Journal Entry #3: "The Case for Social Media in School" by Sarah Kessler. http://mashable.com/2010/09/29/social-media-in-school/
In the article "The Case for Social Media in School", Kessler brought up many good points. Her main point was that social media is not going away so might as well use it to teachers' advantage to reach and teach their students. She argued that since social media is what students know using social media in school will keep students engaged longer than other methods used in the past. She also mentions the many free productive websites that teachers can use in their classroom to further their students' learning. Kessler also talked about points such as media encouraging collaboration and cell phones not being the enemy. I think these two points are weaker and can be argued against easier. I do agree that social media is here to stay and that students will be more likely engaged using social media while learning than traditional methods such as lecture and textbooks. There are many interactive learning websites teachers can use for free as a supplemental way to teach their students. It is just whether or not teachers will take the time to search up which websites they like best and taking their students to a computer lab one or two days out of the week to access the internet.
Q 1: How can this article be argued?
A 1: Social media may encourage collaboration, but there is higher risk for the opposite. Cyber bullying has recently become an issue due to social media use. Kessler also mentioned teachers using cell phones to their advantage by alerting students to come to class on time. This method can be used in a case of emergency but it should not be habitual.
Q 2: What are some interactive websites teachers can use for free (geared toward elementary school)?
A 2: http://www.thekidzpage.com/learninggames/
http://www.abcya.com/
http://www.funbrain.com/
In the article "The Case for Social Media in School", Kessler brought up many good points. Her main point was that social media is not going away so might as well use it to teachers' advantage to reach and teach their students. She argued that since social media is what students know using social media in school will keep students engaged longer than other methods used in the past. She also mentions the many free productive websites that teachers can use in their classroom to further their students' learning. Kessler also talked about points such as media encouraging collaboration and cell phones not being the enemy. I think these two points are weaker and can be argued against easier. I do agree that social media is here to stay and that students will be more likely engaged using social media while learning than traditional methods such as lecture and textbooks. There are many interactive learning websites teachers can use for free as a supplemental way to teach their students. It is just whether or not teachers will take the time to search up which websites they like best and taking their students to a computer lab one or two days out of the week to access the internet.
Q 1: How can this article be argued?
A 1: Social media may encourage collaboration, but there is higher risk for the opposite. Cyber bullying has recently become an issue due to social media use. Kessler also mentioned teachers using cell phones to their advantage by alerting students to come to class on time. This method can be used in a case of emergency but it should not be habitual.
Q 2: What are some interactive websites teachers can use for free (geared toward elementary school)?
A 2: http://www.thekidzpage.com/learninggames/
http://www.abcya.com/
http://www.funbrain.com/
I agree, the only thing that makes me skeptical about the social media implementation is the cyber bullying. However, with a positive class culture and teacher monitoring the social sites can be used for positive results. I believe if students are exposed to social media in their early years and are taught ways to use it properly then there could be a decrease in abuse of the internet.
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