Journal Article #7: Beyond Social Networking: Building Toward Learning Commuities

Reynard, Ruth (2009/07/15). Beyond social networking: Building toward learning communities. The Journal, Retrieved 08/01/2009, from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2009/07/15/Beyond-Social-Networking-Building-Toward-Learning-Communities.aspx?Page=1

The article Beyond Social Networking: Building Toward Learning Communities deals with the issue of creating learning communities out of social networking tools. The article stresses the point that if educators only encourage students to socialize, the goal of building virtual learning communities will be missed. Relationships are an important part of the classroom, but this should evolve into idea exchange and educational discourse. The article also points out the necessity of teachers connecting with their students through social networking, the teacher should also have an educational goal in doing this. It is stated in the article that if students perceive that their teacher is only interested in the social aspects of networking, they students will often find this "creepy". If teachers are going to actively be engaged in networks such as Facebook, there should be an educational reason that accompanies this. There should be references to the class or a separate container for classroom discussions.
The article also stresses the point that social construction of knowledge does simply go hand-in-hand with social networking, it has to be done on purpose. The article offer several steps to encourage students to become active participants in the social construction of knowledge: 1. Maintain a constant presence; 2. Use a variety of technology tools to keep the students' interest; 3. The instructor should showcase the methodology they use, explaining to students how they have done what they have done; 4. Continue to constantly engage the students and treat them as individuals.
The article also lists some of the challenges associated with constructing a community of knowledge through technology. First, students will often times feel uncomfortable with using new technology. Second, students may have a problem with presenting their material to a wide audience over the Internet. There are several skills that students should acquire through this process of knowledge constructivism. Students should learn simulation or how to interpret and construct dynamic models of real world processes. They should also become familiar with collective knowledge or being able to pool knowledge and compare notes toward a common goal. They should also learn about negotiation, or being able to travel across diverse communities, discerning multiple perspectives and grasping alternative norms.

How can students in lower income families participate in these learning communities if they do not have Internet access at home? I would assume the best answer is for these students to stay after school if there is something pressing that needs their attention, or use a library that has free Internet access. However this sort of defeats the purpose of what is trying to be achieved. Students in these circumstances will not have the luxury of joining into this learning community at their leisure and this will then become more work for them instead collaborative environment that is meant to make things easier for them.

How do you keep students engaged? The article states one of the most important elements of creating a learning community via social networking is to keep the students engaged, but it does not offer any suggestions on how to do this.