Fizzics

Is the utilisation of social networking in education a good thing? The question forms the basis of a debate at The Economist right now. Ewan McIntosh is standing up for social networking sites and the collaborative peer assessment that they can deliver in the classroom.

As someone who uses a blog in his own classroom, I have to declare a foot in his camp before the first shots were fired. Kids are more likely to share information among themselves and let their friends see their work than hand it to me for comments and feedback. There’s a confidence issue in our classrooms. How many times have I had to cannibalise a jotter so pupils have a piece of paper to draft work so they can prepare a 2nd draft that they are happy for me to see? I’m not even an English teacher and yet kids are reluctant to show me any of their written work when I ask them to write up an experiment.

I am starting to see that launching a class wiki is an inevitable step if I am to succeed in having my pupils improve their report writing and develop a nose for quality. The whole business of social networking in the classroom seems to be a glowing example of social constructivism but Danah Boyd isn’t so sure*. She makes the point that children use social networking sites to stick together with their friends, rather than look beyond the walls of their own circle and truly “network”. I think she is on to something and, if her observation is valid, it suggests that a pupil’s zone of proximal development (Vygotsky) may not extend in the absence of a more knowledgeable individual. How do we ensure that any social software we use in our practice keeps pupils engaged while maintaining its functionality as a tool for learning?

*via Will Richardson

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