Facebook connections with students is inappropriate and not allowed where I work. LinkedIn connections are allowed, but I am hesitant. I tend to only connect with students that I would recommend to an employer, which would be my standout students.
Susan,
and this provides a great opportunity for us to teach our students appropriateness in regard to social networks.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Susan,
and this provides a great opportunity for us to teach our students appropriateness in regard to social networks.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Social Networks can be very distracting and obstructing to learning if not used within the responsible parameters intended.
It makes them more active and gives an opportunity to everybody to express their opinion.
It is a double-edged sword. It can be a distraction and a motivator. Obviously,if a student is on a social network in class, they are distracted and may miss something important. But it can also be a motivator. We often post pictures of our students succeeding on Facebook. It encourages others to do achieve like thier peers.
These practices distract students in the classroom. Best used outside class.
Frankly, I cannot believe that according to the "right" answers to one of the quiz questions, I should accept students as Facebook friends. This is explicitly against our school policy. Wow.
Many mostly younger students, as was presented in the course have no boundaries between life activities. I am wondering if I should do as one writer in this thread stated: I have to give students social breaks during class or they disengage. Do others see it this way. Need help.
We have a facebook account for the school but we are not allowed to access it because this would count as fraternization and is against our policy. We need to be careful which social media tools we bring into the classroom.
I have to agree,further more the sites they use for information are not reliable to reality,its amazeing what they will believe is real.the institution I instruct in has strict guidelines against any use in the classroom.when I catch students "useing"(yes it is a modern addiction)99% of the time they are playing a game,or texting.When those students do poorly on tests,or cant perform a task they blame thier lack of knowledge on the school and instructor.By the way,we should add that gen y is very critical of others and are very quick to give thier unproffessional feedback.they are not afraid of dammageing someones integrity in the persuit of the perfect grade.
I agree. It is hard to manage the classroom effectively if a student is on FB or other social media. The blurring of the lines of classroom material vs. personal use and interest is so hard to identify. Furthermore, while I haven't seen students specifically 'cheating' on material in class by use of FB or other social media, I wouldn't rule it out either. It is highly unknown and that is my concern as an instructor.
Social networking is an integral part of Gen Y. Connectivity is almost an extension of their being. Understanding of this concept will go along way in helping this generation learn better
If we are smart about it, social networks can be used to communicate with our students. Ideally we would be able to communicate deadlines for assignments and offer research examples such as websites. However, unfortunately, social networks tend to get in the of the student’s learning because they always want to be connected to their friends and family.
Social media is a tool Gen Yers are familiar with and know how to use. Instructors of Gen Yers need to develop activities or assignments that allow students to use and explore these social media outlets. By doing this you are demonstrating many different uses for social media and developing on the job applications in your students. One way I see myself using social media is to have students look up and research purveyors, and have them report about their findings.
How about when they discuss YOU! I found out that a bunch of dissident students had set up a Facebook page dissing me, and I had my Gen Y sons infiltrate it. They sent me screen shots, and I made sure that I made the perpetrators’ academic lives miserable after that! After all, I am only human, and let them have a taste of their own (perceived) medicine!
The same kind of nonsense occurs on these “Rate Your Professor†type sites. They are here to stay, I hate to have to say that we have to learn how to live with them, until the electricity goes out forever!
