Social Media in Education.
Today about 60% of educators and administrators have begun using social media as a tool of engagement both in the classroom and in their professional lives. They encourage interaction among students and the media that they are already active in throughout the day via youtube videos for supplemental learning, webinars and podcasts, and entering the growing world of blogging to express his our her ideas openly to the global cyber community. However since students already spend hours on these sites per day as a leisure activity, many schools and educational centers have taken to blocking such media in schools which makes it harder for educators to use social media in the classroom. Since the professional world is migrating towards technology and away from the paper and snail mail tasks, it is essential that the youth be engaged in this sort of technology early on. Integrating the use of media and social networking into the classroom will yield stronger well rounded individuals to lead our world to thrive. With this digital education, children and adolescents are learning to break social barriers that many adults today continue to struggle with and thus hinder their successes in life. Even though technological and digital education is still in its experimental stages, the youth seem to be thriving more than ever and at younger and younger ages. With earlier exposure to the online community, the youth of today are able to give feedback and find ways to improve the digital world in ways that do not occur to the adult population. Some bloggers and researchers are beginning to call this informal education provided by the online community the ideal learning environment or "affinity spaces". Affinity spaces are ideal because they are constantly narrowing the gaps between age, class, race, and gender. These environments are also ideal because they depend on peer-to-peer teaching and encourage classmates to share their knowledge and skills while also learning and appreciating the knowledge and skills of their fellow peers. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec10/vol68/num04/Using-Social-Media-to-Reach-Your-Community.aspx |
Dorm vs. Residence Hall
In the past couple of years, residence life and housing officials have been working to kill the term dorm. They want residents and incoming students to feel that their new home away from home is more than just a place to "hang their hat and sleep". They want more for their students. To these officials and employees residence hall means a place where to live and where you enjoy residing. A place where you live and learn. At Emory, the residence halls are coined LLC's or Living Learning Communities. Furthermore, stating that a residence hall rather than a dorm is a safe space for residence to live and learn. Moreover, to engage in diverse cultural and educational experiences outside the classroom, exam, essay, teacher-student lecture setting. A residence hall is a place for students to learn and engage themselves i new and innovative experiences. However, despite the much fascinating with this new term being used in college campuses all over America, many disagree...No...misunderstand the importance of converting from a dorm to a residence hall. Individuals outside the campus life community feel is is stupid for lack of better work when they are scolded by friends, contacts, and colleagues in campus life for using the word dorm. They say things like, "it's easier" and "it's shorter" essentially it is more convenient. When they use to word dorm as opposed to residence hall, I believe this individuals to be misguided the revolutionary living learning communities that our colleges provide students. Whether you call it a living learning community, a dorm, or a residence hall just remember why it is actually termed a residence hall. Recognize the amazing progress it is making in education. Take note of the future leaders, this buildings, if you will, are molding. I personally believe you cannot fully understand the benefits and for lack of a better word amazingness of residence hall and their impact on our lives as student- residents or student-advisors living with in them or professional staff member supervising this experience unless you are one. So all I ask as that you don't just dismiss it when someone scolds you for calling my home a dorm rather think about why we the residence life community disagree with that word. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/campus-overload/2010/09/great_debate_dorm_vs_residence.html |