Catching Up with Students on the Instructional Use of Social Media

From the Marshall Memo #451

In article in District Administration, consultant Rob Mancabelli describes how an eighth-grade student used Facebook to do math homework with her friends. “We’re all online together,” said the girl, “so if I have questions, I get them answered while doing my homework, instead of the next day or even later. Sometimes my friends even explain the math better than the teacher, and we send each other links to stuff online.” Mancabelli asked which teacher had set up the group, and it turned out the teacher didn’t know about it. “Please, please don’t tell the teacher,” pleaded the girl, afraid that she and her friends would get in trouble for “cheating.” 

What’s wrong with this picture? Students are having a powerful learning experience, using technology strategically, the teacher isn’t involved – and students want to keep it that way. This anecdote reflects three shifts in how we think about teaching and learning:

• Shift #1: Teachers need to see connecting students via technology as part of their job. “In fact, this kind of individualization of content and instruction is the Holy Grail in education,” says Mancabelli. “Among the challenges inherent in this are teaching them to do it safely, in age-appropriate ways, and improving access for students on the wrong side of the digital divide.”

• Shift #2: Technology makes possible much more rapid feedback on learning, as these students discovered doing their math homework. Schools need to speed up their assessments and response time to keep up with the accelerating pace of learning.

• Shift #3: There’s a widening generation gap with technology, with too many teachers regarding social media as cheating or a waste of time. “Our professional development needs to focus on creating connected educators who learn in networks and, therefore, can teach students how to use these skills in ways that enhance their ability to learn,” concludes Mancabelli.

“Three Essential Shifts in Learning” by Rob Mancabelli in District Administration, 

September 2012 (Vol. 48, #8, p. 100), http://bit.ly/QJC2k3