Social Networking in Education

The use of social networking and e-learning platforms is becoming an increasingly popular trend in education. More teachers and students are noticing a significant increase in the use of technology in the classroom. In a discussion on emerging mobile technologies for K-12 classrooms, it was concluded that this increase in use is due to “their low cost and ubiquity.” Major supporters of technology in the classroom have stated that technology creates new opportunities for students.

In an article entitled “E-Learning Seeks a Custom Fit,” Michelle Davis points out teachers’ opinions on e-learning. A virtual poetry and literacy teacher, Liz Sanchez, likes how “she can tell how much time each student spends on a particular lesson, track a student’s participation in group discussions, and have struggling students read aloud virtually, without embarrassing them in front of their peers.” This view is becoming increasingly popular with respect to the tremendous growth in technology. The capabilities of the technology allows for Sanchez, and many other teachers, to better understand her students’ needs. This allows for a more tailored education plan.

Through social networking technologies such as Twitter, Facebook, and Skype, schools are not only able to improve their student’s skills but they are also able keep parents informed about all the upcoming activities and events. A New Milford High School in New Jersey uses its Facebook account to keep “its 1,100 fans updated on sports events and academic achievements.” When students at New Milford High School took a trip to Europe to see Holocaust sites they blogged about their experiences and received comments from all over the world. Educators “are realizing students feel at home in [social networking technologies] and [it] is unlikely to disappear.”

Christine Greenhow, a learning technologies researcher at the University of Minnesota, asserts that “educators can help students realize even more benefits from their social network site use by working to deepen students' still emerging ideas about what it means to be a good digital citizen and leader online.” With the use of technology in school, students are able to gain a variety of vital skills that will assist them in their futures.

Sources:

http://www.edweek.org/ew/events/chats/2009/09/03/index.html?qs=impact+of+in+education+social_networking

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080620133907.htm

http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2010/02/03/02e-customization.h03.html?qs=impact+of+technology+in+education

http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2010/06/16/03networking.h03.html

STEM Programs Get Some Help From the U.S. House, and Parents

In our technological and globally connected world, the STEM areas (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) are becoming more and more important. However, fewer and fewer of our children are entering related careers. Late last year, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan mentioned that only 23% of college freshmen enter STEM majors, and of those only 40% actually graduate with a STEM degree within six years. This is a disturbing fact considering about 26% of American workers with science and engineering degrees are 50 or older and nearing retirement.

So what can be done to encourage our children to enter these fields? Some help may just have arrived in the form of increased government funding. Last Friday (May 28, 2010) the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act, which works to support the STEM fields. Despite difficult economic times, STEM programs must be continued to improve and maintain our countries scientific and technological strength. Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., remarked, "if we are to reverse the trend of the last 20 years, where our country's technology edge in the world has diminished, we must make the investments necessary today."

Obviously, a great deal of STEM planning and executing falls to educators, but research shows that parental encouragement to attend college can also play a major role in a child’s willingness to enter STEM fields. Jon Miller, a professor at Michigan State, reported from his study that only 4 percent of students with low parental encouragement planned to enter a STEM major, compared to 41 percent of students whose parents encouraged college attendance.

Parents should also support taking mathematics throughout high school; "Mathematics is a primary gateway to a STEMM* career," Miller is quoted as saying, "beginning with algebra-track placement in grades 7 and 8, and continuing through high school and college calculus courses."

*The additional M was added for Medicine.

Author: Justin Mullen

Justin Mullen is a NYSED certified teacher of physics, general science, and mathematics and Education Consultant for Falls View Academy.

Sources:

http://www2.ed.gov/news/speeches/2009/10/10232009.html

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2010/05/us_house_finally_passes_stem_e.html?qs=stem

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2010/02/research_parents_critica.html?qs=stem