Through my experiences with technology, I have come the understanding that social networking is the way of the future regardless of whether we like it or not. Nevertheless, students show up to class with the world at their fingertips (smartphones) and can pull any article or news source up. To a certain degree, I feel as though teachers have lost the image of being the keepers of all the knowledge because of the readily available sources that students can access. The problem isn't necessarily that they have this quick access to credible knowledge, the problem I have noticed is that a lot of these students lack the ability to actually comprehend what they're reading.
With this being said, I still feel that social networking and various other forms of technology have a place in the educational world. When used appropriately by not only the students but the actual instructor it can be a vary rich and engaging environment. The article made a very good point that students positively respond to the incorporation of new technologies into the teaching and learning process (Jones and Shao, 2011). It all boils down to the teacher setting boundaries as to what is and is not acceptable usage of the various social networking options in regards to the classroom setting.
With this being said, I still feel that social networking and various other forms of technology have a place in the educational world. When used appropriately by not only the students but the actual instructor it can be a vary rich and engaging environment. The article made a very good point that students positively respond to the incorporation of new technologies into the teaching and learning process (Jones and Shao, 2011). It all boils down to the teacher setting boundaries as to what is and is not acceptable usage of the various social networking options in regards to the classroom setting.