Social Network Technologies
https://www.google.com
Google+ integrates social services such as Google
Profiles, and initially introduced new services identified as
Circles, Hangouts and Sparks. Google+ was integrated into the account creation
process for other Google services, such as Google Mail. According to
independent analysis of its growth in December 2011, the site was adding an
estimated number of 625,000 new users a day. Basically, Google+ is an amalgamation of several services
we already use. Google Circles are groups of friends you
organize by topic: Friends, Family, College Buddies, Roommates, etc. Sparks is
like Google Reader, except it brings content to you automatically based on your
interests. Hangouts are virtual rooms where you can video chat with people in
your circles. Huddles is group messaging for people within your Circles. There's a mobile app
available for Android now that lets you send messages from your
phone. Google+ is invite-only right now. You can visit the Google+ home
page to request one.
Google is a
great site to create a blog. Keeping a blog is a great way for students to work
on their skills as a writer. By requiring students to keep a blog can make your
job as an instructor easier and you can assist in helping students to establish
their digital presence as a critical thinker and writer.
Saywire
provides the convenience of having one central place to access both online and
blended learning activities. It gives the freedom to explore, identify, and engage
indifferent methods for sharing knowledge from simple blogs to elaborate
networks of learning communities. Saywire may be a safer option for students
since it’s closed to individuals outside of class and allows the teacher to
closely monitor interactions. According to Dr. Richard J. Light (Harvard School
of Education), social media, as a technology that is deemed “cool” can attract
young learners. Social media platforms enable many engaging classroom
activities, including “communities of practice” where learners can interact and
share ideas. This group learning format appeals to younger, socially conscious
learners and is built around the notion that ‘many minds are better than one’.
Saywire can be
used, for instance, in a literature class. After reading a book, this site can
be used to promote discussion and share resources related to the book. Additionally,
students can post assignments for classmates to evaluate and provide feedback.
Why consider posting images or video to the Web in the first place? What better way to celebrate the good work that students do every day than by putting it online for all to see. In essence, regardless of how you do it, the idea that we can now use social networks to tap into the work of others to support our own learning is an important concept to understand. It’s changing the way we work and learn (Richardson, 2010, p.99).
Why consider posting images or video to the Web in the first place? What better way to celebrate the good work that students do every day than by putting it online for all to see. In essence, regardless of how you do it, the idea that we can now use social networks to tap into the work of others to support our own learning is an important concept to understand. It’s changing the way we work and learn (Richardson, 2010, p.99).
References
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Google+ sounds great! I just created an account. Can you invite me to your circle? I didn't see a place to request an invitation. Unless creating an account is request of intent. I'm particularly interested in the virtual rooms hangout, sounds like they would be great for conferences.
ReplyDeleteSaywire sounds like something that would attract learners to participate in a FB like environment. I thing your suggestion of using it as a literary discussion circle is a good one.
ReplyDelete