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Tuesday, March 30, 2010 The News Argus Page 7
More instructors using social networking as teaching tools
Instead of forbidding its use, teachers have found a
way to incorporate social networking in the class
room.
Facebook and Twitter are a daily part of most stu
dents' lives and some faculty mem
bers have been using these sites to
teach and communicate with stu
dents and alumni.
Rebecca Wall, an instructor in the
English and Foreign Languages
Department, said she attempted to
use Twitter for her online Grammars
of English course fall 2009.
JORDAN “A blog I read suggested using
HOWSE Twitter to keep track of attendance
REPORTER online course," Wall said.
"I wanted to encourage students to spend time on
class[work] and also know how much time they spent
on class."
Wall said she tried out Twitter because Winston-
Salem State's Blackboard was becoming a hassle and
running very slowly. She said she would not see a use
for Twitter for classroom courses and would not use it
again for her online course because she experienced a
problem.
Most students enrolled in Wall's online course were
teachers from public schools. They tried to use the
computers at work and found that Twitter was
blocked.
Darius Cureton, director of the writing and com
puter literacy lab and instructor of English, said he
uses Twitter and Facebook in his Freshman
Composition I course. He requires his students to reg
ister for a basic Facebook account and join the course
group. He assigns what he calls "Facebook discussion
boards."
"I will normally post a current events topic and ask
students to respond to it," Cureton said. "It usually
revolves around issues they may be facing or things
that involve possible topics they can write their essays
on."
Cureton began using Facebook and Twitter as part
of a summer faculty development program called
Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom. Cureton said that he
uses Twitter to remind students that drafts, essays,
and assignments are due and alerts of class cancella
tions.
Sociai N«twork Terminology
Facebook -- free global social networking site
that is operated and privately owned by
Facelx)ok, Inc.
Web 2.0 TooJs - tools that teachers could use
to change from teacher-centered to student-cen
tered or group-centered teaching with support of
technology.
Twitter - social networking and mtcro-blogging
service that enables its users to send and read
messages known as tweets
Wiki - web page that authors and users can edit.
Source; Wikipedia.org
"I thought that maybe by using social networking, 1
would have more in-class interaction with my stu
dents," Cureton said.
Although Cureton plans to use Facebook and
Twitter in future semesters, he said that some students
may be resistant because they do not want to bridge
the gap between social interaction and academic sue-
cess.
"They want to be able to post messages and notes
uncensored but if they have to do it for class it forces
them to be a bit more professional. Being professional
sometimes isn't equated with having fun," Cureton
said.
Dr. Carolyn Anderson is the associate director of the
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
Anderson said, "We do not encourage our professors
to use these technologies [Facebook and Twitter]. We
encourage the use of blogs and Wikis."
Scott Betz, associate professor of art, uses a Wiki in
his introduction to art course. He said his Wiki will
replace the textbook one day but now it has calendars,
portfolios, demonstrations and assignments.
"It makes access to my notes easy for them [and]
the links to free software keeps supply costs down,"
Betz said. "When one is not using up supplies, I
believe there is more risk-taking and more experimen
tation."
Teachers have been using Facebook to stay in touch
with alumni. Dr. Robert J. Cowie, professor in the
department of physical therapy, is in contact with
approximately 80 graduates of the Master of physical
therapy program.
"I only started my network late last year," Cowie
said. He said that 80 students is a significant total
because the program has grown so much.
Wall also uses Facebook to stay in touch with
English and Foreign Languages alumni. The group
allows alumni to post what they have been doing,
offer recommendations for graduate school, and
allows Wall to update alumni about University and
department events such as the Rams Write QER
But there is a caveat to social networking.
"Students and teachers should be very cautious
about the information they put on [social networking]
websites because everyone has access forever,"
Anderson said.
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