Week 6 Assignment 2.1 Reader Response

Reader Response on Social Networking

The use of social networking sites is very important and worthwhile for introduction

to today's classroom and learners because the features of these sites enable social
communication and help motivate students throughout the learning process. 

Students opinions and thoughts can be shared with teachers and peers. In the study

of the photosynthesis lab, the social networking site allows students to observe each

other's projects and provide meaningful feedback. This helps the students to develop

a new perspective on scientific ideas and extend their learning beyond the confines 

of school and continue discussion outside of the classroom.

The design and choice of using a social networking site needs to fit in with the lesson

planned by the teacher and provide the right amount of exchange of information,
communication, and monitoring between students and teacher.   One of the sites

mentioned Edmodo allows students to send direct messages to their teacher which

can then be viewed by the teacher and also allows parents to be involved in their

child's learning process.  Parents can view any correspondence submitted by and 

communicated to their child.

Another advantage of using various ICTs is the powerful functions they provide, many

of them are free, and because they are considered cloud computing are easily 

accessible anytime and anywhere. Being able to collect and share digital resources is

a powerful strength of social networking sites.   Teachers have now begun to flip 

classroom instruction to the home where students can view videos online outside of

class.  This makes it possible for teachers to differentiate teaching for students who 

have diverse learning needs and they can repeat the video instruction outside of the 

classroom.

In addition, social networking sites offer all students equal opportunity to ask questions 

and share learning experiences. Social sites have advantages because of their

versatility. They can be used to modify assignment instructions, remind students about
important events, or express thoughts that they may not have had time for in class. 

These sites offer an abundance of features that will capture students attention, facilitate
instruction, assignment submissions, and provide a real-time gauge for parents and
administrators of students progress. 

 The results of the study were very positive, the teacher was able to understand 

students working in different ways beyond the classroom environment. Students used

 the social networking site to share ideas, collaborate, support, and share investigation. 

They were able to start conversation among classmates and address each other's 

questions. It allowed the students to develop and evaluate explanations that they may 

not have been able to do on their own.  The social networking sites allow the students to 

use multimedia resources and ICTs to demonstrate their scientific inquiry. Their work

can be posted, viewed, evaluated, graded and archived.  It was a very positive study

with good outcomes and did not limit the students form of expression.