Social Networks in Schools

I was reminded this week of the importance of celebrating the talents and efforts made by young people in schools in order to improve their self-esteem and their view of themselves as learners.  During an ICT lesson, I had spoken with a student about his interest in art – he sees himself as an artist and told me that he spends most of his time drawing and painting.  The following lesson, he brought in some examples of his work.  I was so impressed with his dedication and art that I asked his permission to take a picture with my mobile phone of one of his drawings so I could post it with some comments to a number of social networking sites (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidwarephoto/5181205067/).  He was thrilled and delighted!  The feeling of pride he gained from this simple act appears to have renewed his interest in learning and re-ignited his belief in himself and that he has something to offer.  (Who knows what this could lead to?  Read the story of Matt Groening told by Sir Ken Robinson in his book The Element, Penguin 2009)

We all know, don’t we, that success is all-important in building learner motivation and their capacity to learn?  In my experience with young people with learning difficulties, however, failure and the fear of failure is not only debilitating, it results in anxieties about learning and can lead to additional problems associated with behaviour and attitude.  The result is a cycle of failure which is hard to break!

The student above may not be the best artist in the world (at the moment), but it is his way of making a contribution and communicating – it is the thing that drives him, it is his passion! 

There are at least two things that I take from this: 

1. the interests of learners are crucial to learning.  Finding out what drives learners and building it into teaching plans is perhaps the most important key to unlocking the potential inside every leaner to be the best they can be.  Ignoring what interests them does them a significant disservice which will affect them for the rest of their lives. 
2. as teachers, we have a responsibility to use whatever means at our disposal to motivate and encourage young learners no matter what their interests and talents are (all learners?).  In this way, we can build on their passion for learning and communicating and prepare them for the future complexities of life, a life which is likely to become increasingly dominated by technology.

Let’s be honest, social networking facilities are already being used extensively by young people to serve their need to communicate but they’re not always used in the most positive way.  We need, therefore, to teach young learners appropriate ways to use the technology and to use it responsibly.  We also need to work with them on effective and safe strategies to ensure that they are protected when using them.  Banning the use of such technologies in schools is not only short-sighted and removes significant tools for enhancing learning, it is also inappropriate and, many would claim, dangerous.

Long live learners!  Long live the technology!