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by Martina G. Luke
What is social networking?
The following article, based on texts and discussions in our class "Beyond WebCT: Integrating Social Networking Tools Into Language & Culture Classes" at the University of Connecticut, shall provide insight into aspects of Social Networks and their pedagogical use.
The New Media Consortium's and the Educause Learning Initiative's "Horizon Report" (2007) gives the following definition:
"Undoubtedly the most pervasive aspect of Web 2.0, social networking is all about making connections and bringing people together. Conversations that take place in social networking contexts are inherently social, and often revolve around shared activities and interests" (p.12).
Similarly, Lee LeFevre in his article "Comparing Social Networking to Online Communities" points out:
"In traditional online communities, connections to particular forums or sub-communities are implicit. [...] Social networking, on the other hand, enables individual members to share explicit relationships with people and forums. Members use their home pages as rich representations of their preferences- which enable them to express their identity through explicitly shared forum membership and connections to other members." From this perspective, social networks are closely linked to Web2.0. Yound people today are becoming more and more involved with social netoworking sites. According to ECAR Research Study 8, 2008, 85.2% of respondants admit to using social networking sites. This usage, however, varies largely depending on age. It was learned in in the ECAR Study that 95.1% of respondants between the ages of 18-19 report using SNS's, but only 37% of those 30 years old or older have SNS profiles. The most popular social networks are, for example, myspace.com
or facebook.com for an exchange of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. Also in the ECAR Research Study 8, 2008, Facebook is the most commonly used social networking site, with 89.3% of respondants reporting to maintaining a profile here. Student's also use websites such as ratemyprofessors, pickaprof or myprofessorsucks to share ideas and impressions on a class and its professor. There are also websites with an emphasis on a more professional social networks (for instance, openBC.com/Xing.com and LinkedIn) where career oriented social connections, as well as suggestions for clubbing, for the house market for expats (professionals who live and work outside their homecountry) etc. are presented.
Overall, social networks might help and support finding new ideas, starting a contact with people, who have similar interests, and sharing and exchanging information. A good overview about social networking and its impact gives mashable.com, where bloggers focus on new sites and current trends. This variety of social tools is brought to mind by Brian Alexander in his article "Web 2.0: A New Wave of Innovation for Teaching and Learning?": "During the past few years, a group of Web projects and services became perceived as especially connective, receiving the rubric of “social software”: blogs, wikis, trackback, podcasting, videoblogs, and enough social networking tools like MySpace and Facebook to give rise to an abbreviation mocking their very prevalence: YASN (Yet Another Social Network)." Thus, rather than attempting to explain different social networks or "yet another social network", this article aims to present some ideas for the use of social networks for classes on the high-school or the university level. These examples are based on the standards as developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), and the American Association of Teacher of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) . Their publication "Standards for Foreign Language Learning. Preparing for the 21 Century" focuses on the 5 C's: Communication, Cultures, Comparisons, Communities, and Communication.
From a pedagogical point of view, social networks are essential, particularly if you teach a foreign language class that is based on communication and exchange. Social networking provides exchange with other (academic) communities and countries. University of Connecticut's Professor Manuela Wagner, for instance, currently has an exchange between students from the University of Connecticut and students from Tufts University via voicethread, where students can explain to each other their campus life. In a foreign language class students could have similar exchanges to other countries and native speakers. Instead of waiting for letters one could have an authentic, direct, and fast exchange - without leaving the classroom and without expenses. Another example for virtual travel could be a project such as 1000stories, where, at the same time, an American visits Germany and a German travels in the United States.Their social networking, e.g. the stories they collect and their interviews in both countries, is documented via weblog and can be used for discussion on culture and language -from both perspectives- in the foreign language class. With these tools students can engage in conversation and exchange opinions, their feelings, and are able to articulate their experiences and understanding of other cultures and communities.
Another application of the above mentioned social websites like myspace and youtube could be to advertise a university's language program and university language clubs, e.g. the Italian or German Club or a program such as the University of Connecticut's Eurotech program. This has four main benefits, it connects people and (interdisciplinary) language learners, creating social networks for them to utilize, it helps students and their parents to get important information for potential educational careers and it can help prepare them for a studying abroad. Podcasts from a lecture or class, as described in the article's "Confessions of a Podcast Junkie: A Student Perspective" by Carrie Windham and "Lectures on the Go" by Brock Read, allow teachers to support students who fall behind or have to make up for classes as well as deepen the insight into the contents of a course. Using social networking tools in assignments, for example, the collaborative use of digital storytelling, e.g. the use of talkshoe and mogulus, or collaborative writing projects such as a class wiki, e.g. the use of googledocs or wetpaint, allow students to deal creatively and socially with the contents of a class. Of course, it would be important that these websites and podcasts be used appropriately and that privacy protection is kept in mind. If this is the case, learners can reinforce and further their knowledge as well as their (technical) skills via social networking. In addition, social networking could be used inconnection with other tools, like virtual realities. Students can prepare their own character and alter ego, and write the biography, what this "virtual" self likes. When the avatar is complete (on facebook for instance), it will be used on places like Second Life, the self-proclaimed "3D online digital world imagined and created by its residents". The pedagogical goal in these virtual realities is more indirect and includes the interaction with others from different backgrounds (far from the classroom and the campus) and the experience and practice of new ideas and techniques as described on Second Life's website "Education & Non-Profit Organizations".
Other examples of the professional benefits that might arise from social networking could be pedagogical online sources such as Language Lab Unleashed where educators, students, and everybody interested in educational questions can connect and share ideas, thus helping to create new tools and ideas for learning processes. Similarly, this wiki and the blogs in our above mentioned class "Beyond WebCT: Integrating Social Networking Tools Into Language & Culture Courses" bring pedagogical views and insights together and allow educators to articulate and discuss the use of technical tools and social networking in the classroom. Similarly, social networks sites and blogs, as illustrated by Carrie Windham in "Reflecting, Writing, and Responding: Reasons Student's Blog", could be used in a (language) class. By being a part of the (weekly) schedule, students and teachers can communicate, acquire additional information, raise questions, engage in discussions, express opinions, and apply what they learned and/or know already. Social bookmarking and social annotation through websites such as Del.icio.us or Diigo, allow educators and learners to share ideas and concepts, which could be easily included as assignments or as additional resources in the syllabus.
In conclusion, social networks and their communities provide students and teachers simultaneously with the ability to learn language and culture both within and beyond the setting. From this perspective, social networks support the experience of a life-long learning process in a globalized world.
Here is the video clip about a simple and clear explanation of Networking in Plian Engilsh by Lee and Sachi lefever.
The picture used in this wiki shows a statue in Munich. It is courtesy of Nice Bastard at Flickr.
What is social networking?
The following article, based on texts and discussions in our class "Beyond WebCT: Integrating Social Networking Tools Into Language & Culture Classes" at the University of Connecticut, shall provide insight into aspects of Social Networks and their pedagogical use.
The New Media Consortium's and the Educause Learning Initiative's "Horizon Report" (2007) gives the following definition:
"Undoubtedly the most pervasive aspect of Web 2.0, social networking is all about making connections and bringing people together. Conversations that take place in social networking contexts are inherently social, and often revolve around shared activities and interests" (p.12).
Similarly, Lee LeFevre in his article "Comparing Social Networking to Online Communities" points out:
"In traditional online communities, connections to particular forums or sub-communities are implicit. [...] Social networking, on the other hand, enables individual members to share explicit relationships with people and forums. Members use their home pages as rich representations of their preferences- which enable them to express their identity through explicitly shared forum membership and connections to other members." From this perspective, social networks are closely linked to Web2.0. Yound people today are becoming more and more involved with social netoworking sites. According to ECAR Research Study 8, 2008, 85.2% of respondants admit to using social networking sites. This usage, however, varies largely depending on age. It was learned in in the ECAR Study that 95.1% of respondants between the ages of 18-19 report using SNS's, but only 37% of those 30 years old or older have SNS profiles. The most popular social networks are, for example, myspace.com
or facebook.com for an exchange of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. Also in the ECAR Research Study 8, 2008, Facebook is the most commonly used social networking site, with 89.3% of respondants reporting to maintaining a profile here. Student's also use websites such as ratemyprofessors, pickaprof or myprofessorsucks to share ideas and impressions on a class and its professor. There are also websites with an emphasis on a more professional social networks (for instance, openBC.com/Xing.com and LinkedIn) where career oriented social connections, as well as suggestions for clubbing, for the house market for expats (professionals who live and work outside their homecountry) etc. are presented.Overall, social networks might help and support finding new ideas, starting a contact with people, who have similar interests, and sharing and exchanging information. A good overview about social networking and its impact gives mashable.com, where bloggers focus on new sites and current trends. This variety of social tools is brought to mind by Brian Alexander in his article "Web 2.0: A New Wave of Innovation for Teaching and Learning?": "During the past few years, a group of Web projects and services became perceived as especially connective, receiving the rubric of “social software”: blogs, wikis, trackback, podcasting, videoblogs, and enough social networking tools like MySpace and Facebook to give rise to an abbreviation mocking their very prevalence: YASN (Yet Another Social Network)." Thus, rather than attempting to explain different social networks or "yet another social network", this article aims to present some ideas for the use of social networks for classes on the high-school or the university level. These examples are based on the standards as developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), and the American Association of Teacher of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) . Their publication "Standards for Foreign Language Learning. Preparing for the 21 Century" focuses on the 5 C's: Communication, Cultures, Comparisons, Communities, and Communication.
From a pedagogical point of view, social networks are essential, particularly if you teach a foreign language class that is based on communication and exchange. Social networking provides exchange with other (academic) communities and countries. University of Connecticut's Professor Manuela Wagner, for instance, currently has an exchange between students from the University of Connecticut and students from Tufts University via voicethread, where students can explain to each other their campus life. In a foreign language class students could have similar exchanges to other countries and native speakers. Instead of waiting for letters one could have an authentic, direct, and fast exchange - without leaving the classroom and without expenses. Another example for virtual travel could be a project such as 1000stories, where, at the same time, an American visits Germany and a German travels in the United States.Their social networking, e.g. the stories they collect and their interviews in both countries, is documented via weblog and can be used for discussion on culture and language -from both perspectives- in the foreign language class. With these tools students can engage in conversation and exchange opinions, their feelings, and are able to articulate their experiences and understanding of other cultures and communities.
Another application of the above mentioned social websites like myspace and youtube could be to advertise a university's language program and university language clubs, e.g. the Italian or German Club or a program such as the University of Connecticut's Eurotech program. This has four main benefits, it connects people and (interdisciplinary) language learners, creating social networks for them to utilize, it helps students and their parents to get important information for potential educational careers and it can help prepare them for a studying abroad. Podcasts from a lecture or class, as described in the article's "Confessions of a Podcast Junkie: A Student Perspective" by Carrie Windham and "Lectures on the Go" by Brock Read, allow teachers to support students who fall behind or have to make up for classes as well as deepen the insight into the contents of a course. Using social networking tools in assignments, for example, the collaborative use of digital storytelling, e.g. the use of talkshoe and mogulus, or collaborative writing projects such as a class wiki, e.g. the use of googledocs or wetpaint, allow students to deal creatively and socially with the contents of a class. Of course, it would be important that these websites and podcasts be used appropriately and that privacy protection is kept in mind. If this is the case, learners can reinforce and further their knowledge as well as their (technical) skills via social networking. In addition, social networking could be used inconnection with other tools, like virtual realities. Students can prepare their own character and alter ego, and write the biography, what this "virtual" self likes. When the avatar is complete (on facebook for instance), it will be used on places like Second Life, the self-proclaimed "3D online digital world imagined and created by its residents". The pedagogical goal in these virtual realities is more indirect and includes the interaction with others from different backgrounds (far from the classroom and the campus) and the experience and practice of new ideas and techniques as described on Second Life's website "Education & Non-Profit Organizations".
Other examples of the professional benefits that might arise from social networking could be pedagogical online sources such as Language Lab Unleashed where educators, students, and everybody interested in educational questions can connect and share ideas, thus helping to create new tools and ideas for learning processes. Similarly, this wiki and the blogs in our above mentioned class "Beyond WebCT: Integrating Social Networking Tools Into Language & Culture Courses" bring pedagogical views and insights together and allow educators to articulate and discuss the use of technical tools and social networking in the classroom. Similarly, social networks sites and blogs, as illustrated by Carrie Windham in "Reflecting, Writing, and Responding: Reasons Student's Blog", could be used in a (language) class. By being a part of the (weekly) schedule, students and teachers can communicate, acquire additional information, raise questions, engage in discussions, express opinions, and apply what they learned and/or know already. Social bookmarking
and social annotation through websites such as Del.icio.us or Diigo, allow educators and learners to share ideas and concepts, which could be easily included as assignments or as additional resources in the syllabus. In conclusion, social networks
and their communities provide students and teachers simultaneously with the ability to learn language and culture both within and beyond the setting. From this perspective, social networks support the experience of a life-long learning process in a globalized world.Here is the video clip about a simple and clear explanation of Networking in Plian Engilsh by Lee and Sachi lefever.
The picture used in this wiki shows a statue in Munich. It is courtesy of Nice Bastard at Flickr.
