As a starting response to these two chapters I had a very hard time working through the information presented. I think I struggled with some of the terminology used in the article, although eventually I was able to work through an capture the authors main ideas.
Part of the chapters that really resonated with me was the use of cyberactivism and how to show students the proper way to use the internet as a space to share their voice and even promote change. For students today they cyberworld plays a huge role in everyday life. May young adults these days are constantly tuned into social media and other internet sources. I feel that bringing this into the classroom and creating a space for students to connect and learn using social media is ver beneficial if done correctly.
Reading this chapter made me think of a video I came across on Facebook where students in a high school used social media to spark a protest against an unfair and prejudiced uniform policy which prohibited the wearing of traditional african head wraps. The students using the hash tag #blackgirlswrapwednesday staged a protest where the majority of the student body came to class on Wednesday all wearing the head raps. I thought this was a great example of students using social media as a form of cyber activism. (Link to the video is below the post if anyone is interested in watching it… very inspiring and would be a great tool to show students down the road).
Part of the chapter that I found extremely important was that the teacher should model the appropriate ways to be a cyberactivist with students. As an educator you should be versed in the media your students are interacting with. Setting up a lesson where you model for students how to use social media to create a community, connect with material or as a road of activism is extremely important. I feel if more teachers did this kind of modeling instead of disregarding the usage of social media in the classroom it would even combat the cyberbullying problem a lot of schools are facing in this new digital era.
Cyberspace and social media are not going anywhere. Students will continue to enter the classroom more and more “plugged in”. As educators it is our job to make sure they are using this space in a critical, positive and safe way to both promote learning inside and outside the classroom.
I agree with your point about the use of social media in the classroom. When I was in school, it was made clear that there was no place for social media in schools. We had strict no phone policies and no teachers embraced any aspect of social media in their lessons. Although there is a fine line that exists between having students tune you out while they are engaged in social media and using it as a part of the lesson, I still believe there are ways to make it work. It is completely unavoidable in today's society, and just like other aspects of technology, it should be embraced.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. It's how students are learning and communicating.
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