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Following on from my last entry, about 'getting out' and learning in different spaces, I've been thinking about other opportunities for active learning outside the classroom. What about virtual worlds, or social networks, for example? I went to a training session on Tuesday with my colleague Neil Scott, producer of our (rather brilliant) alternate reality game Lost Penny, about social media. It was helpful to see how people in other areas of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ interact with their audiences, and I'm now puzzling what more we can do to reach ours.

Given that I've started writing this blog and have discovered how ICT-literate so many teachers in Scotland are, this might sound a bit like . The East Lothian schools' blog project, , is a great example of how many schools in Scotland are already using social media. Essentially, it creates a learning community that can share practice, something that the is attempting to do on a larger scale for the whole country. I have to be honest and say though that I rather like the idea of these informal, spontaneous projects existing alongside official Glow operations, as part of the many ways that teachers and learners can connect and collaborate. Have a look at , for example, where you can see that many schools and classes have set up blogs, and are also dipping their toes into the Glow portal, arranging link-ups between their classrooms and others in different parts of the country. Similarly, many teachers are on - the microblogging tool that forces you to sum up a thought in 140 characters - sharing links, ideas and even asking people to send in data their classes can use, in real time. Those of you who will get a wee update whenever this blog's updated for example, amongst other shared links and random thoughts.

Social media is slowly feeding its way into classrooms, and I hope that our resources will continue to engage with this - for our part we're hoping to get a brand new blogging space set up soon that you can interact more with, through comment and discussion. Our Scotland's History messageboards have seen furious debate from all corners of the country (and further afield!), and Lost Penny continues to captivate learners who send in solutions to the clues Donna finds.

The course I was on on Tuesday focussed more on the different ways people can 'interact' with our content, whether that's sending a text into a radio show, , or commenting on blogs. Communicating with people is the most exciting part of my job - and I'm sure communicating with young people is what makes so many teachers' jobs so rewarding. If we can use technology to make this easier, that can only be a good thing. One of my New Year's resolutions is going to be to make this blog as interactive as possible - linking out, hopefully forming links between the different content areas on this site, and (if we get our brand-spanking-new blogging tool) able to host ferocious discussion. I am looking forward to blethering with you all.

Comments

Students are certainly taking advantage of social networking on their own. Might as well tap into that passion and use it to improve the delivery of education. The potential value of online learning communities and global networking is too great to fathom. David Warlick, who was a keynote speaker I heard recently, said that educators are trying to prepare youth for a future that we cannot describe. I was struck by the absolute truth of that statement. Nothing is certain or impossible for that matter. December 4, I attended a technology in education conference myself and it was an eye-opening experience. I was heartened to learn that students have not lost their inquiring minds. They've simply taken them underground or online. What they're not asking in school, they are asking people in social networking situations and creating amazing things in the process. There is no doubt that the landscape of education is changing and that these changes are powerful and positive. However, I wonder about the ramifications of too much interacting online. Are young people losing their ability to conduct personal relationships face-to-face? Second Life is a place where people can develop alter egos which take the form of avatars. This "place" is being touted as a way for students who have difficulty relating to their peers to transcend these problems and succeed. At what are they succeeding? It's not real, or is it? Are they learning important life and coping skills by creating a graphic of themselves and existing in cyberspace? There has to be a balance. Humans will adapt to new technologies as soon as they're available in the mainstream, but at what cost?
Cathy Fraser
Fri Dec 19 04:39:45 2008