I have to admit that I find the term "necessary evil" to be a bit polarizing. I think that having students write essays to demonstrate knowledge in a traditional classroom could equally be labeled with that term.
That said, I understand where you are coming from. My wife, as part of her Master's Program (not even an online course) had to develop a community of practice through social media & blogging so I have experience with the process from both sides-- and my wife really found that it was a hoop that she had to jump through rather than an eye-opening profound experience.
On the other hand though, she did gain the experience of developing this website which she would not have been inclined to do without the prompting of her instructor/mentors/peers. This could be something that she now turns to later since the door has been opened. Who knows.
From my side-- I am not convinced that I have any ongoing set of assignments that I could see as needing this type of work on an ongoing basis. This isn't to say they don't exist, but I would need to see more specific examples within my discipline before I'm going to invest the time it would take to develop something from scratch. If I have a Eureka moment though, that could change.
In the meantime though, I do plan to offer this as a means for allowing students multiple options to demonstrate knowledge gained through a course. So now, I might allow students to develop a presentation or write a paper on a topic. Moving forward, I plan to allow them to publish something in the social media sphere as well if the work does show the student understands what I wanted him or her to learn.
David,
Thank you for sharing this view. Ia agree to me the term necessary evil implies busy work and I am NOT a fan of busy work. That is time I can't get back!!!! You want to be serious about the assignment. The course doesn't have to be built around the technology such as blogging or social media but it is an effective tool.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I really believe that it depends on the course being taught by each individual instructor. Courses like Sociology or anatomy & physiology might benefit from this kind of technology whereas course like billing & coding may have a trickier time implementing some of the techniques discussed. I definitely think that the use of technology and social media in secondary education (in general) is necessary because things that we used to do are evolving. We have to change with the times or we become obsolete. The real trick is implementing it in a way that is meaningful and not just for show. I don't want to do because everyone else is doing it; I want to do it because I truly believe it provides an alternative means of learning and comprehension for my students.
Mia,
I agree with you. You don't want to add to students work; and you don't want students to perceive the work as busy work. The work you assign students should help assess learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hi Mia,
I tend to agree with you. Not all subjects can translate well to social media, especially at the college level. I think a huge part of creating lesson plans in general is to "know your audience." For example, whereas having middle school students pretend that they are on the Lewis & Clarke expedition and write a twitter conversation about it may be an effective means of understanding this historical event for them, it probably would not translate to the college level. While social media is effective in many instances, some subject topics are better understood in the traditional ground or online classroom setting.
Alicia,
You make a great point. Using social media takes planning. It cannot be deemed as busy work; students won't value it. You also have to determine how you will assess it and communicate that to your students. I is not as simple as it may sound.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Eileen--
I am torn about whether or not social media should be a required tool. While social media outlets can provide new opportunities for teaching and learning, the style and personality of the instructor should be a consideration in determining if social media is an appropriate tool!
Ginger,
Start small. Choose a social media tools and tie it to your outcome. Then develop an assignment and the assessment around it. Don't be afraid to tweak it from session to session. That is what the assessment is for too!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Definitely a course by course situation. A blanket social media requirement would certainly not have been appropriate for many of my courses. I am also a fan of integrated social media within the learning platform which we are seeing more of today...I hate spreading things out to far away from the central course content.
Christopher,
You make such a great point. I too find that some instructors use so many different little programs it is hard to manage them. At least many of the LMS's are taking the hint. I do find that using social media in a course has to have a definite purpose It isn't just to be using social media.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
This is an area where I run into some trouble. It's difficult teaching social media in my business communication courses because of course younger students (>25) especially use it regularly in their everyday lives for everything but educational pursuits. They consider the academic discussion boring and unnecessary.
I soldier on because it's part of the curriculum, but it's difficult. From what I'm gleaning in EL 110, it sounds as though incorporating more social media tools into the course might get their attention. I'm currently using Vimeo in my online classes, so maybe I should ditch voice-over-PowerPoint as supplemental learning materials in my face-to-face courses and try the media hosting tactic instead. (I currently post relevant videos to Blackboard, but as this module stated, media size is often problematic.)
Eileen,
You made great points. Students may find it more engaging than the discussion board. I do find you have to expect them to participate and make them understand ( usually with points) this is important. I actually put information within the discussion that will be on the exam. I will say most of my freshmen are NOT in Facebook anymore, they are in instagram and Twitter.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I think this depends on how you use it in the classroom. There are many ways to make it interesting so that it does not seem like chatter. I read somewhere, and I do remember the name of the school, where students created accounts on Second Life to explore themes such as online identity, online community building and in-game economics.
Some days the students would meet in the virtual world instead of meeting at a real-life lecture hall. The professor would send out an email saying, "Class on Tuesday will be held in Second Life instead of the lecture hall. I'll email you all the coordinates soon."
Willie ,
I have seen people use Second Life and it is interesting and scary! You are thinking "outside of the box" and that will serve you well. It makes it interesting for the students too.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
That is very iffy to me. Some students stick to the subject matter and others get off on a side track. It could potentially be beneficial so that you can see their understanding but it could be harmful as well in regards to unnecessary chatter. I think it could be done as long as they are reminded to stay on course. The 140 characters makes it kind of difficult.
Ramonica,
True, it is a great way to teach succinct writing. It is a great tool for that!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Just like in a live environment, instructors should be able to restrict the amount of interaction occurring among students in an online environment. This can be done by developing sound policies associated with the use of the platform, as well as by becoming knowledgeable about the ins and outs of social media.
