Response to William Kist's The Socially Networked Classroom

On page 8, Kist describes 5 characteristics that are essential for a classroom  Thinking about Kist’s (2010) characteristics, 5-8 characteristics of a 21^st century library, based on my current understanding are:

·         Teacher-Librarian conducts workshops for students and teachers about how to use databases, evaluate websites, and search a variety of servers besides just Google, such as Yahoo, etc., in addition to, educating patrons about plagiarism and citing styles.

·         In addition to obtaining books, magazines, DVDs, and encyclopedias for the school, the TL should also purchase reading material for Ipads, MP3 players, audiobooks, and e-books, plus have the tech. equipment for student sign-out.

·         The Library or Learning Commons website should include Twitter, Blogger, and Facebook icons, so that everyone is connected 24/7.

·         Teach students an inquiry-based method of research; then, allow students to develop their own questions for inquiry-based learning and present it in a format that they choose.

·         The library equipment should be as current and new as possible to prevent frustration and non-use. There should be as many laptops and Netbooks as possible to allow for movement and collaboration on projects between students and teachers.

We will see many more students who are engaged in their own learning.

In Chapter 5, Kist talks about the role of games and gaming in schools. In your group, please discuss the following questions (as posed by Kist on page 112): Can participating in games be a legitimate activity in schools [and libraries]? Can you think of a time when you learned something either about yourself or about the world by playing a game?

Yes, participating in games can be a legitimate activity in schools and libraries. There are many valuable learning math, language, and word games. My grandchildren play the math games on the laptop almost every times they visit. I like the rubric (p. 110) that the teacher from Saluda Trail Middle School used for the gaming club because the parent had to sign and be aware of which games their son or daughter is playing at school. I can see one problem about allowing students to play games in the library before school, at lunch, and after school and that is that the students who do not have a computer at home may not get the opportunity to finish their homework during these times because other students are gaming, although a solution to that problem could be to let students who have homework have priority over the computers.

What I learned about myself while gaming is that I found that playing games improves my eye to hand coordination and quick response time; however, I found that I felt angry when something interrupted me while I was totally engrossed in a game, so I needed to put the game in the proper perspective.

In the Forward to the book, Kylene Beers suggests that William Kist consistently "asks us to consider what happens when our classrooms become as big as the world?...[Or alternatively], what happens when our classrooms do not become as big as the world?" Consider your reading and understanding of this book and think about how you would answer these questions. Share your responses with your group.

As educators, we would be cheating the students out of a global education if we do not keep pace with the world. Our students would fall behind and lose out on higher-paying jobs to those who have the technology skills. We have a responsibility to learn about new devices and allow our students the opportunities to participate in authentic lessons. I agree that it is all too easy to sit back and say that the students know more than we do about technology; however, they are not using technology to its fullest learning potential when they are texting, face booking, or instant messaging—mostly surface, boring information that no one else cares about. This is where we come in to play. How exciting would it be to learn about a variety of cultures--languages, music, celebrations, holidays, food, and fashion—from other students of the same age from across the world? How exciting would it be to collaborate on a science project together with someone from another country? Read and discuss books? Schools are not changing as rapidly as the global community and that must change.

Most people would enjoy Kist's (2010) approach as one does not have to read the book in a linear fashion, although I did. In addition, he separated the chapters going from a novice techie user to a more experienced techie user using examples that the reader may try in their classroom. The rubrics are very useful,as well. I actually had time to try one of the activities, the Snowball activity (p. 37 - 39) in two of my classes, an English 9 and an English 12, simulating the Blogging experience. The students enjoyed the activity and wanted to do it again. I used the topic "Social Media," had the students write their name at the top of a sheet of paper, and write down their opinion. Then, the students crumpled up the paper and threw it across the room. We did this about six times. I read each sheet afterwards; most of the comments were okay or in response to an opinion, but there were many unrelated comments, as well--some quite funny. The first time I did this activity with the grade nine's, I did not get the students to sign their name to the comments they made. I found that the comments were more random than when I asked the grade 12s to sign their name after their comment.I also asked the students the Questions to Consider (p. 39). Some students reacted to the comments, and some people thought the random comments were funny. I would like to try this activity again to write a poem or short story. All in all, a fun exercise that the students enjoyed and want to do again.

There are so many activities in Kist's (2010) book that I want to try in the classroom. I think the students would love the autobiography activity on page 13, and many of the other activities, as well. One of the biggest problems that has kept me from doing more of the activities with my students is the amount of available computer time. At the other school I was at, computers were available for use for every English class if wanted. Now, I am at a smaller school which does not have one mobile lab (I would have to exchange classrooms because it would be difficult to take a mobile lab to a portable).

Some interesting issues are raised in Kist's (2010) book. For example, online safety for students is a controversial topic. Some teachers are on one end of the spectrum letting students BLOG and Facebook, etc., while others are at the opposite end where students use computers using filters and in a controlled setting. Another issue is that some teachers continue to teach the same thing year after year, thus, preventing students from learning in a global environment, which will turn out to be detrimental to society. 

Kist's (2010) book, The Socially Networked Classroom, is easily accessible to even the most novice techie interested in incorporating digital media into the classroom or library.

Kist, W. (2010). The Socially Networked Classroom. Thousand Oaks,      California: Corwin.