I believe that the affordances of microblogging and social networks can and should be appropriately leveraged for educational purposes. I think it is valuable for meaningful interactions in education if students can bring part of their “home cultures” into their learning environment. SNSs are apart of home cultures now I believe especially with the value they add to social capital (Ellison et al. 2007). Though there are those who warn against exploiting SNSs, saying that students are spending too much time on the social sites instead of preparing for class (Junco, 2012). This may be true, but should we so quick to blame SNSs for students not doing their work? The same can be said for any distractions that we allow to take too much of our time. Even having too much book can detract from class time if it’s the wrong book. Back to one of Junco’s (2012) point, there are certain aspects of SNSs that are negatively linked to GPA, while there are other aspects that are likened to bonding and building relationships (Ellison et al. 2007) that are positively linked to GPA in Junco’s (2012) study such as checking in on friends.
Especially now, leveraging the affordances of connecting to people adds to the value of social capital. It is imperative to support social structures the best we can and teach children (and adults) to meaningfully make and maintain support.
Further meaningfully engaging in SNS uses such as microblogging has “great potential for the future by expanding teaching and learning beyond the classroom” (Ebner, Lienhardt, Rohs, and Meyer, 2009, p. 99). Microblogging on a SNS platform like Twitter can bridge formal and informal learning contexts and processes, support collaboration, act as a conduit for peer interactions and feedback, support learning processes and causes of learning, and much more (Ebner et al., 2009). Further work to bridge communities and schools can begin by forming online relationships that grow into offline relationships. For example Lachney and Yadav (2020) point to linking community wealth and computing education. Community wealth can be likened to social capital in that they are both resources found in likely geographically bound areas. Communities are a network of people and resources that can be maintained and formed using social media as well. To Lachney and Yadav’s (2020) point community contexts like those in geographical communities and/or social communities can be viewed as barriers to formalized educational aspirations, but they can also be leveraged as salient pieces of an individual student’s identity and become “foundational for a quality education.” For culturally responsive educators incorporating aspects of the home culture (and possibly online, too) is as important as curriculum standards.
Madison— I found your argument to be very convincing. Particularly, you emphasize that social network sites and microblogs can be leveraged to bring “home cultures” into learning and education, allowing for the link between the classroom and community as well as extending learning outside of the classroom. Given the pervasiveness of both social network sites and microblogs in everyday life, your point is well articulated and reflective of the current context we find ourselves in wherein social network sites and microblogs are quite often the normative ways in which we connect, socialize, and interact with one another (especially given the pandemic). I also think that you make a really important point when you say, “For culturally responsive educators incorporating aspects of the home culture (and possibly online too) is as importance as curriculum standards.” Education and learning are so much more than mastering institutionalized materials, and you articulate that in your argument. While critics of microblogging and social network sites dismiss them as distractions to institutional learning/knowledge (I am thinking of Junco in particular), you highlight that learning occurs outside of classrooms and textbooks and thus, these virtual tools can be leveraged to build bridges between schools and communities.
Hi Madison, I think your argument is compelling and it is resonated with me in two ways. First, you said that “I think it is valuable for meaningful interactions in education if students can bring part of their “home cultures” into their learning environment.” I totally agree with your point. I think as Ellison (2007) also pointed out, interacting with other people by sharing culturally and historically relevant and unique experiences, we can build meaningful relationships with the members of the learning community and reach the meaningful learning experience through SNSs. For instance, whenever I can reflect on my own culture (such as my own native language and Turkish traditions) and hear more about others, I feel like I am building more authentic relationships and learn from others meaningfully (such as in Facebook or in Instagram). Your follow-up argument also resonated with me as you said “For culturally responsive educators incorporating aspects of the home culture (and possibly online, too) is as important as curriculum standards.” As we can include more of this idea of home culture in these SNSs environments as a form of learning platform, we could support learners while they are sharing their own identities and embracing the new ones.
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