Research Report
Social Computing In The Classroom
East Tennessee State University
Social computing in the classroom
Introduction
Social networking in the form that most of us know about now has been around for some time, but only in the past few years has it exploded into the phenomenon that has consumed many young adults and students. As of 2009, there are over 150 million Facebook users and that is only one social networking website (Nickson, 2009).
The purpose of this report is to define social computing or networking and the implications of using this format in the classroom as an educational aid. While research is accumulating on the use of social computing as an educational resource, some institutions have already begun utilizing this growing technology. There are advantages to using this as an educational tool. Many students use social computing, with 73% of teens and 72% of young adults using as of early 2010 (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, & Zickuhr, 2010). As an educator, it would make sense to find a way to use this resource in an educational and productive method.
What Is Social Networking/Computing?
Social networking web sites are online services that allow users to generate a profile, either public or private, and form a network of friends. Users can interact with their friends in both public and private means by way of instant messages and messages, and may allow posting of user-generated materials such as videos, blogs and photos. Social networking sites have been around since the beginning of the Internet, but were made popular in 2003 with the creation of MySpace and Facebook and year later. Some other popular social networking sites are Twitter, Bebo, YouTube and Flickr (Greenfield & Subrahmanyam, 2008). Fortunately, many of these social computing applications are free to use, and available on the internet in many different languages.
Educational Applications for Social Computing
The educational applications of social computing have only recently begun to be discovered and used in the classroom. Its popularity and simplicity make it an excellent tool for collaboration among students and teachers. With social computing, connections can be made across the world. Also, accessibility through the advances in mobile technologies can be very convenient, easy, and fun to use. Social computing resources would be useful in joint projects and collaborative research. Students could also connect with students in other countries or States and interact in real-time, while sharing ideas. These educational activities could be used in practically all subject areas.
There were several other social computing sites, besides Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace, which were geared more towards students and education. Ning is a customizable social networking application and has increased privacy restrictions, but the down side is that it is not free to use. In searching for information on social networking as an education tool, most of the information available was for college students, however, almost any of the social computing sites could be used with students over age 13 provided there are specific guidelines put in place. Blogs, wikis, and many others can be used for a variety of purposes, and they can be very effective in gaining and holding a student’s attention.
Research regarding the effectiveness of the use of social computing in the classroom is very new and far from conclusive. It has been the consensus of the majority of these sources that there is not enough information to make a definitive judgment on the educational applications of this technology. It would make sense that any tool, if used to enhance a student’s education, can be made a beneficial resource as long as it does not hinder any of the teaching or learning process.
Relative Advantage
The relative advantage of social computing for education applications can easily be seen by some, and for others, it is a matter of opinion. If these tools can be successfully used in the classroom and the students benefit from using them, then it is a tremendous advantage. For this to happen, the teacher must be knowledgeable and proficient with their instruction and the use of social computing as a tool, and not as the focal point.
From a simplistic view, the use of these tools can save resources and time for the educator and students. Also, computer logs and trackers can assist greatly in monitoring participation in collaborative activities. The students will learn from each other along with the classroom instruction from the teacher.
Reflection and Opinions
As an educator, there will hopefully be an appropriate time to use social computing in the classroom. I would like to try and use it effectively. However, there have been some studies find that the extensive use of these web sites can shorten attention spans and harm a young person’s sense of identity (Greenfield, S., 2009). The simple, fast way of communicating with one another can been seen as an obstruction to meaningful, sustained interaction (New Media Consortium, 2007). According to some experts, social networking sites encourage self-centered behavior, promote instant gratification, and may shorten attention spans (Derbyshire, 2009). Do these social networking web sites encourage students to “tune out” of their physical worlds to connect with others virtually (Starkman, 2007, p.32)?
That being stated, an added challenge with using social computing in the classroom would be teaching responsibility to the students regarding use of these software applications. It is not only essential to educate the students in online safety, privacy, and etiquette, but also, personal responsibility (Brown, 2010). Moderate and responsible use of social computing is imperative for adolescent students. However, despite those initial concerns, I would use this in the classroom. There would be so many different ways to incorporate social computing into a class, and as a technology teacher, it would be very beneficial to increase student fluency in computer use. Also, getting the students familiar with peer collaboration would be a very useful skill in the technology field.
Conclusion
Social computing is here. It is a popular, simple technology that a large number of students are using. Incorporating this emerging technology in the classroom can be valuable in meeting the students were they are. Most students enjoy using computers and they enjoy social interaction. Combining these elements into instruction can yield good results. While there would be a responsibility associated, the positives would far outweigh the negatives. The use of social computing in the classroom could reap benefits for both the students and teachers.
References
Brown, K (September 23, 2010). What is Social Networking? whatissocialnetworking.com. Retrieved September 25, 2010, from http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/
Derbyshire, D. (2009, February 24). Social websites harm children’s brains: Chilling warning to
parents from top neuroscientist. Mail Online. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1153583/Social-websites-harm-childrens-brains-Chilling-warning-parents-neuroscientist.html
Greenfield, P. & Subrahmanyam, K. (2008). Online Communication and Adolescent
Relationships. Future of Children 18(1), 119-146.
Greenfield, S., (2009, October). Is Online Networking Harmful? Speech presented at
Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia.
Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., & Zickuhr, K. (February 3, 2010). Social Media & Mobile Internet Use Among Teens & Young Adults. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Social-Media-and-Young-Adults.aspx
New Media Consortium. (2007). Social networking, the "third place," and the evolution of
communication. New Media Consortium. Web site: http://www.nmc.org. Retrieved
from www.csa.comNickson, C (January 21, 2009). The History of Social Networking. Digital Trends. Retrieved September 24, 2010, from http://www.digitaltrends.com/features/the-history-of-social-networking/
Starkman, N. (2007). What students want: leave me alone… I’m socializing. THE Journal, 34(3), 32-38.
