Comments on If the Army sees the potential in Facebook, why not schools?TypePad2009-07-01T09:23:30ZEwan McIntoshhttps://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/tag:typepad.com,2003:https://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2009/07/if-the-army-sees-the-potential-in-facebook-why-not-schools/comments/atom.xml/michelle commented on 'If the Army sees the potential in Facebook, why not schools?'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451f00f69e2011571a5e2d1970b2009-07-02T22:46:08Z2009-07-02T22:46:09ZmichelleThere definitely are unmet needs in our school learning environment that Facebook meets. One example is with student leadership groups....<p>There definitely are unmet needs in our school learning environment that Facebook meets. One example is with student leadership groups. Student Council leadership (including advisor/teacher and student leaders) communicate with each other and fellow students this way and organize all events such as dances,charity fundraisers, meetings etc. via Facebook. This is so embedded that posters with info about Prom or any student council events aren't even put up around school anymore.</p>
<p>Will our students migrate from Facebook to the intranet? This remains to be seen. </p>
<p>Facebook and blogs etc are blocked during class sessions but freed up over lunch and breaks. </p>alistair fitchett commented on 'If the Army sees the potential in Facebook, why not schools?'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451f00f69e2011570acc7e7970c2009-07-02T14:37:44Z2009-07-02T14:37:44Zalistair fitchetthttp://www.tiverton.devon.sch.ukGood post. We are experimenting with our own school social network within our school website. It's a closed environment and...<p>Good post. We are experimenting with our own school social network within our school website. It's a closed environment and as such has its positive and negative sides, but nevertheless it has been a really great way of building school community spirit. The students love it, and regularly access and use it both in and outside of school hours.</p>
<p>We also use Twitter as a means of documenting what's happening in the school community. Last week i was tweeting the leavers' prom with pictures on Mobypics and we have quite a few former and current students following the school. We also have Twitter unblocked in school and I've seen students tweeting in Science lessons, collaborating on the learning tasks and sharing online resources. It's early days of course, but i think there is real potential for exciting use of these kinds of resources in the future.</p>Ewan McIntosh commented on 'If the Army sees the potential in Facebook, why not schools?'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451f00f69e2011571a08571970b2009-07-02T11:32:02Z2009-07-02T11:32:03ZEwan McIntoshhttp://edu.blogs.comHi Daniel, I think I still agree with you (and my previous views) that we should learn from rather than...<p>Hi Daniel,<br />
I think I still agree with you (and my previous views) that we should learn from rather than actively use social networks in schools. I'm also still really clear on the fact that normally it is not schools and teachers at fault here for the lack of thinking on the matter - it is certainly the local authorities who repeatedly fail to engage on the issue in a meaningful way.</p>
<p>In that respect, I'm not asking a lot of Local Authorities. I'm asking them to think more transparently about why they do the things they do, be open not only to people's thoughts on that matter but also to bend to them when the overwhelming feeling is that teachers need to be treated as professionals.</p>
<p>Child safety should not be compromised by allowing teachers to take control of networks. If it is, we have existing mechanisms for training and disciplining staff in the most serious cases of misconduct.</p>Daniel Livingstone commented on 'If the Army sees the potential in Facebook, why not schools?'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451f00f69e2011570ab0c43970c2009-07-02T11:01:24Z2009-07-02T11:01:24ZDaniel Livingstonehttp://learninggames.wordpress.com/Oh noes 3 replies to a single post... just realised I told a co-founder of ELGG about ELGG /me blushes<p>Oh noes 3 replies to a single post...<br />
just realised I told a co-founder of ELGG about ELGG</p>
<p>/me blushes</p>Daniel Livingstone commented on 'If the Army sees the potential in Facebook, why not schools?'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451f00f69e2011571a02778970b2009-07-02T10:58:16Z2009-07-02T10:58:17ZDaniel Livingstonehttp://learninggames.wordpress.com/@Ben Werdmuller ELGG - http://elgg.org/ - is open source social networking software, used by some universities and other organisations. Would...<p>@Ben Werdmuller<br />
ELGG - http://elgg.org/ - is open source social networking software, used by some universities and other organisations.<br />
Would be nice if local authorities (or schools) could run their own social networks. Ning would be easier, but would still presumably have some of the data protection issues.<br />
</p>Daniel Livingstone commented on 'If the Army sees the potential in Facebook, why not schools?'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451f00f69e2011571a01fa4970b2009-07-02T10:54:56Z2009-07-02T10:54:56ZDaniel Livingstonehttp://learninggames.wordpress.com/Ewan, I think you are asking a lot of schools when some local authorities are still actively banning/restricting social networking...<p>Ewan, I think you are asking a lot of schools when some local authorities are still actively banning/restricting social networking (including blogging!). Fears over child protection are not going away in a hurry.<br />
Then throw in some research findings that suggest that many learners don't want schools/colleges invading their online social spaces...<br />
I think at UWS we've achieved a fair compromise in setting up a ning group for students. The VLE is used for 'education', ning is more social by far (including a lot of very irreverent content), but some of the learning/education activities do leak over. <br />
At the other end of things, the Open Source Moodle VLE will have a repositories API in version 2.0 which will allow tutors and students much greater flexibility in connecting what they do on the VLE to the world of Web 2.0 (and vice versa) - Flickr, GoogleDocs, ...</p>
<p>@Catherine - Thanks for the name check - most unexpected :-)<br />
Look out for 'Canvas' a schools project from Learning Teaching Scotland based in Opensim (Second Life compatible virtual world that you can run on your own server).<br />
</p>Ben Werdmuller commented on 'If the Army sees the potential in Facebook, why not schools?'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451f00f69e20115719f4d11970b2009-07-02T09:42:10Z2009-07-02T09:42:10ZBen Werdmullerhttp://benwerd.com/I go both ways on this one: YES - Facebook et al are a great proof of concept for the...<p>I go both ways on this one:</p>
<p>YES - Facebook et al are a great proof of concept for the kinds of social interactions that could be possible in education. Institutions need to take note, and as well as looking at the technology, provide a simple way for educators to understand the pedagogical implications. In other words, the technology is great, but not enough; the underlying reasons are extremely important.</p>
<p>NO - There are huge data protection implications for requiring or even suggesting that students go join Facebook. Better to learn from it and find a safe way to do the same sort of thing.</p>
<p>I've recently been encouraging institutions to look at developing <a href="http://benwerd.com/2009/07/building-the-user-centered-web/" rel="nofollow">a more user-centred approach</a>, which I think would benefit both education and the wider web at large.</p>dave commented on 'If the Army sees the potential in Facebook, why not schools?'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451f00f69e20115719a28b8970b2009-07-01T18:18:17Z2009-07-01T18:18:17ZdaveGood post Ewan as always. Our Local Authority (LA) has this week added bebo to the websense banned list for...<p>Good post Ewan as always.</p>
<p>Our Local Authority (LA) has this week added bebo to the websense banned list for teachers who were allowed acccess until last week! This means my colleague can't communicate quickly with the old S5/6 who are sorting their yearbook out for example. The patronising reply from LA was 'banned as they are time wasting sites' implying professionals such as teachers in their employ are time wasters. Hmm. These are same LA 'experts' whose Acceptable Use Policy is dated 2001 and mentions bulletin boards etc and when I challenged this asking for my S6 class blog (maintained by the kids)to be unblocked they did so but then nobbled the twitter update feed on the blog so I can't let kids know when I've uploaded resources onto the whole class website! So we keep getting told to use ICT, yet can't use it in our classrooms! </p>
<p>Hello...21st Century calling LA! Ironic as I am ex Army and have been using IT since 1982 so have rather more experience than many of the 'experts' in the LA IT Dept! Am spending holidays writing huge letter to various people in LA to persuade them to (a) let us get on with job with the tools we want and are supposed to be using NOW and (b) stop assuming teachers know nothing about IT etc. As you said it's about the teach so it is the teachers who should be telling IT what they want to use. It has been like this all term - one step forward three back with LA. And don't get me started on the GLOW/ SEEMIS deployment! </p>
<p>Holidays start tomorrow - wonder if they'll have things sorted by mid August? *sound of hysterical laughter in background* I might just ask for the British Army to step in!</p>Colin Gilchrist commented on 'If the Army sees the potential in Facebook, why not schools?'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451f00f69e2011570a4f552970c2009-07-01T18:09:31Z2009-07-01T18:09:31ZColin Gilchristhttp://profile.typepad.com/colingilchristThe distribution of sensitive information is a difficult one to master in an open environment - you mention a couple...<p>The distribution of sensitive information is a difficult one to master in an open environment - you mention a couple of excellent solutions.</p>
<p>I learnt from our lawyers that if they had (as a company) a Facebook page they would not be considered for a M.O.D. contract.</p>
<p>I'm guessing this is to do with arms movements or equally sensitive information - they are nervous. Unfortunately relying on common sense is no way to control information. (These walls have ears.) </p>
<p>I suspect it will take someone with your intellect and some success stories or case studies for the education sector to take note of the Army approach. Either that or the realisation that the best solution to an as yet unidentified problem is a social network. - Or the school suddenly realises that there is real benefit in creating a close knit online community?</p>Euan commented on 'If the Army sees the potential in Facebook, why not schools?'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451f00f69e2011570a4db05970c2009-07-01T17:46:53Z2009-07-01T17:46:53ZEuanI find it interesting that the army is encourging its use as i had heard that soldiers captured on operations...<p>I find it interesting that the army is encourging its use as i had heard that soldiers captured on operations have had their social networking sites accessed by captors to use as a psychologiocal tool in interrogations. </p>Catherine commented on 'If the Army sees the potential in Facebook, why not schools?'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451f00f69e20115719951a6970b2009-07-01T15:26:29Z2009-07-01T15:26:30ZCatherineInteresting post - just listening to Daniel Livingstone from University of West Scotland talking about integrating Moodle with Second Life...<p>Interesting post - just listening to Daniel Livingstone from University of West Scotland talking about integrating Moodle with Second Life - check out http://www.sloodle.org/moodle/ doubt we'll ever get schools thinking along these lines!!!</p>