SOCIAL NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY

Social networking is used by people of all ages and diversities. It "has grown to become one of the largest and most influential components of the web" (Nations, 2017, para. 1). Social networking functions within education, business, politics, entertainment, and news. This makes social networking a useful educational tool as it is has commonplace in everyday life. This blog focuses on how YouTube and Twitter may be used in education.

Reference

Nations, D. (2017). What is social networking? Lifewire. Retrieved from https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-social-networking-3486513

                                                                                                                                              

YOUTUBE

YouTube is a very common, widely used social networking medium. Its video- sharing nature makes it a great educational strategy for providing how-to demonstrations and practical applications (Boswell, 2016). After watching uploaded videos learners can give feedback and ask questions. Using YouTube also opens up the learning environment to other resources and individuals outside of the classroom. As a future educator, I would incorporate YouTube to demonstrate tasks and to explain course material then ask learners to offer their views. I would ask learners to create and/or locate similar productions that illustrate information or provide alternate perspectives. YouTube could be used to study different countries and cultures as well. This would help to expand interests and knowledge beyond what is familiar to the learners. The URL belows contains further information on usage and functions of YouTube.

https://www.lifewire.com/youtube-101-3481847

Reference

Boswell, W. (2016). What is YouTube? How do I use it? Lifewire. Retrieved from https://www.lifewire.com/youtube-101-3481847

                                                                                                                                              

TWITTER

"Twitter and 'tweeting' is about broadcasting daily short burst messages to the world, with the hope that your messages are useful and interesting to someone (Gil, 2017, para. 1). Twitter is also a useful medium for learning as it provides access to a pool of information and individuals with various backgrounds. George Siemens suggested learning is the act of connecting to other people (Laureate Education, 2009). Information can be shared and received without having to make friend requests. Furthermore, vast amounts of input can be covered without using lengthy time spans due to the limitation of characters per tweet. As a future educator, I would implement Twitter as an investigative tool for learning. I would ask learners to promote communication that could solicit ideas about learning and that could produce feedback regarding the uses and effectiveness of social networking. A lot can be discovered about society as people share their viewpoints and feelings about social networking. Does it reflect true characters or desired personas? Understanding people provides useful insight into the needs of various societies and environments. The URL below provides more information on uses and functions of Twitter.

https://www.lifewire.com/what-exactly-is-twitter-2483331

References

Gil, P. (2017). What exactly is 'Twitter'? What is 'Tweeting'? Retrieved from https://www.lifewire.com/what-exactly-is-twitter-2483331

Laureate Education (Producer). (2009). Connectivism learning theory [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu