Most people are aware by now what social networks
are. You’d be hard-pressed to find many people who don’t have some sort of
social network account, be it Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, or any of the other
various options available. Even my grandmothers are on Facebook, one of them
very actively! You’d be even harder pressed to find teens and preteens who don’t
have some kind of social media presence. Many of today’s students have been
online since they were just tots. They see social media as just a regular part
of interacting with their friends the same way I used to see passing notes in
between classes as a good communication method during the school day. Because
social networking is so ingrained in today’s students, I think social networks
certainly have a place in the school setting. I think using them in classroom
settings and in the media center is a good way to engage students and get them interested
in their education. It’s a way of meeting them on their level or speaking their
language. I think schools could use social media websites to their advantage in
a lot of ways.
In the media center alone, social media websites are
a great, free way to advertise the services and materials available to students
and teachers. As Mathews (2007, p. 80) notes, social media sites can help give
the library a more modern image and make it more appealing to younger patrons.
The media center may use its social media presence to advertise upcoming
events, such as book fairs and author visits. It may also be used to advertise
new books added to the collection. Mathews (2007, p. 81) notes social media
sites are also a good place for the library to post pictures and videos of such
events, as well as tours of the library. Social media websites can also be a
good way for librarians to gauge how patrons view the library and its services.
These websites allow users to comment on posts and give their opinions. This
could be a good way for a media specialist to see what’s working and what’s
not. A librarian might also use social media to conduct polls to get similar
feedback. The media specialist might also use social media to seek out patron
opinions on what books they’d like to see added to the collection.
In addition to traditional social media websites,
like Facebook, there are also sites that have other functions. One example is
the social bookmarking website Diigo. It allows users to bookmark websites and
access the bookmarks anywhere that has an internet connection. A media specialist
might use such a tool to create bibliographies for students and teachers.
As Fiehn (2008) notes, more and more people are
coming up with social networking software that can be used with library OPACs.
She notes Follett’s Destiny catalog has a social networking aspect that allows
patrons to rate materials and give reviews. Adding a social media aspect to the
OPAC could make it much more appealing to students and make them feel invested
in their library.
But social media websites aren’t just a good way for
the media specialist to connect with patrons. It’s also a good way for the
media specialist to connect with other people in his or her own profession.
Librarians may use social media to connect with librarians all over the world
and ask questions and get ideas from other in the field.
While social media websites do have a number of
perks for schools and media specialists, it’s important to note, many schools
do not allow students to use the websites in school, and they have good reasons
for making such a decision. As Mathews (2007, p. 80) notes, there are several
threats associated with social media sites, including online predators,
cyber-bullying, hackers, and addiction. All of these concerns are very real and
can put students at risk. I think just as we educate children not to talk to
strangers, or enter their cars, or leave their wallets unattended, we should
also be teaching them how to navigate the internet and social media websites
safely. Most of these kids are already using these sites at home, so they are
already facing these dangers. Educators and parents must be the ones to guide
students on how to protect themselves in the real world and online.
References:
Fiehn,
B. (2008). Social networking and your library OPAC! Multimedia &
Internet@Schools, 15(5), 27-29. Retrieved from http://www.mmischools.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=59618
Mathews,
B.S. (2007). Online social networking. In
N. Courtney (Ed.), Library 2.0 and
beyond. (pp. 75-89). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
I agree that most kids are already using many of the social networking sites and could be facing the dangers you described. If they don’t use them yet, they are definitely aware of them. We as educators should focus first on teaching the safety of using social networking sites. Education is the key to dealing with problems that might potentially arise.
ReplyDeleteI have been conducting the Internet safety lessons that are required to meet the CIPA requirements. The focus of the third grade lesson is safety when communicating online. I can say that I was honestly surprised at the number of students who have chatted or currently chat with online “friends” they have met on the Internet. Most could tell me some online safety rules, but this particular lesson deals with sharing personal information, and many were unaware of the importance of keeping information private. My time in the classrooms was well worth it!
Since most students are fully aware of social networking, we as educators can use this to our advantage and find ways to incorporate them for instructional use. While most of us think of Facebook or Twitter when we hear someone talk about social networking, there are many others that can have instructional value. I found the AASL link interesting in that more schools use social networking tools than I had anticipated. As a future SLMS, I feel I will start slowly in this area. Most likely, beginning with teachers is a way to expose them to the tools available and see the relevance of social networking tools.
The SLMS can be a leader in this initiative. It is his/her duty to stay abreast of what’s current and find ways to incorporate the latest technology and make it relevant for all students and teachers.
Shanna, I will have to admit that when it comes to social media, I am a bit old school. I am just learning the latest and the greatest. Prior to reading your blog, I would not have recommended using social media in a school setting. However you shared some great examples of how it could be beneficial to the library media center. I could not only use this for patrons like you said, but I could also use this for myself as a librarian. There are several times when I have questions or need information or just want to talk to someone who feels my library pains. By networking and connecting with other media specialists, I could have a resource or a place to go for all of my needs.
ReplyDeleteYou also talked about the dangers and this we always have to be careful of. I like what Sheila added in her comments. Kids need to know what to do and what not to do. We need to teache them as teachers and media specialists.