Alisha's Personal Perspective on Social Media - and - Digital Natives

TEACHERS

                 I personally believe that implementing social media in the classroom can be both beneficial for the children or students of today (the digital natives) as well as the teacher.  Digital Natives are just as their label describes them... They are knowledgeable with digital life, realities, thus making them digital learners.  If the classroom is not interactive through digital means (using technology - social media - etc), then students are going to have a difficult time relating or achieving  your learning objectives for them.  Whats great about social media, is that it is not restricted to in-class usage.  Your students can interact through social media or networking to do constructive work outside of class.  Student's are easily accessible, and can easily share their thoughts through social media instead of speaking out in class.  Teachers as well can share ideas or appropriate and relative class material through their blogs/wikis/twitter accounts, and have them open and available for students.

So teachers who still fear technology, and wish to maintain a traditional classroom - one in which they ALONE are comfortable..think of this.....
                  What if there is not enough time at the end of the lesson to answer students questions?  What if the students are in a heated debate about something they learned....and when the bell rings they are forced to pack up their bags and leave their ideas and  their thoughts to deflate and dissolve...to be forgotten or lost? 

                                                         Ideas are powerful.  Ideas are limitless.  Ideas can be used to create.
 

Social Media is the outlet for fostering students voices.  These ideas and thoughts can be shared with others in the class, and the debate can continue.  Ideas can grow, and students can think concretely, analytically, deliberately and independently - without a teacher judging their every word.  Why not let other students correct misconceptions, misinterpretations or recognize biases of other students.  Let them talk it out!  People in education are always discussing the importance of group work and co-operative learning as a means to achieving student success.
If Social media is implemented positively, and properly, i believe it can work just as well as co-operative learning or group work. 

Thinking about my teacher and technology class - my generation (more specifically my classmates) seem to have a difficult time relating to the digital natives of today, specifically because we grew up (or at least some of us) at some part in our lives without a computer.  Yet, these digital natives have never lived without a computer!  Those in education are always saying..."Get to know your students!" "Child-centered learning is important".  How can you understand your students if you don't recognize the digital world in which they were born into, and the digital-world in which you share together?
Teachers are always having to re-think and re-adapt - so why is Social Media such a tender and controversial subject for parents and teachers when it is incorporated into the classroom?  


Thanks for hearing out my perspective on Social Media and Digital Natives...now..............

Check out this Video: I enjoyed it, and i hope you enjoy it too! Pay close attention to the end of the video were Social Media and ideas are discussed -