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JTToft

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Apr 27, 2010
3,447
796
Aarhus, Denmark
I just saw this story on a Danish news outlet and thought I'd share it to hear your thoughts.

The Google Translate translation was, as always, horrendous, so I've translated the story myself:

DR said:
Twitter Class leads to more active students

Several Danish schools have begun using social media as part of their classes. More students are taking an active part in discussions as a result.

Social media has become a part of classes in Danish schools.

At Skive Commercial School, they have started what industry experts are calling the world's first Twitter Class. When the teacher asks questions, he or she does so on Twitter, and the students reply with their answers on Twitter as well.

"Instead of having one student at a time raise their hand, everyone can contribute at once," says Michael Paulsen, Associate Professor of Learning and Philosophy at Aalborg University. "As a result, a far higher number of students have the opportunity to participate actively in class."

In addition, students can see and comment on their classmates' answers.

Since their junior year, the Twitter Class at Skive Commercial School have worked with the local government to find the best ways of employing social media in education.

Shy students become more active in class
Rødkilde Gymnasium in Vejle has also begun using social media in their classrooms.

In Social Studies class the students engage and discuss with politicians on Facebook. And here, too, more students are participating actively in their classes.

"In my experience, some students are too shy to raise their hands in class, but they have no problem asking questions on Facebook," says Anne Lise Bennedsen, teacher at Rødkilde Gymnasium. "They're commenting on each others' questions, as well."

Full original story, including a video showing Twitter and Facebook in use in classes: http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Indland/2014/04/12/100104.htm

What do you think? A refreshing change? One step too far?
 

palmerc2

macrumors 68000
Feb 29, 2008
1,623
683
Los Angeles
As a society, social media has already gone too far in the destruction of youths. Gone are the days when kids actually played outside, now they're stuck inside on their video games and texting each other in the same room....or just texting nonstop. I barely missed the tech revolution of texting, facebook, etc where I actually had the opportunity to enjoy my childhood.

I legitimately, and whole heartedly fear for this generation. Not only this generation, but the next. As a society we may be like the movie Surrogates before we know it. In a nutshell: no one leaves their room, and instead live their lives in a digital world. No actual face to face.

This, is just way too much and has gone too far IMO.


Edit:
I found this video pretty interesting. If we incorporate social media in the classroom, how much more is this going to ruin kids? Good grief!

 
Last edited:

Shrink

macrumors G3
Feb 26, 2011
8,929
1,727
New England, USA
As a society, social media has already gone too far in the destruction of youths. Gone are the days when kids actually played outside, now they're stuck inside on their video games and texting each other in the same room....or just texting nonstop. I barely missed the tech revolution of texting, facebook, etc where I actually had the opportunity to enjoy my childhood.

I legitimately, and whole heartedly fear for this generation. Not only this generation, but the next. As a society we may be like the movie Surrogates before we know it. In a nutshell: no one leaves their room, and instead live their lives in a digital world. No actual face to face.

This, is just way too much and has gone too far IMO.

I agree completely.

And a very well written post, IMO.:D
 

iBlazed

macrumors 68000
Feb 27, 2014
1,594
1,249
New Jersey, United States
I disagree with both of you. I think this is very innovative. I really don't buy into the "everything back then was great and kids had "real" childhoods and everything today sucks and kids these days are lazy" mentality. I see kids doing things these days that kids 20 years ago would have never been able to do. You underestimate how much technology helped kids who otherwise would have had a more difficult time expressing themselves and succeeding.
 

ucfgrad93

macrumors Core
Aug 17, 2007
19,522
10,810
Colorado
As a society, social media has already gone too far in the destruction of youths. Gone are the days when kids actually played outside, now they're stuck inside on their video games and texting each other in the same room....or just texting nonstop. I barely missed the tech revolution of texting, facebook, etc where I actually had the opportunity to enjoy my childhood.

I legitimately, and whole heartedly fear for this generation. Not only this generation, but the next. As a society we may be like the movie Surrogates before we know it. In a nutshell: no one leaves their room, and instead live their lives in a digital world. No actual face to face.

This, is just way too much and has gone too far IMO.


Edit:
I found this video pretty interesting. If we incorporate social media in the classroom, how much more is this going to ruin kids? Good grief!

YouTube: video

Agreed.

You underestimate how much technology helped kids who otherwise would have had a more difficult time expressing themselves and succeeding.

No one is saying that technology can't help kids. I think using twitter instead of raising your hand is silly.
 

palmerc2

macrumors 68000
Feb 29, 2008
1,623
683
Los Angeles
I disagree with both of you. I think this is very innovative. I really don't buy into the "everything back then was great and kids had "real" childhoods and everything today sucks and kids these days are lazy" mentality. I see kids doing things these days that kids 20 years ago would have never been able to do. You underestimate how much technology helped kids who otherwise would have had a more difficult time expressing themselves and succeeding.

I think you're missing a point. Yes, I agree technology is good for homework, doing research, etc. Heck, 20 years ago if you wanted to do research you had to go to a library and do hours upon hours of research. Now you have endless information at your fingertips within seconds. The point I'm trying to convey is, where's the human element? It's drastically changing for the worse. Social media, texting, etc has taken that away. People feel more comfortable texting something or writing a message than saying it face to face, and I personally feel its not a good direction to go in. You can't deny there's a difference, kids that are 5 years old are texting, teenagers don't communicate outside of their phones, or as I wrote above - they don't play outside anymore. Stuck inside, on their electronics, it's just not a good direction. Now bringing this crap into a classroom? How much more reclusive are kids going to be now? Having to raise your hand and have a discussion is beneficial for setting up the students for the rest of their lives. How unsure of themselves are they going to be if they have a business meeting and don't have the social skills to have a conversation? Are they going to have business meetings through texting? That'd be different....

I sometimes wake up in the morning, thinking....hoping, that the next revolution will be not texting / messaging. I hope that's the next big "change" with devices. I guess I can only hope :eek:

Above all this, texting is RUDE. I'll have a conversation with someone and they bust out their phone for a text. I put a quick stop to our conversation at that point.

party-like-its-2013.jpg
 

iBlazed

macrumors 68000
Feb 27, 2014
1,594
1,249
New Jersey, United States
I think using twitter instead of raising your hand is silly.

I don't think so. In college we used a clicker to answer a lot of questions and barely ever raised our hands. Twitter is just a more modern way of doing that and actually lets you comment on other student's answers. I wouldn't be surprised if colleges ended up doing this.

----------

It's drastically changing for the worse. Social media, texting, etc has taken that away. People feel more comfortable texting something or writing a message than saying it face to face, and I personally feel its not a good direction to go in. You can't deny there's a difference, kids that are 5 years old are texting, teenagers don't communicate outside of their phones, or as I wrote above - they don't play outside anymore. Stuck inside, on their electronics, it's just not a good direction. Now bringing this crap into a classroom?

Again, I just disagree. If I walk outside my front door right now on this beautiful Saturday, I can see kids outside playing basketball on their driveways and riding bikes. I think for the most part parents have a good balance on technology and human interaction and they pass it on to their kids. I think the whole "kids these days and their texting and myface" epidemic is overhyped.
 

palmerc2

macrumors 68000
Feb 29, 2008
1,623
683
Los Angeles
Again, I just disagree. If I walk outside my front door right now on this beautiful Saturday, I can see kids outside playing basketball on their driveways and riding bikes. I think for the most part parents have a good balance on technology and human interaction and they pass it on to their kids. I think the whole "kids these days and their texting and myface" epidemic is overhyped.

Okay, let's settle on that part and move on. I'd like to get your feedback of the most important part of my post. Most important in my opinion - the part that matters, how this will directly effect students later in life. In life, in business, etc.

From my previous post...
How much more reclusive are kids going to be now? Having to raise your hand and have a discussion is beneficial for setting up the students for the rest of their lives. How unsure of themselves are they going to be if they have a business meeting and don't have the social skills to have a conversation? Are they going to have business meetings through texting? That'd be different....
 

iBlazed

macrumors 68000
Feb 27, 2014
1,594
1,249
New Jersey, United States
Okay, let's settle on that part and move on. I'd like to get your feedback of the most important part of my post. Most important in my opinion - the part that matters, how this will directly effect students later in life. In life, in business, etc.

From my previous post...

If they have a serious imbalance of technology and human interaction, it will lead to serious issues. Totally agreed. I believe that Public Speaking should be a required course in middle and high school. I believe that technology is a growing part of our lives and that this generation needs to be taught to properly manage and balance their technology and human interaction.
 

chown33

Moderator
Staff member
Aug 9, 2009
10,706
8,346
A sea of green
I have mixed feelings about it.

As a way to help shy kids participate, I'm ok with it. But only as long as it's used as a transitionary tool to help overcome shyness. As a permanent ongoing means of participation, I think it's a trap.

As a way to manage telepresence, so participants don't necessarily have to be present to participate, I think it's marginally useful. There are many different telepresence technologies used in business, so familiarity in dealing with them is a useful skill. As a technology, Twitter is pretty far down on the list, though, so if students only gain skill at Twitter rather than at telepresence in general, then I think that's a technology trap. It's like the tech-challenged managers in some companies who only know how to use email, so everything is an email. Send a memo? Email (yeah, it works for that.) Run a remote meeting? Email. Share a document? Email (and email and email and oops I lost that revision please email it again ...)

As an inclusive technology, I think it has both problems and potential. But so does any other technology, including direct participation by raising hands and speaking aloud. Those who have the skills will tend to dominate, despite the earnest intentions and potentially good ideas of those less skilled. I can't help but think this will have an effect on student grading and interpersonal perception. So what happens is that the under-performers in one domain (direct interaction) may move up, but a new class of under-performers in the new domain (tweeting) will emerge. And they may under-perform for a simple reason, like inability to type quickly or accurately.

So in summary, I think it's a mixed bag, with no easily predictable long-term outcome. There will be winners and losers, and some on both sides will be undeserving of the result.
 

palmerc2

macrumors 68000
Feb 29, 2008
1,623
683
Los Angeles
If they have a serious imbalance of technology and human interaction, it will lead to serious issues. Totally agreed. I believe that Public Speaking should be a required course in middle and high school. I believe that technology is a growing part of our lives and that this generation needs to be taught to properly manage and balance their technology and human interaction.

Bingo! So we agree on this part. Technology is a wildfire and is now so integrated in our lives, and only going to get more integrated. I love technology, I'm just not crazy that the human element is diminishing. That's what's missing, is the balance. Right now I just don't see that balance. There should be a push for public speaking courses in school. In the small amount of time I've actually thought about it since you brought it up in your reply, I think it's the only hope for students to understand the importance of social skills. Not only the importance, but the execution of social skills - which is a whole different ballgame.
 

iBlazed

macrumors 68000
Feb 27, 2014
1,594
1,249
New Jersey, United States
Bingo! So we agree on this part. Technology is a wildfire and is now so integrated in our lives, and only going to get more integrated. I love technology, I'm just not crazy that the human element is diminishing. That's what's missing, is the balance. Right now I just don't see that balance. There should be a push for public speaking courses in school. In the small amount of time I've actually thought about it since you brought it up in your reply, I think it's the only hope for students to understand the importance of social skills. Not only the importance, but the execution of social skills - which is a whole different ballgame.

And of course, it's not all the responsibility of the schools. I also believe that parents need to specify certain technology-free time, such as during dinner, and always have dinner together. None of that eating by yourself at the computer or watching tv nonsense.
 

palmerc2

macrumors 68000
Feb 29, 2008
1,623
683
Los Angeles
And of course, it's not all the responsibility of the schools. I also believe that parents need to specify certain technology-free time, such as during dinner, and always have dinner together. None of that eating by yourself at the computer or watching tv nonsense.

Very good point & completely agree. That's how I was raised....during dinner there was no TV, and if the phone rang it went to voicemail. I guess I took that aspect for granted. It's sort of a different topic, but parenting skills sure have gone down the drain. I personally believe in firm discipline, where if your kid misbehaves you give em a smacking. Now parents are afraid of doing that.
 

iBlazed

macrumors 68000
Feb 27, 2014
1,594
1,249
New Jersey, United States
Very good point & completely agree. That's how I was raised....during dinner there was no TV, and if the phone rang it went to voicemail. I guess I took that aspect for granted. It's sort of a different topic, but parenting skills sure have gone down the drain. I personally believe in firm discipline, where if your kid misbehaves you give em a smacking. Now parents are afraid of doing that.
Off topic, but I'm a bit torn on corporal punishment, it's very debatable. I'm absolutely against corporal punishment in public school though. Or private school for that matter.
 
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TechGod

macrumors 68040
Feb 25, 2014
3,268
1,121
New Zealand
As a society, social media has already gone too far in the destruction of youths. Gone are the days when kids actually played outside, now they're stuck inside on their video games and texting each other in the same room....or just texting nonstop. I barely missed the tech revolution of texting, facebook, etc where I actually had the opportunity to enjoy my childhood.

I legitimately, and whole heartedly fear for this generation. Not only this generation, but the next. As a society we may be like the movie Surrogates before we know it. In a nutshell: no one leaves their room, and instead live their lives in a digital world. No actual face to face.

This, is just way too much and has gone too far IMO.


Edit:
I found this video pretty interesting. If we incorporate social media in the classroom, how much more is this going to ruin kids? Good grief!

YouTube: video
I disagree with so much with this post I don't even know where to start. Our generation is so not screwed. Back when TV came our I bet your parents were also like this but they were false and so is this whole post. Sorry but that's my opinion.

----------

Bingo! So we agree on this part. Technology is a wildfire and is now so integrated in our lives, and only going to get more integrated. I love technology, I'm just not crazy that the human element is diminishing. That's what's missing, is the balance. Right now I just don't see that balance. There should be a push for public speaking courses in school. In the small amount of time I've actually thought about it since you brought it up in your reply, I think it's the only hope for students to understand the importance of social skills. Not only the importance, but the execution of social skills - which is a whole different ballgame.

None of my friends have suddenly forgotten how to talk:rolleyes: I don't which country you are seeing this in because I'm seeing people still playing sports.


I love technology because since I am Dyspraxic and have ADHD my laptop has made my life so much easier since now I can take down all the notes in time, YouTube videos are so useful in taking down extra notes.


Sorry if I sound rude but my laptop has made my life so much easier and that's why I feel so strongly about it.
 

zioxide

macrumors 603
Dec 11, 2006
5,737
3,726
This is a terrible idea and this is coming from someone who did a research study on social media a few years ago before I graduated from University. I have a degree in human communication and communication technology & media.

I took most of my classes in uni in the classroom, but I also took a handful of web classes. Web classes provide much less of the educational experience than being in the classroom. Something like 90% of all communication is non-verbal, and all of that is lost when you only have a web class (or twitter) for your class discussions. Students learn just as much just by being in the classroom and interacting, discussing, and working together with their peers as they do reading and studying the actual course material.

This idea strikes me as extremely short sighted, and will probably have detrimental effects to these students development. Great, so they can answer questions on twitter. How does that help them in the real world, in a real job, where they have to interact with real people and solve real problems not just on twitter?

For the "shy kids" who have trouble answering questions or raising their hand in class, this isn't going to help that, it's only going to make it worse. These kids need to be in the classroom forcing themselves to get into the discussion, that's the only way they'll become more comfortable and less shy and be able to succeed after school. I should know.. I was one of those "shy kids", and after studying human communication, I can confidently say speech class and the in-class interpersonal experience at university has helped me way more after graduation than any of the stuff I actually learned from textbooks. ALL of this is lost with online classes or these "twitter classes".

This just has bad news written all over it and will lead to much less well-rounded students.
 

0007776

Suspended
Jul 11, 2006
6,473
8,170
Somewhere
This idea strikes me as extremely short sighted, and will probably have detrimental effects to these students development. Great, so they can answer questions on twitter. How does that help them in the real world, in a real job, where they have to interact with real people and solve real problems not just on twitter?

For the "shy kids" who have trouble answering questions or raising their hand in class, this isn't going to help that, it's only going to make it worse. These kids need to be in the classroom forcing themselves to get into the discussion, that's the only way they'll become more comfortable and less shy and be able to succeed after school. I should know.. I was one of those "shy kids", and after studying human communication, I can confidently say speech class and the in-class interpersonal experience at university has helped me way more after graduation than any of the stuff I actually learned from textbooks. ALL of this is lost with online classes or these "twitter classes".

This just has bad news written all over it and will lead to much less well-rounded students.
Agreed. I'm naturally shy, and if something like this had been in place when I was in school, sure I would have probably asked more questions, but I also would have learned a lot less about actually interacting with people which would have been far more harmful in the long run. The one good thing I see about this is it could allow kids that are out sick for a long time the ability to participate in class from home, as the limited interaction is probably better than none.
 

prostuff1

macrumors 65816
Jul 29, 2005
1,482
18
Don't step into the kawoosh...
This seems like a bad idea to me. The whole point of school is human interaction and learning. I do not think using twitter gains you much, if anything, that can not be had via raising a hand in class.
 

9had

macrumors newbie
Mar 30, 2014
7
0
Denmark
If this social media craziness continues, my house will have enforced offline periods. I already now have router turn off wifi during the sleep time. And I don't even have kids yet.
Social media is making kids anti social. They do not know how to behave in person to person situations.
I am not saying all kids are like that, but it's getting momentum and critical mass will be reached sooner rather than later.

It ridiculous to speak to someone while they every two seconds gaze at the mobile for updates.

What is wrong with raising hand and expressing an opinion.

I love technology and work on taming technology to help me, in stead of being slave to technology. Half of my work day is programmed so I don't need to do the work myself. That aspect I love. Social media is just waste of time in my opinion. It can be used to steam off after a period of work while you are away from friends and family. But leave it alone when friends and family are present.
 
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