Social Media and Technology for Education

It's no secret that social media is a platform to share ideas and viewpoints with the world, but can it be used to reinforce what students learn and do in the classroom? I certainly think so.

Information and Ideas are abundant. Students currently use the Internet to gain information and knowledge on a wide variety of topics. Their research however, is usually limited to static documents from a select list of acceptable websites. The web has become such a fluid entity, constantly changing and growing. Sites where anyone can offer their insights and opinions on anything, can be a huge resource for information.

However, as the Internet has often been described as the "Wild West" with no control or regulation, schools, by law, filter content and restrict access to the Internet.  Recently, social media has become a problem in schools.  Students are found spending a great deal of time on such sites, often when they're supposed to be doing schoolwork.

I believe rather than outright blocking access to social media sites, we should be instructing students on appropriate use of such sites, while at the same time using these sites as an educational tool, to reinforce and expand upon classroom materials.

I've recently found a couple of articles that discuss this topic and found them to be quite interesting.  Give them a read if you've got the time.

Links
Social networks Form k12 learning
Social networking in schools incentives for participation