SN and Schools
May 2, 2008
7. How can social networking applications be used in the classroom? Check out this collection of GREAT unit plans.
Click on The many faces of me: A Thematic Unit on whether to lie or not lie in Social Settings by Darlene Scouten, a student here at Cortland.
Would you use a lesson like this in your classroom? Why or why not? How does this lesson tie into the issue off internet safety?
Can you find any other software that could be used WITHIN schools as a social networking application? Post a link and describe its advantages or disadvantages.
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8. Have you ever heard of EPals? Browse through this website: www.epals.com
Surf through the site and share your thoughts. Would you use this in your classroom? How might you go about doing so?
Krystina
I just checked out Darlene Scouten’s lesson plans, and I really like them all. I really do. They’re quite didactic. My two favorites are 1 and 4, the cereal box reading and the random speech/um-counter one. I will have students give random speeches, definitely, and the um counting could be something of an aside during the lesson of persuasion.
I submitted too soon! ePals seems wonderful for education… It’s a network of class-connections, with the potential to stimulate attention, and even give mind to different American cultures. I don’t know how popular this is in the online world, but it has lots of potential, and should be given thought by all teachers.
I love Darlene’s unit plan and I would definitely use it in my classroom. It reinforces what we have been talking about in this blog discussion: teachers helping students learn about how to safely and appropriately use social networking sites. Here is a site that “nearly 50 schools and colleges around the world” are already using: http://elgg.org/
I gained more information about it from this site: http://www.wired.com/culture/education/news/2007/04/myspaceforschool
It explains, “Students, tutors and researchers each get a profile page, a blog, photo sharing and friends lists, and they can create and join on-site discussion communities…Elgg’s creators say the collaborative, conversational exchanges in which today’s students have become so fluent outside class are the best way to deliver learning inside it.” I completely agree with that statement. I think that we can use social networking sites to our advantage in the classroom as long as rules are in place and students are being monitored.
As for ePals, I would also use this in my classroom! I think that it is an amazing way for students to practice writing and communicate with other students across the world. In order to use this, I would probably have to get permission from the school first. I would explain all of the benefits of being part of such a program. Then, I would put it to use by letting my students write, write, and WRITE to a pen pal. What a great way to practice meaningful writing!
Darlene’s lesson was indeed very interesting. I like how she is incorporating real life skills into the classroom — including the part where she talks about speaking to be heard and also about listening.
I think that the issue of socially telling lies is an interesting one to tackle in the classroom but I applaud her for it. This would be a good activity for students to look at when learning about applying for jobs and colleges. I’m not saying that they should lie; however I think that everyone to some extent does stretch the truth in order to make themselves or their qualifications more appealing. The point however would be to show students that at a certain point this is not acceptable and can cause them a lot of problems and loss of credibility.
-Frank-
I checked out Alexis lesson plans..how to define a family. And I really liked it. I would definitely use something like that in my classroom one day. I love how she included technology, yet classic elements of literature as well. I was impressed.
As far was epals, I am not so sure how i feel about it. I think that students would either abuse it, but making it more of something like a facebook or myspace. Or, on the other hand, find it boring and not use it much because it doesn’t pertain to their social lives. However, I love the idea of being able to connect with students from all over the world. In my Women Writers class last semester, my teacher Dr. Boynton set us up to discuss literature with a class from Beijing. We each got penpals and talked at least once a week and it was wonderful. Actually, it was one of my fondest memories in a literature class. So, that whole aspect of everything makes it really fascinating. I just worry that younger students wouldn’t be as intrigued as an older group.
There is a website called interpals (www.interpals.net) that uses this sort of idea, except, its not meant for educational purposes. However, I think that perhaps, if you were considering bringing epals into your classroom, it would be a good thing to test out for yourself. I have an account and have occasionally met some cool people from around the world. It also translates into any language so communication is easy.
Thank you Jessica! I always loved Darlene’s unit plan and thought it was extremely interesting and different. Students would be engaged but learning at the same time. By doing a lesson like this, students would gain a better understanding of internet safety.
I think e-pals is extremely interesting. When our AED 408 class had the meeting with one of the founders, I was impressed. It offers students so many opportunities: They use advanced technology, gain a new friend, and learn about a different culture. Also, the small computers are only 100 dollars each, which is amazing. I would like to use this site in my classroom because it would be beneficial for everyone involved. In order to do this, I will post on the site for other English teachers. I will try to do this for at least one unit, but hopefully I will use it more.
Alexis
When Darlene was creating this lesson plan last semester I immediately fell in love with it. I think that this lesson really connects to the students lives and is something they can easily relate to. Through this lesson students are able to step back and take a look at the dangers of fabrication and using these social networking tools. It gives them a better understanding of how to be safe on the internet and what the dangers are.
I believe that e-pals is a great tool for young people. I think it is a great way for students to connect to people and learn more about other cultures, schools, and young people. Like many of my classmates in AED 408 we were extremely impressed with this website and its ideas. The founders have made it basically impossible for people NOT to be able to communicate and working in this social networking atmosphere. They have taken into consideration the socioeconomy of the school and the surrounding area and have really aimed to fit all the needs of children across the globe. This tool is fantastic. I hope to be able to use this in my future classroom someday! I think the benefits are endless, and this site is virtually impossible to be dangerous for students.
Darlene has some pretty cool lessons plans. I found number two to be particularly interesting. The idea of writing well known stories from a different characters perspective is a great way to teach kids about how important perspective is. Think about any prison movie you’ve ever seen, the main characters are in jail because they committed a crime, yet we always find ourselves sympathizing with them over the guards. I’ve always found that interesting.
It’s also a great way to teach creative writing- nice bonus, no?
Darlene’s lesson plans were really awesome. I loved the idea of trying to make students understand the importance of just seeing what it means to be true to oneself. I would assume that was the direction Darlene was headed toward when using the “fairy tale” lesson plan and the “cereal box”lesson plan. Just as DAve mentioned, this is definitly a way for kids to explore the different sides of any story which would build a student’s creative writing skills.
I really enjoyed Darlene’s lesson plans I feel like they are just the sort of thing we should all be modeling when teaching our future students about the internet and how to be smart/safe when using social networking sites. I think that by relating a lesson plan directly to something that directly affects the students will also grab their attention and will keep them fully engaged in the material. I think that educating these students about the internet in general is extremely important.
Here’s a website with lesson plans pertaining to the internet and technology.
http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/techplans.html