Social Community Websites

I remember when Facebook came about and only college students were a part of this social community. There were other options for those who were not in college or were older, such as MySpace. Now, Facebook has become a popular website for college students, high school students, parents, etc. Anyone can join Facebook, as long as they have an email address. In fact, most people have a Facebook account and are fairly active on the website. Lately, I've seen Facebook become more and more popular in the classroom, as instructors have noticed the popularity and thought bringing it into the classroom may be a good way to bring interest in the class to a level the students could appreciate. I'm undecided about using a network site like Facebook in my classroom and would be interested to see how faculty have made this work.

I'm thinking about potential issues with using this website in my classroom and how it may cause more problems than it is worth. For instance, some students may not have Facebook, particularly if there are older students in the class. Additionally, students may not wish to join a group that would make their profile visible to all individuals in the class, or have to deal with the settings in order to create a privacy level with which they are comfortable.

In this case, I think using a website like Google Groups would be better, because it would not infringe upon student's life, and the most they will have to do is create a Google account if they do not already have one. But, a Google account may be more limiting or less enticing for students and thus we may lose the effect altogether. I'm curious what others have done when they wanted to create a social community for their classroom. Did you simply set something up with ELC/Webct, or did you use Google Groups, make your own website, or try out Facebook?

Simulation and Gaming Online

I really love using active learning activities, demonstrations, examples, or simulations in my classroom and find them to be highly embraced by even the most hard to please students. I have a few pet simulations I like to try and incorporate into any class I'm teaching. The biggest problem I have with these simulations though is the amount of time it takes to prepare them. Often the outcome is contrived, so it's important to make sure everything is set up in advance. I run a "Deviant Monopoly" game that takes some time to set up each time because of the money/property/rule distribution for each team. Making sure the class is divided the right way, placing people thoughtfully into groups if I want strong personalities to clash is important and somewhat time consuming as well. I have another simulation I use to demonstrate Job Networks: Each student gets an envelope with either 3 or 6 pieces of colored yarn. The color represents whether they can move around the room and the pieces represent how many networks they can create. The yarn is different lengths, based on color, and can either help or hinder the student. The point of this exercise is to show students how having social networks can influence your occupational outcomes. For instance, three short pieces of yarn that cannot move around the room is the likely scenario for a minority woman on the job market. Her networks are small, and contained to close friends/family. Contrary to popular belief, it is not these ties (close family/friends) that often land someone a job. It is the strength of your "weak" ties that find you good jobs: for instance, your high school ex boyfriend's, dad's old boss... clearly a "weak" tie. But possibly a good one.

Why do I lament these simulations, their importance, and the time they consume? Because I'm now wondering if there is a way to take them online. Can I make my set up time zero once I've programmed the game/simulation? I spent hours one weekend cutting and measuring 250 pieces of different colored yarn, so I could tie them together in a certain way and stuff them into envelopes with specific rules and directions for each student. Now I have the game ready to go if anyone needs it, but there are only so many times you can run this game with that yarn I cut last semester - because eventually the knots and ends will fray or break. I will come through the classroom with my scissors to demonstrate "cutting off a network" one too many times and perhaps the yarn cannot be re-used again. I don't regret the time spent getting this game ready. My students loved this demonstration, talked about it on evaluations, begged for more, and understood "network theory" quite well... maybe even better than any other theory we discussed. But, if there was a way to write a program and run this online with similar outcomes and results then I would be willing to try it out!

Maybe it wouldn't be as fun to do it on a computer though? Maybe students wouldn't be able to see the "network" as well without my friendly colored yarn of different lengths? Maybe standing in the room full of people as you try to determine if you are eligible for the CEO job I dangle in one corner of the room isn't as poignant if it's not in your face, and you're not holding the yarn that prevents you from getting the job. I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do now know how F2F interactions play out, and if the response wasn't the same then I could always revert back to my archaic method of chopping measured lengths of yarn.

***The Network Game is fun and I find it amusing to give conservative white males the short, fewer pieces of yarn and prevent them from moving around the room. It's hard to believe it - until you've experienced it. And once they do, they start to realize how important demographics like race, and gender, are in obtaining jobs, experiencing promotions, etc.