Social Networking and Global Awareness

"In the age of globalizaton, (social networking) is a tremendous opportunity to connect students with other students who have similar interests as well as different experiences" (Klopfer, Osterweil, Goff & Haas, p. 11). At my work, we are in the process of recruiting schools to participate in a social network connecting students in the USA, Japan and Pakistan, and the reactions from teachers has been interesting. Not surprisingly there is often an age gap, with younger teachers in all three countries--perhaps because they feel more confident and comfortable with the new media--signing up more quickly. We currently are running a pre-pilot program with one school in Connecticut and one in Tokyo. I visited the school in Connecticut recently to talk with the students and watch them interact with the site. I was, to be frank, a bit concerned before meeting the students. While they had uploaded quite a bit of photos and blog entries, the Japanese students had only added one or two very short posts. With recent events in Japan plus the fact that they were on school vacation, this lack of input was expected and not surprising. Even so, I was afraid that the American students would have become frustrated with the project. Surprisingly, many of them told me that just the act of documenting their own lives had given them great insight into themselves and their culture. They began to questions the photos they had taken: were they representative of their lives? Of most people's lives in that town? What message would it send to the students in Japan? Was it an accurate representation? If indeed it was accurate, was it positive or negative? In short, it challenged the students to think critically about the way they were portraying their lives. When the Japanese students begin to upload their images (or whenever viewing anything that claims to portray a "typical day in the life" of people in another culture), these students will hopefully look at them with a critical eye.

On the topic of social gaming, I quickly wanted to mention Jane McGonigal. Back in February I heard her give a talk at the Museum of Natural History in which she proposed that well designed games can change the world. While I am not convinced that the complexities of real world problems, such as poverty and racism, can be simulated in games with enough accuracy to bring about real change, she is a fantastic and persuasive speaker. She gave a very similar talk to the one I heard at TED: http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html. One of my favorite parts of her speech was the definition she used for play: The opposite of play isn't work, it's depression.

The Mc Arthur report was revealing for me in many ways. It is not surprising that the study says kids “geek out” by finding those who share their interests and that they are more motivated to learn from their peers because they can connect around shared interests and passions. These finding should be taken very seriously in the education world. Children learn when they are motivated and they learn when they feel there is a shared passion. We as educators need to find what is motivating for our kids, what are their passions and become facilitators and partners of their learning experience. if they dont feel that passion and if they don't feel we are interested they will see us as an authority who is against them. My nephew Antonio told my that we really loves my husband because he plays video games with him. Every time we go to Ecuador to visit him my husband organizes playdates with my nephew and they can spend hours together playing video games. Until my nephew made me that declaration, I kept telling my husband that instead of playing videogames with my nephew he should do other things with him and that we should play a game outside or do something more productive. It never crossed my mind that my husband was actually creating a meaningful relationship with my nephew beacause he was getting interested in what my nephew likes the most: playing videogames. Instead of trying to fight against technology, we have to make it work on our side. I believe that balance is key on everything we do.I agree that technology is not the only way to engage our students and to motivate them to learn. However, I do believe that new media and technologies are a huge part of many of our students so we have to be congnisant of this reality and we have to search for new and innovative ways to integrate them as part of our curriculum, instead of trying to fight against it.

“Tuning in” to finding a balance

Over the past few years, technology has taken the world by storm with its creation of handheld gadgets, portable games and creative tools for the classroom. On a personal note, I find it amazing that such tiny pieces of equipment can act as a GPS, allow for video chats and phone calls with people locally or overseas, and retrieve information in a matter of 3.2 seconds! Yet, as more and more people become accustomed to accessing these resources on a 24/7 basis, the need to stay current, connected, and updated increases, which in turn encourages many to spend “countless hours” in front of these gadgets. While I agree with the Education Arcade’s article that digital games can increase students’ abilities to problem solve and collaborate with others, I don’t believe that the amount of time spent with these devices (often hours after school) is healthy or beneficial, no matter the age. Children need to take part in extra-curricular activities so that they can become well-rounded individuals. When someone tries to let a “screen” take the place of that, they lose out on the real world component, which unlike a game, doesn’t have a “do-over” button.

On another note, one of the things that struck me from the Klopfer article was the idea of “evolution vs. revolution” because I found its message to be especially pertinent in today’s society. Often, when problems arise in education, the newspapers of local communities may use such words as revolting, radicals, and transformation of power. Yet, is fighting and yelling for change the best solution to the problem? As Klopfer’s article pointed out, many educators are criticized for their current teaching styles but aren’t praised for the practices that work. I do agree that our current education system is in need of assistance and that more schools need to have technological resources available, but at the same time, why can’t the great achievements that occur every day in the classrooms be celebrated? This is why the “evolution” path is so important; as educators, we need to integrate technology into our lessons but also create environments where students can develop their social skills (a weakness for many students today) and confidence through face-to-face interactions. I also want to show my students that you don’t always need the latest gadgets to integrate what’s familiar in technology. For instance, here are two ideas for assignments:

(1) For a book report, have students focus on a character and then, using an iPod template, have the students write songs titles in the screen. These titles would reflect the kind of music that the character might listen to.

(2) Have students imagine that a historical figure had a cell phone-what kinds of apps would he/she download? Why?

Technology is the way of the future, but it also has drawbacks which teachers, parents, and children need to be aware of. Certain skills, such as handwriting, speaking in front of others, and picking up the phone to call someone seem to be diminishing with each passing year. By finding ways to balance hands-on activities with digital media, our students will be prepared for the future in more ways than one.

The benefits of "Living and Learning with New Media"

The article, Living and Learning with New Media, made me think about the benefits of technology in children and young adults' worlds. The article mentions they are "always on" but that does not necessarily equate to being a bad thing. Before the online community, kids could interact at school, in person during their own time such as play dates or organized sports/activities, and on the phone. However, now, kids have the opportunity to interact with each other where ever they are and anytime they need to. This gives them the opportunity to connect in more settings and in more ways.

Not only can they connect in more ways, but they can connect with different kinds of people. They can connect through shared interests with people outside of their local community. Before these technologies, in order to meet with people who have shared interests in other communities, you would need to travel long distances or talk on the phone. However, it was harder to get large amounts of people together this way. With the internet, kids from all over can come together to discuss their interests from the comfort of their own home. They are able to connect with a diverse group of people that they may have not been able to without the internet. This gives them social experience with people from different backgrounds who have different experiences. People may think that using the computer is an anti-social activity; however, it can be very social when you are interacting with others. This act is actually increasing social skills, not decreasing.

Using the internet, students are learning from doing as well as learning from what others are doing online. This is motivating because it is self-directed learning. In many school experiences, students may not be as motivated if they are not interested in what they are learning about. If self-directed learning through the internet is brought into the classrooms, students will be more motivated, and in turn, more engaged.

Social (Networking) Responsibility

In 1999 there were no i-pods, not many people under the age of 16 had a cell phone, and many households (mine included) used dial-up to connect to the Internet. At this time AOL instant messaging was just becoming popular and on-line profiles were constructed with more care than an English Lit paper. Who chatted with whom for how long each night and had the cutest profile with the most icons and symbols were the hot topics to discuss at lunch. It seemed simple, so simple that you could make up a new screen name, develop an online profile, and have conversations posing as someone else. In 1999 bullying, let alone cyberbullying, was not on the national agenda as cause for concern among middle schoolers apart from instances of extreme violence like Columbine. However, over the past twelve years, landmark cases are being fought to address issues of egregious bullying both in person and through social media. As we consider the transition to using new media within the classrooms, I caution that we must first educate our students on their social responsibility as members of these online networks. We must teach students principles for engagement in these forms of media that can and should be applied within and outside the walls of the classroom. We must enlighten and expose students to the implications of over sharing information and posing as someone else. Equipping children with the knowledge they need to make conscientious choices about their online behavior and designing some sort of monitoring system (ideally peer-based) to negotiate and mediate on-line conflicts can provide students with an arsenal of tools and strategies to apply when navigating new media both inside and outside of the classroom.

The "Evolution" of Education

There was so much to respond to in the MacArthur report - I responded to the Klopfer...
When I read the Klopfer, I was reminded of a recent discussion I had about a child in my class. He has been using some inappropriate, hyper-violent phrases in class and we were wondering if they were borrowed from his computer games and TV shows. It was the school's suggestion that the parents limit all "screen time." His mother agreed that she would limit certain activities , but told us that he played a game about city planning that she felt was very beneficial. This was a reminder to us that not all "screen time" is detrimental to learning. This student struggles in many areas, foremost in reading. This type of game may be an opportunity for him to develop critical thinking that may be less accessible to him through traditional educational channels.
This quote from the Klopfer resonated with me, " We advocate for an evolution
in educational practices and approaches to instruction, which not only align with the processes and operations of the world outside of school, but also leverage the emerging power and potential of these new processes and technologies." It followed a passage explaining that current educational practices need not be demonized or thrown away. Instead, it is the job of educators to harness the power of technology and allow it to help "evolve" educational practices.

“Freedom and Autonomy”

The MacArthur Foundation’s Summary of Digital Youth Project was interesting to read because it emphasized the necessity of technology for the development of any individual in today’s contemporary society. I agree that technology/new media allows for students to fully participate in society while enabling them to self-direct their learning. But I wonder if too much freedom will hinder a student’s focus. The article described how “outcome emerges from exploration” and not necessarily from a “predefined goal” often found in structured classrooms. Although I like the idea of exploration and student-led learning, I find myself asking the following: Are predefined goals “bad”? I believe I give my students choice and often find myself filling the role of “facilitator” and not the role of a “direct teacher.” I see how the integration of technology in my teaching practices is crucial for the well-development of my students but I also find that a teacher needs to provide a sound structure so that students understand their expectations while allowing them to explore and drive their own learning.