Post 5 - Social Media

As I researched and learned about the topic of social media, I had an "Ah ha!" moment. Of course I am familiar with Myspace, Facebook and obviously blogging, but the real value of social media did not become immediately apparent until I watched a video about collective intelligence.

The idea that "two heads are smarter than one" has been long established. But, what happens when we now have the technological ability to put millions of "heads" together? Problems and problem solvers are able to find each other and work together on a common cause, multiplying greatly the potential thinking power of the world.

This has fantastic educational uses. Sometimes groups get off task when working together in the classroom. But, what would happen if you could set groups up across different class periods. Or in different schools? States? Countries? A simple history project can become infinitely enriched by bringing together students for a common assignment. We now have the tools to do just these sorts of things and it would be fantastic if school districts and administrators were open to the idea of sharing via social media.

That day will come, and I wait for it anxiously.