Where Will Social Media Take Education

Social Media and Its Impact Upon Education

As an educator at two community colleges I have used social media in the forms of Youtube, movies, and television shows in my lectures.  Therefore, I was particularly struck by Will Richardson’s views outlined in his video.  He stated that we spent the first ten to twelve years consuming the product.  I take that to mean viewing it, or being a watcher much like Shirky described in his Keynote address.  Now, however, we are not just the audience or consumer, we are now the producer and sharer of the media.  I have only recently begun production in this form, but I certainly share pertinent social images in class.  

One such social image is a video presented to me by a juvenile delinquent I worked with:  Harrisburg Hood on Youtube (Hood).  The video depicts (what he claims) to be his graphic lifestyle and I use it to demonstrate the impact of environment upon personality.  I take this to be sharing.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v8MMIdm9T8

Teachers need to own the media, according to Richardson, and I agree.  However, thats begs the question, how are we to own?  Through self education?  Much of what I have learned about using the social media has come through my own students who are often more adept than I am.  Will the student become the instructor in this format?

Richardson mentions that we need to model as teachers.  We need to connect globally and locally.  In doing so, I believe we can take education to a different level by visually engaging ourselves and our students in different cultures and customs.  I had the good fortune this summer to teach a student from an India.  She showed us a video that demonstrated local customs and expectations regarding marriage and relationships.  This allowed for a dialogue about her culture and her expectations, even though she is currently living in this country.  We also got to see a Bollywood film clip.  This I hope will allow us to expand our cognitive thought process to the point that, dare I hope, someday bigotry and racism will, if not cease to exist, be at least minimal.  We fear change because we are uncomfortable with what we don’t know.  The more we know, meet, or see others with different viewpoints and lifestyles, the less fear and resistance to that which is different.  And that, I believe, will be one of the greatest influences of social media upon education. 

Richardson also mentions that we need to be careful consumers or readers.  He stated something to the effect of reading text is consuming is believing.  I would like more clarity on the difference between text and social media.  I still see potential problems in reading posts and taking them verbatim as well.  Perhaps the difference with social media is that people can and do respond.  One just has to be an educated viewer enough to check out the other sources.  

I appreciate, but suffered concern, when he discussed classroom walls and his hopes for education in the future.  Yes, he did credit teachers in the room as being crucial.  I applaud that!  I still believe in the interaction between people in a physical sense--eye contact, hearing tone of voice and viewing body posture for example.   Also I am a mover in class.  If there is disruption, lack of attention, etc. (in the back for example) I move there to reengage the “bak korner” as they have called themselves.  

Regarding cabinets and file folders, Richardson should come to Northampton--where those are still the ways of filing.  There was a big upheaval over filing cabinets for us adjuncts recently because they were moved, and moved.  I still believe in having something on paper--technology can backfire.  However cabinets can be moved and lost.  I sense a little bias there regarding storage.  What would Richardson make of me taking actual notes while watching his lecture?  What do I do with those physical notes.  

Overall, I appreciate Richardson’s views and plans for the future, and given that he has his own stake in it--his own children--I believe he will work to take education to a higher level that encompasses local and global views.  

I also appreciated Shirky’s address and his statements, that mirror Richardson’s, on media being interactive rather than passive.  I have never been much of a television viewer, choosing to be selective rather than passive about what I view and when.  His message regarding moving forward strikes a prominent cord for an educator, in taking the viewer, reader, etc. and instead of serving them processed goods allow them to interact.  That to me is learning:  not passively reading the text or, god forbid, having it read to you verbatim.  That is rote memorization.  Learning is discussion, sharing divergent views and recognizing that we don’t know it all, but we have a much better shot at learning if we share.   That is where social media can take us.  

That being said, I did hear Shirky plug his own book.  Good for him.  However, I must ask, was his childhood tv stuck on one channel?  It seems the poor man saw nothing but Gilligan’s Island.  

References:

Richardson, W. February 2008. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFbDEBNS7AE  

Shirky, C. 2008. Retrieved from http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2708219489770693816#