Web 2.0 meets Middle School

I teach 6^th grade students and they are everything you’d expect 6^th graders to be; squirrely, inattentive, curious, energetic, and still unsure about themselves and the world around them. It’s weird because I’ve been missing them since school has been out for almost a month, yet in May I couldn’t wait to be rid of them. I guess that’s just at the life of a teacher!

We all remember middle and maybe some of us wish we didn’t remember those awkward years. Well, it’s pretty much the same, the students are going through that awkward phase of their lives but with social media and Web 2.0 added into the mix. So therefore, it is now up to the teacher to facilitate the learning of web 2.0 in the classroom along with the regular subject curriculum.

In an article by Burns titled “Beyond Difference: Reconfiguring Education for the User-Led Age” he talks about how it there is a growing need for education to address the process and practices of Web 2.0 technologies. While the article speaks to universities,  I’ve seen this need myself in my 6^th grade classroom. Young students do not know how to properly use the internet whether that be for personal use or school use.  When I first started teaching 6^th grade I realized the students would go onto Google images, type in a key word, find a picture they liked, and use that picture or site as a reference source for projects.

Also, Wikipedia is like the students’ bible when it comes to research and some use it as an end all means of information. Burns discusses the use of Web 2.0 technologies like that of Wikipedia in the critical component of the C4C’s. When there are technologies like that of Wikipedia that allow users to edit information and it is up to the consumers of that information to discern whether or not this information is to be trusted, something that middle school students need to learn.

So, throughout our annual History Fair project, which teaches students historical research skills and MLA formatting, students are taught how to properly use Google and Wikipedia to research their topic of choice. I normally take about a month and half out of the regular World History curriculum to teach online researching and using other tech tools such as Microsoft Word. This month and a half is not a solution to teach them everything they need to know about Web 2.0 and other technologies, but I hope it is a good start.

Social Media is a Must

In an article by Kietzmann, titled “Social Media? Get Serious! Understanding the Functional Building Blocks of Social Media”, it talks about how important social media is for today’s businesses and companies. Those that are not jumping on the band wagon that is social media are falling behind.

As a millennial, many of my friends were getting hired by companies right out of college to fill positions of “social media coordinator” or “social media director”. Their jobs required them to manage social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, being the three most popular. One of my college roommate’s big project with her organization was to launch their presence on snapchat.

The article uses United Airlines as an example when speaking about how social media may be needed to defuse situations caused by viral YouTube videos. United Airlines destroyed a customer’s guitar and the whole incident was caught on video and posted to YouTube. I feel this is common in the new age of Web 2.0 with more people watching YouTube videos and more sites having capabilities to share these videos with friends and family.

While I do not work in a corporate office, in a school setting teachers and administrators need to be aware of students’ phones and social media presence. Of course, we tell students until we turn blue in the face to turn off their phones and put them away, but they are still on and around every corner waiting to catch something on video.

When something does happen to be caught on video, such as a fight, it is up to administration to defuse the situation. In order to do this, they have to be able to understands the working of social media and how to then turn around and use it to their advantage. There are the traditional ways of using PR, but social media travels fast and seems to be the most beneficial.

Schools can also use social media to recruit students. Working a county with competitive middle school magnet programs, social media advertising and presence is very important in order to make parents aware of what each program has to offer. Having a Facebook page is also beneficial for currently enrolled parents and students because they are able to get updates on school activities and events.

So, no matter what field of work you are in it, I believe social media is the future and it is important to know its’ workings and purpose.

Web 2.0 initial thoughts

When reading "Riding the Waves of Web 2.0" it really had me thinking how my own experiences with the internet and social media has developed. The article talks about what has changed between Web 1.0 and 2.0 and the many people who are interacting with this technology and I was wondering when did I personally begin to use Web 2.0 to the fullest?

My dad is an IT specialist so growing up there were plenty of computers in the house. My first computer ran on Windows 98 and all I did was draw on the paint application and play my Barbie CD-ROM game that I had begged my mom to buy for me. Now, I know this isn't using the internet but this is my first memory of using this technology.

After racking my brain as a went to sleep last night to try to remember when I was first introduced to the Web, I then remembered my elementary technology class. The class was taught by Mr. Lapraud and we had the Apple computers that were tan and had the rainbow apple just under the screen.  He taught us especially how to use google and the "I'm feeling lucky" feature.

From there on technology seemed explode at my finger tips and one thing led to another. I began using google to help me with homework and projects, signing up for myspace, sharing photos on flickr, and getting on Facebook.

Today, thanks to smart phones, I have the world at my finger tips and have so many apps to connect with different people. While I am an active participant in Web 2.0 I still believe I am not using it to the fullest and am hoping that by taking a course in Web 2.0, EME6414, that I will be able to do so.