introduction to the problem
“Good morning Mrs. Smith.”
“Good morning children. Have a seat. Today we are going to learn about…”
How many times have we heard a similar kind of dialogue between teacher and students? Whether it be from our own personal experience, from watching a movie or show, or even reading about it in a novel set in the 1900s, or even in 2012. Today, classrooms pretty much look, feel, and function just as they did 100 years ago. Over the years, theories have changed, learning styles have evolved, and countless teachers have tried a variety of different ways to connect to students. Some have succeeded in unconventional ways, and some have unfortunately failed. However, the fact remains that a majority of classrooms, students, and teachers, still function the same way they always have.
This fact is a fairly odd occurrence because times change so rapidly with the aid of technology or even as a result of technology. People, styles, work habits, businesses, and so much more constantly and consistently change over time. However, the way we educate our children, our future, that has not seemed to change much.
This obvious oversight is not only hard to understand, but it should be unacceptable. During a time when technology is changing at its most rapid pace, children, students, even adults have changed how they perceive things, absorb information, and communicate. There has never been a time in history when information has been able to be transmitted almost instantaneously to a mass media. Through innovations and inventions like the internet, email, social media sites, hand held smart phones, transmission of communication has not only changed in its pace, but in its form altogether.
To not harness the power of this kind technology would not only be a shame, it would be ignorant of us to ignore it away as most people usually do with things that are unconventional. Times are not only changing, they have changed. As a result, we need to change with it.
Today, social media is all the craze. People use social media daily to post their thoughts, plans, ideas, pictures, stories, and more. Other people respond to these posts in great haste. People have a lot to say, and for some reason, they feel comfortable saying it in public forums like Facebook, Instagam, and Twitter. To employ the power of social media into the classroom only seems like the obvious next step.
The overall goal of my Action Research is to test if and how social media can play a role in the classroom to engage students, encourage collaboration, and create a higher level of accountability among students and their work.
“Good morning children. Have a seat. Today we are going to learn about…”
How many times have we heard a similar kind of dialogue between teacher and students? Whether it be from our own personal experience, from watching a movie or show, or even reading about it in a novel set in the 1900s, or even in 2012. Today, classrooms pretty much look, feel, and function just as they did 100 years ago. Over the years, theories have changed, learning styles have evolved, and countless teachers have tried a variety of different ways to connect to students. Some have succeeded in unconventional ways, and some have unfortunately failed. However, the fact remains that a majority of classrooms, students, and teachers, still function the same way they always have.
This fact is a fairly odd occurrence because times change so rapidly with the aid of technology or even as a result of technology. People, styles, work habits, businesses, and so much more constantly and consistently change over time. However, the way we educate our children, our future, that has not seemed to change much.
This obvious oversight is not only hard to understand, but it should be unacceptable. During a time when technology is changing at its most rapid pace, children, students, even adults have changed how they perceive things, absorb information, and communicate. There has never been a time in history when information has been able to be transmitted almost instantaneously to a mass media. Through innovations and inventions like the internet, email, social media sites, hand held smart phones, transmission of communication has not only changed in its pace, but in its form altogether.
To not harness the power of this kind technology would not only be a shame, it would be ignorant of us to ignore it away as most people usually do with things that are unconventional. Times are not only changing, they have changed. As a result, we need to change with it.
Today, social media is all the craze. People use social media daily to post their thoughts, plans, ideas, pictures, stories, and more. Other people respond to these posts in great haste. People have a lot to say, and for some reason, they feel comfortable saying it in public forums like Facebook, Instagam, and Twitter. To employ the power of social media into the classroom only seems like the obvious next step.
The overall goal of my Action Research is to test if and how social media can play a role in the classroom to engage students, encourage collaboration, and create a higher level of accountability among students and their work.