Reflect upon the Pew research and think about how your students connect with each other outside of the classroom walls and the content they create and share. How can we apply this understanding to our instruction in light of the potential challenges and risks?
Personally, this research has confirmed many things that I already knew about the habits of teenagers and young adults in relation to digital media. What I am really curious to see though, is another study done today. I really would like to see data on the usage of websites like instagram, vine, and snapchat. I still hear about facebook in my classroom, but there always seems to be a new social networking website that students use to share information. Not only do they use various websites to share pictures, and videos, but they LOVE to use them.
Teenagers are very social creatures. They seem to relish in interaction and collaboration. Teens today are digital natives. They have literally never been disconnected. According to the Pew Research, 75% of teens have a cell phone and 93% percent of teens go online. "More so than for their elders, the internet is a central and indispensable element in the lives of American teens and young adults." (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, & Zickuhr, 2010). Teens read their news online, they play games online, they communicate online, and they create pictures and videos. Their lives are centered around digital media. Social media is not only how teens communicate with each other, but also where their creativity can flourish.
This dependence on digital media has its positives and negatives. One the positive front, these students express their creativity with each other using digital media. They take pictures, edit them and post them all on their phones. I have seem some amazing videos and pictures that students have created. With the increase of social media, has come the increase of cyber bullying. Digital media, especially social media, has provided an avenue for teens to hide behind a username and bully other teens.
Some teachers see these negatives and decide to eliminate digital and social media from their classroom. I do not believe this should be the answer. We should teach responsible use of these resources and apply their strengths in online collaboration and creation to our classroom. There is always a risk to using social media, but doesn't everything that is worthwhile have a risk? To shut out this resource because one student will abuse it isn't fair to the majority of them that will. As a teacher, you must set clear expectations with technology usage, and monitor and enforce your guidelines. More often than not, the students will respect the boundaries. Every day, I hear student talk about the pictures they have taken and edited and put on instagram. Some of them show me their latest picture of their dog and how they added wording and effects to make the picture better. I hear about the videos they create using Vine. Some of them are really neat and creative. I think instead of shutting this resource out of our classrooms, we should embrace it!
One way I apply this is to allow them to collaborate online using edmodo. I wasn't sure how the students would react to edmodo but they LOVED it! I heard several exclaim, "its like facebook... BUT FOR SCHOOL." They loved the ability to collaborate with their group members and me online using this website. I set up clear expectations and guidelines for the use of edmodo in my classroom, and the success I have had with the website has outweighed the possible negatives. The students become excited to learn and create great finished products. I had group of students use edmodo to collaborate on a project they completed using the game mindcraft. They created a digital West and played through their hardships on the Oregon Trail. They recorded the game play and posted it to edmodo. Not only did they learn they content, they were proud of what they created.
Gardner states, "In our global, wired society, creativity is sought after, cultivated and praised..."(Gardner, 2007). In what ways do you integrate digital collaboration and creativity in your classroom? What are some of the obstacles that you had to overcome in its integration?
Gardner, H. (2007). Five Minds for the Future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., & Zickuhr, K. (2010). Social Media & Mobile Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults [PDF]. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/
Reports/2010/Social-Media-and-Young-Adults
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