I have a facebook account that I started for my students. They like to communicate with me through this site,as they are always on it.
Kevin,
this is a great point & so we need to understand how they approach this & not necessarily how we do.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Since the Gen Y folks are so tuned into tech, they are easily able to have their tech work well for them.
Tammy,
this is great & very true. I like the idea of encouraging them to set the boundaries as this also helps them grow up & take ownership.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Stephen,
this is a good point & one we need to consider carefully, as we want to help them but like you said, help them learn concepts not just sources of info.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
These are very valuable tools such as texting, face book and tweeting ways to get the students going in the right direction as learning tools
Gen Y students are truly a challenge when it come to electronic devices. The solution that I have for my students is; during lecture there will be no computer (classroom is 90% computer based)and as long as I do not see the phone on the text and them texing excessively I have no problem. When I first began teaching, I would talk to the students until I was blue in the face about texting during class time. It was a loosing battle that I would never win. I let them know that this is their time and they need to set bounderies with their family and friends during class times. It seems to work, I have not had to speak to anyone about excessive texting during class time in over 3 years.
Social networking can help find an answer, however, it may not allow the student to actually learn the concept.
Social networks have changed the way people learn and communicate. It is instant gratification and quick answers. Their knowledge and exposure is vast, compared to the past. Mainly due to the resources that are available. Social networking however can cause a lack of physical interaction making it more difficult for people to have good interpersonal relationships.
They expect that they will be incorporated into the learning environment but see them as generational tools only for their generation.
Our school too is expressly against us "friending" students. In no small part, to prevent the illusion of inappropriate relations or favoritism between faculty and students. There is also the possibility of legal accusations of impropriety between an educator and a student. This does not seem to be a very well thought out statement in our litigious society.
Jonathan,
this is a great idea & technique as it helps to pull them back in with a positive question rather than a reprimand.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
On this subject I agree. I find students that get bored with the material often get lost in their social networks during class. I often ask them questions to bring them back but would welcome suggestions of what others do
Veronica,
this is a great example of how the social media can be of benefit in this class & really help the students in their professional development.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Seems so, a lot of socializing and little work. The work ethics and learning need to mend together to bring them home on the project,and sometimes that like driving those white horses. A real hand full.
I require that my students set up several social media networks in class as part of an assignment. We create a business page and go through it as I do when I consultant with small business owners. It is important that understand how businesses use social media especially if they are majoring in Internet Marketing.
I need to keep the gen y students very busy or they get bored and want to pull out their phones to socialize. They do not use them to learn during classtime.
I agree. Breaks are the perfect time for them to interact on their social media accounts, not during class time.
Social networks can be used in the classroom as an educational tool. For instance, LinkedIn can be used to teach students how to interact not just socially, as they often do on Facebook, but professionally by setting up a mock LinkedIn account, for instance. Or, an instructor can use Twitter in the classroom by setting up a Twitter feed specifically for the class in which students may post and respond to one another's tweets on a particular class related issue throughout the week.
Allen ,
this is an excellent idea as it gives them the connections centered around the course.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
