Social Networking or Educating

Good Morning AllToday I awoke to research saying that social networking is a tool we should be using for student engagement:http://www.afr.com/p/national/legal_affairs/law_schools_told_to_leap_into_social_pAVKdBPkusTlVRPNr71qSLThis evidence confirmed what I already knew. The evidence I had was based on my time during FE and I appreciate that for lots of you policy will dictate your ability to use these tools in and out of the classroom.

When I first started teaching full time I set a fbook account up for law students at the college I worked at. After 2 years I had nearly 200 'friends' and they all engaged on some level. Students would either use this as a way of emailing me or as a revision/learning tool. I could pose questions and tag students so even where there was no engagement students were aware of the knowledge they should be learning.

Students also had the option of peer assessing or helping each other..

and...

My view of social networking changed overnight. The media and skeptics would suggest these types of mediums would leave students at risk of bullying but in the three years I actively delivered materials through this medium never once did I need to step in and ask the students to moderate their behaviour. Considering the college where I worked was in a deprived area it is my belief that this was because a) they deserved more credit, 16 year olds are respectful of others and b) if they are trusted by their tutors they will make appropriate decisions about their education.

I have 2 clear memories of using social networking sites and being astounded by what could be achieved. I'd like to share those with you.

Memory 1: a student joined the A level grid. English was not his first language and I was taking some what of a 'risk' when he was enrolled. He was revising for Jan A2 exams when he asked me, via fbook, the difference between Highly Probable and Virtual Certainty. He 'inboxed' me and asked if it 'was one of those English language things'. A few messages later he understood AND he had a set of notes that he could refer back to should he become confused in the future. I was very proud. For completeness you might like to know that he has just completed his first year at Loughborough University.

Memory 2: I was just leaving a CILEx class and it had been a 12 hour day. I walked into the corridor and noticed I had a tweet saying 'I am freaking out, can we play?'. During my entire journey home we tweeted and revised. I fired basic knowledge questions and this particular student, and her peers, engaged and recited their knowledge. Again, for completeness, this student progressed to HE and is possibly one of the best independent learners I know!

I think the point I am making is that it's true. If students can interact with tutors inside and outside of the classroom then engagement and progression will improve. With the aid of fbook pass rates for A level law, CILEx, CIPS and Access improved at my former institution. As a tutor, I appreciate you may be fearful that this means more work but actually I'm not convinced. Tweeting and statuses can be done on the run.

I am now desperate to get the moodle app at my current institution. My view is that if students can engage whilst they are on the run (i.e through smart phones) then they are more likely to engage when they are in the classroom. When selecting VLEs please think about this level of accessibility. Do not forget that there are mediums that can be used at all levels of education (even those where safeguarding is more of a concern). I would urge you all to explore Edmodo, Facebook and Twitter integration!

Happy Playing #tweeting #fbooking #networking