Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Another social networking reflection
Before we move on the next topic, I wanted to share some more of my reflections about using social networking as a tool for teaching and teacher training in the UAE.
As a reflective task, I searched for a group that was used by UAE learners of English to observe how they used the group and maybe also to participate in the discussions. It was surprisingly difficult to find a group based in the UAE. I used a range of search terms: English, learn, college, UAE and so on with few viable results. Those groups that did come up were often inaccessible because the group participants had reverted to using Arabic in order to keep the discussions active; had fallen into inactivity soon after their formation or the discussion boards had been taken over by adverts for companies and services.
Finally I came across http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42452619586#/group.php?gid=42452619586It appears to be run by students from Dubai Men's College and they have done a good job of making the group active. It's a young group, with most of the postings dated 2009. The students have conversations about goals and success and post videos and photos related to their college and career goals. One piece of social networking that has gone on involving a contact outside the UAE is a teacher from Italy enquiring about the possibility of his students meeting HCT students when they visit the UAE this year.
However, I just didn't feel comfortable adding a post to the group. Why was that? On reflection I think there were three main reasons:
1.I don’t want to get involved as a teacher and raise the students’ expectation that I will be replying to posts and then not be able to regularly post later. That would let the group members down in some way.
2. The group seemed to be out of Dubai Men’s College and I teach at Sharjah Womens’ college. I felt that it would be easy for me to say something inappropriate that could reflect badly on myself as an employee of the college system.
3. My profile picture shows my daughter and I feel uncomfortable showing that picture to people who don’t know me.
This experiment has made me reflect deeply about my Facebook use and especially my privacy and accountability. I’ve decided to review my privacy settings and set up a separate account that can be used for professional purposes which has less person information and which will be more culturally appropriate to this part of the world. This will be my professional Facebook account.
As a reflective task, I searched for a group that was used by UAE learners of English to observe how they used the group and maybe also to participate in the discussions. It was surprisingly difficult to find a group based in the UAE. I used a range of search terms: English, learn, college, UAE and so on with few viable results. Those groups that did come up were often inaccessible because the group participants had reverted to using Arabic in order to keep the discussions active; had fallen into inactivity soon after their formation or the discussion boards had been taken over by adverts for companies and services.
Finally I came across http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42452619586#/group.php?gid=42452619586It appears to be run by students from Dubai Men's College and they have done a good job of making the group active. It's a young group, with most of the postings dated 2009. The students have conversations about goals and success and post videos and photos related to their college and career goals. One piece of social networking that has gone on involving a contact outside the UAE is a teacher from Italy enquiring about the possibility of his students meeting HCT students when they visit the UAE this year.
However, I just didn't feel comfortable adding a post to the group. Why was that? On reflection I think there were three main reasons:
1.I don’t want to get involved as a teacher and raise the students’ expectation that I will be replying to posts and then not be able to regularly post later. That would let the group members down in some way.
2. The group seemed to be out of Dubai Men’s College and I teach at Sharjah Womens’ college. I felt that it would be easy for me to say something inappropriate that could reflect badly on myself as an employee of the college system.
3. My profile picture shows my daughter and I feel uncomfortable showing that picture to people who don’t know me.
This experiment has made me reflect deeply about my Facebook use and especially my privacy and accountability. I’ve decided to review my privacy settings and set up a separate account that can be used for professional purposes which has less person information and which will be more culturally appropriate to this part of the world. This will be my professional Facebook account.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Networked socialising
I like Facebook. A lot. Maybe too much. My best friend suggested that I consider giving Facebook up for Lent.
Luckily we don’t celebrate lent in Sharjah so I didn’t follow the example.
For me Facebook is less of a social networking site and more of a networked socialising site. I make this distinction because I have never used it for anything apart from a great way to communicate flippantly with friends around the world and/or in the next room. That’s the role it has in my life. It’s not work; it doesn’t come near work (apart as a way to chat with colleagues in a non-work sense); it’s a welcome distraction from work and the idea of using it for work, as a tool of my work is, as an initial thought honestly – pretty repulsive.
So with that off my chest and in my mind, I’m off to explore how I could use it for professional interests. Will report back in a couple of days.
Luckily we don’t celebrate lent in Sharjah so I didn’t follow the example.
For me Facebook is less of a social networking site and more of a networked socialising site. I make this distinction because I have never used it for anything apart from a great way to communicate flippantly with friends around the world and/or in the next room. That’s the role it has in my life. It’s not work; it doesn’t come near work (apart as a way to chat with colleagues in a non-work sense); it’s a welcome distraction from work and the idea of using it for work, as a tool of my work is, as an initial thought honestly – pretty repulsive.
So with that off my chest and in my mind, I’m off to explore how I could use it for professional interests. Will report back in a couple of days.
Response to the Guardian article on social networking
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/24/social-networking-site-changing-childrens-brains
These 'modern life is unhealthy' kinds of attitude bring out my stroppy inner-teenager!
But (rolling my eyes back down from the ceiling and uncrossing my arms) when we see a rash of newspaper articles discussing concern over any emerging technology, I see it as an indicator of that technology's maturation. It has moved on from the realm of geeks and early adopters and is now crossing the screen of the reluctant tech-user, even luddite types are having to read about it in their newspapers.
To me social networking sites are nearing a Beatles status. Let me explain what I mean: in the sixties people either liked or disliked the Beatles but they acknowledges their existence, if only to state their dislike of them or to express disinterest.
Having said all of that, I do think that the editor's chosen to take a stance which is typical of the "We're all going to hell in a handbasket." approach that we've come to expect from British newspapers over the past decade or so.
Well, that's all the attention I can handle on this topic, I was a Generation Xer who watched music videos in the 80s and who checks facebook several times a day. I'm surprised I managed to....oh look....a shiny pebble.
These 'modern life is unhealthy' kinds of attitude bring out my stroppy inner-teenager!
But (rolling my eyes back down from the ceiling and uncrossing my arms) when we see a rash of newspaper articles discussing concern over any emerging technology, I see it as an indicator of that technology's maturation. It has moved on from the realm of geeks and early adopters and is now crossing the screen of the reluctant tech-user, even luddite types are having to read about it in their newspapers.
To me social networking sites are nearing a Beatles status. Let me explain what I mean: in the sixties people either liked or disliked the Beatles but they acknowledges their existence, if only to state their dislike of them or to express disinterest.
Having said all of that, I do think that the editor's chosen to take a stance which is typical of the "We're all going to hell in a handbasket." approach that we've come to expect from British newspapers over the past decade or so.
Well, that's all the attention I can handle on this topic, I was a Generation Xer who watched music videos in the 80s and who checks facebook several times a day. I'm surprised I managed to....oh look....a shiny pebble.
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