Facebook in school

So, I have been thinking again.

I have been mulling over ways to successfully reach students when they are not in school on a platform they already are comfortable navigating. I imagine a space where school learning and connecting with fellow students expands outside of the classroom walls. I know for me personally, I spend a great deal of time outside of my work day delving in my own personal PD sessions with the computer or a book. My goal is to promote that love of learning and connecting with my students. I've tried wikis and blogs with limited success. That is not to say that I am planning to abandon those efforts; I am simply exploring other options. I am always looking to create windows in the metaphorical brick wall. My thoughts led me to Facebook. Why not? I know my students have profiles there and they are on the site often in their spare time. Considering my own daughter's use of Facebook I thought it just might be pretty successful. Another personal observation of my daughter: she is not an overly social in person, but she is extremely social on Facebook. I expect for those students who are shy or hesitant to share their thoughts in the classroom setting this group would enable them to participate safely. So another reason to try. Of course all of the negative antics associated with middle school students having free reign on a social platform did cross my mind. But, how would I ever know how this could work unless I just tried it? How would I know what to change or set up or anticipate the next time? My brain was screaming, Just Do IT! So I did.

I started a group on Facebook geared to sparking discussions around a guest speaker who will be visiting my district. I invited adults working in the district to join first and encouraged the teachers to start promoting this group with their students. Excited to see what I could generate, I casually mentioned it to a group of students in the library. I had my first student join just the other day. When I congratulated her for being the first student to join she declared that she was going to start inviting her friends! So we have a small group started. Not too much discussion going on quite yet. What I am planning to push next is talking it up with the English classes as those teachers are working most intensively to get this visit off the ground. I intend to make students aware of the group prior to spring break as I suspect that may be a good time for us to be connected. All the students will be required to finish their books over break so my goal is to get them talking about it online. This is a work in process.

To date, what I was most surprised about was how many students told me their parents would not allow them to have a profile on Facebook. I suggested if they were interested in seeing what it is like they should encourage their parents to create a profile and join the group. That way the student could participate through their parent and the parent would be able to monitor what was going on in the group.

I will plan to write more about this little project as it unfolds! Stay tuned!

MACUL presenter, Steve Dembo

This week at the MACUL conference, Steve Dembo categorically stressed that SCHOOLS HAVE TO CHANGE in order for us to effectively reach the digital natives (aka students) that are sitting in our classrooms. He also clarified that it isn’t the curriculum that has to change, it is the teachers.

Steve’s solution is to encourage teachers to just get out there and do it! He maintains that even if you don’t have a lot of knowledge or a strong comfort level, your students will be instrumental in helping to guide the way. Many of these Web 2.0 tools are created to be intuitive so you do not have to sit at the computer with a great deal of background knowledge. He did acknowledge, however, that in order for teachers to adopt the “just do it!” attitude, our Technology Departments MUST be on board as well and allow us all to have access and freedom to take advantage of the resources available. And there are millions of resources out there. Yet, teachers need to embrace the idea of diving in to learning how to speak the technology native’s “dialect” if we have not done so yet and get over the fact that we are immigrants who may never lose that “cute digital accent”.

Our students are mega-connected and able to multi-process. That concept is not really up for debate right now on whether it is good or bad for them to be navigating their world this way; it is just the reality of the current culture. The amount of information available to us is staggering and growing every day. We all have the potential to harness the available tools and become innovators! The web enables us to engage in information seeking and connecting with others 24/7. That is exciting! By embracing these tools we become networks in action. Our professional development is continuous and available and can be self-directed! I cannot think of a better or more motivating way to participate in my professional development. Steve also wants us to work to give back to the profession. Let people know what you are doing; share, pass it along!

So, you may be asking, “where do I start?” A simple, yet effective way is to challenge yourself to see what you can learn in 30 minutes at the computer. Next, learn how to tap into a community and start connecting. This is what it is all about. We must work to connect teachers to their most valuable resource; each other. It is not fully attainable through presentations or sessions: it is all about the CONNECTION and dialogue. Professional Development is everyday; exciting and fun!

Could this be everything I want?

Well- I've been lamenting that I need to have a tool to coordinate and contain all my techno-stuff. And I've been asking around to see what people are using or doing and I have not had much success with answers. I stumbled across this tool today and I am thinking it has real potential!
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/diso_dashboard.php

Check it out for yourself and please let me know what you think...

Ning discussion

Found this discussion on Ning; here is your chance to provide input to our new Secretary of Education! Here is a link to my response.