I'm enjoying a relaxing and fun-filled summer. I'm looking forward to spending more time with family and friends. I've been able to catch up on my work-outs as I look to compete in my third triathlon in early August. My reading list is getting smaller, but at the same time is growing. I keep finding books I want to read - I guess that's a good thing. As I was going through some end of the year emails, I came across several of the NCTE Inbox issues. I caught up on some light reading and came across the following article entitled:
Social Networking Goes to School from the June 14, 2010 publication of Education Week-Digital Directions. Boy did the article get me thinking. I guess the first question I have is, how can we make this happen for my students? I'll admit it - I love my "geek time", and I resisted Facebook, Twitter, Ning, etc. for as long as I could. However, social networking has tickled my fancy and I've finally jumped into the social networking pool. I've seen and/or read about the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to social networking. I understand the apprehension school districts, and educators have with it, but what powerful teaching tools these sites can be. There is potential for the social networking sites to expand our educational walls and our instructional time. What school district, or teacher would not want to see learning continue outside the 8:05AM-3:05PM school day?
The "Social Networking Goes to School" article proves it can be done - these sites can be unlocked and school districts can survive. I know it's a great deal to ask, but let's open up the lines of communication and make this happen. I know "with great power - comes great responsibility", but I'm entrusted to teach 100 students a day - year in and year out, trust me with some open access and help me do the job of a 21st Century teacher.
