Course Reflections – The role of Social Media in Education
Objective
Social media is transforming instruction in today’s
classrooms. Access to resources,
information sharing, group reflection and individual reflections are easier
than ever because of the new tools available to instructors and students. On
any given topic net-worked students use technology to; research scholarly
articles, share opinions on blogs, converse critically, and utilize the
expertise of peers and instructors alike. This connectivism is characterized by four
criteria; openness, autonomy, diversity and interactiveness. In the past, educational and organizational
models were more hierarchial, dictatorial, uniform and disconnected.
Reflective
The dramatic shift in sourcing and analyzing information can
seem overwhelmingly complex at times.
Information is abundant. It’s
important to be critical of the sources of information as many online sources
are opinion based. Google scholar offers
a way to access peer reviewed information as the basis for formulating informed
opinion on a topic. Students and
instructors must take care not to violate copyright law when accessing, using,
and sharing information sourced on line.
Interpretive
Networked organization and learning is considered to be
reliable because better decisions result from collaborative effort. Different perspectives offer greater
knowledge than the sum of the individual parts.
The implications of networked learning are profound. It has been argued that networked learning
compared to conventional instructional models are more open and able to
influence thought outwardly and
inwardly, it is more autonomous; collectively
individual goals and values become the principles and priorities rather
than a top down vision, offer more
strength through diverse thought, and produce greater knowledge as a
whole. The networked view turns
conventional organizational structures on their head because it draws on the
strengths and interests of its members who are working toward mutually
beneficial information exchange.
Networked learning will change education and organizations.
Decisional
Although the vast array of communication methods and
overwhelming amount of information can seem daunting, I plan on continuing to
develop my comfort level and knowledge of social media. I see enormous potential for technological networking
to solve many great challenges we face today. Judicious use of information, properly
attributed to original creators combined with reflective, critical thought
offers a way to put our collective heads together and share and develop the
best and brightest ideas through social media.
