The video I watched on Social Media was very short, but very powerful. We have seen videos like this before, but this was more current and had what I felt was an original message. The message was to make people aware about the growing influence and power of social media.
Some of the data that this video reported was astonishing:
- 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations and only 14% trust advertisements
- In 10 years, over 40% of the Fortune 500 companies will no longer be here
- Over 1 billion people are on Facebook
- Over 50% of the world's population is under the age of 30
- Social Media is the #1 web activity
- Gen Y & Z consider email passe and some universities have even stopped distributing email addresses
Let's think more deeply about the 1st bullet point I posted. Think about this from a student and teacher perspective. Imagine if students were able to pick their own teacher. The impact that social media could play on this decision would be enormous. If you saw that 90% of your friends were recommending a certain teacher because of X, Y, and Z reasons, I think you would know who you want your teacher to be. This would be a whole new level of accountability for teachers. Now, along with accountability in student growth, we are also looking at accountability in a whole new area that in the past would have been very hard to show accountability in, and that is the area of relationships.
Now, instead of an administrator telling you, as a teacher, that you need to be more engaging, thought provoking, and innovative, students will now be saying these things. Students are your customers. If you don't do your job and please your customers (in this case the students), you might be out of a job.
I would hope that if I was still in the classroom, students would definitely choose me. While students could use social media to call you out as a teacher, you as a teacher can also flip the tables with social media and use it to connect with your students. You could use social media to gather feedback, brainstorm ideas, and ask students how they want to learn. You could also get to really know your students and their interests if you utilize social media smartly and effectively.
I am so surprised at some of the statistics you provided us with- it is so strange to think that the majority of our population is under 30- and that tells me so much. This group of people have had technology for most of their lives and it stands to reason that social media and other types of technology are at the forefront of our minds. In response to your ideas about social media in the classroom, I agree with you. We have to learn how to incorporate this into our classes, whether it is for feedback or communication. It sounds like it could start off so easily- just make teacher account (many of you probably already do, but it's a new idea to me.)
ReplyDeleteSince most of our students have had technology for most of their lives, I think education will need to see a shift in how instruction is delivered. This transition time is what we are currently and the reason so many teachers and schools are in such different circumstances with technology. It will be interesting to see how social media evolves and changes and how it impacts and is utilized in education.
DeleteThe stats that you gave are pretty amazing! I think that using social media would be an interesting idea in which students could rate teachers. Students are already doing this on a site called www.ratemyprofessor.com. This site started around the time I was in college and really exploded quickly. I know that I used it when I was trying to decide between two different professors. However, the flipside of this is that just as with business reviews some students can be spiteful for many different reasons. The other thing to consider is whether or not an 8, 12, or 16 year old is mature enough to be objective with their review.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are pros and cons to both sides. I think that eventually this will happen. Whether or not it should is still up for debate.
Dion, as I was checking out ratemyprofessor, I also found the website ratemyteacher.com. There are a lot of teachers from Oak Hills on there, but not all. I was a little nervous because I said in my post that I thought students would choose me and I was hoping that is what I would find on ratemyteacher.com. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I couldn't find any ratings for me.
DeleteJay when is the MYSPACE.com social media round table going to happen... where is the OHHS myspace page? Come on! And most 16 year old reviews are- "that teacher is cool, the best at our school" (which typically means they have no discipline, low expectations and do nothing in their classroom!
DeleteSo did you see me on ratemyteacher? I Interesting... maybe we should be ok with it...that is showing some effort by them expressing their opinion. I have had a hard time getting my students to do the process of critique without being offensive.
DeleteJay, I have to agree with you. I think having a site like ratemyteacher or others like it serves no real purpose unless a student can provide information that is reliable and relevant to others. We (teachers) are taught constantly that the only good feedback is one that gives recommendations or examples of what they did right...16 year olds are not going to give that type of information to others. But, because I'm curious, my next stop is ratemyteacher.com to search myself.
DeleteLike many new technologies, I feel we haven't seen the world of education follow along with the trend and emphasis of social media due to lack of knowledge and experience. I feel like many teachers don't understand social media or how they could ever effectively use it for instructional purposes in the classroom. This needs to be addressed so that educators can harness the current power and interest in social media.
ReplyDeleteI am agreeing with Christian's comment about teachers not understanding how social media could be effectively used for instructional purposes, with me as a perfect example. With a few weeks of exposure to what's possible, I have really come around to seeing how social media could be an effective tool for augmenting curriculum and engagement with students, and increasing communication with parents and possibly other educators.
DeleteI liked Jay’s comment that, though students can review teachers on social media, “you as a teacher can also flip the tables with social media and use it to connect with your students.” I really see the possibility to connect with students more, to be encouraging, and to keep students excited about learning. I can also see how students’ own reviews of, for example, great books they are reading, could be shared through social media with the teacher’s site as a hub or catalyst, and their peer reviews would get other kids reading. Thanks also for sharing Daggett’s model of “rigor, relevance, and relationship,” a useful way to frame excellent teaching and curriculum.
ReplyDeleteI agree that flipping social media to be used positively is something that we should as teachers begin looking into. I like the ideas of using it to encourage students to discuss what they do and do not like or what they want to learn more about. We have to be smart as teachers when we use social media but it can definitely be used as a positive in the classroom.
DeleteSocial Media is a strong tool. It is the preferred method of communication for our students today- I believe that if used properly, it can be used as a positive tool in reaching out to students. Keeping them up to date with the latest in our classrooms and engage in true professional dialogue with their parents in regards to the power of education
ReplyDeleteI agree! I would be interested to talk with a teacher who utilizes many of the social media sites on a regular basis. Twitter seems to be a common educational tool out of all the social media sites. I wonder who is using Facebook, Pinterist, Instagram in their classrooms?
DeleteOver 1 billion people are on Facebook
ReplyDeleteOver 50% of the world's population is under the age of 30
Social Media is the #1 web activity
I found this above data very interesting... I have yet to get convinced that I 'need' to be on facebook yet over 1 billion people are:) I am not surprised at all that social media is so popular! Even t.v. shows that are on today have social media used throughout them by the judges, contestants and audience.
I am especially shocked by this statistic you provided: "In 10 years, over 40% of the Fortune 500 companies will no longer be here". This is difficult to imagine, and yet it truly shows how rapidly the focus in our economy is changing. Our needs and wants are changing as a society. From an education standpoint, how are we preparing our students for an economy 10 years from now that is 40% different than it is today?
ReplyDelete