Reflections: Educational Social Networking

               After returning from ISTE2012 Conference my head is spinning with ideas to implement that will help students. One idea is that social networking can be a help to students who are considered non-traditional (they have a baby, have to work, etc) and it can also help those who are able attend face to face. Odyssey Charter School, located in LasVegas, NV, began an experiment to see if social networking would help its students. The school tried Facebook first since it was popular but decided to go with Ning since they could have more control over privacy issues facing educators. Ning also allowed participation from students outside the current class that using a content management system would not allow. All the features that Facebook allows, such as photo and video sharing, was allowed on the school’s private Ning social network. “The social network also became a place that motivated students by allowing them to become more connected to the school and the school community.” (Barbour & Plough, 2009) The social network also provided a place for them to socialize any time and any place because they were using an online platform. The article states that “The teachers at OCHS also saw students engaging in social ways they had not envisioned or experienced before in the OCHS environment, such as sharing personal histories, discussing controversial issues in an open and mature way, and generally doing the kinds of things you’d expect teenagers to do in a traditional high school environment (e.g., trying to organize a prom).” (Barbour & Plough, 2009) There were many issues that arose but those were intercepted and utilized as “teachable moments to educate students on being good digital citizens.” (Barbour & Plough, 2009) Basically the experiment using Odyssey of the Mind social network at the high school gave a similar experience as to what they would receive if they were attending face to face as far as being able to connect and communicate with others and have some interaction with teachers. 

                Some schools are using social networks to connect globally. In the article by Michelle Davis, students are shown to be using social networks to connect internationally. (Davis, 2010) The type of experiences that students can receive from social networks set up for education is really very useful.

                I have been experimenting with setting up a Ning network.  Pearson Education even said they'd foot the bill for up to 3 years.

Barbour, M., & Plough, C. (2009). Social Networking in Cyberschooling:Helping to Make Online Learning Less Isolating. TechTrends, 56-60. 

Davis, M. R. (2010, November). Social Networking Goes to School. Education Digest, 14-19.