Hi, Mobile Learning team! I really enjoyed working through it on a mobile – great idea.
As several others have expressed here, I also am a very limited (near non-user) of social medial. While I had a twitter account years ago, I discontinued it as I found it of no real benefit at that time and have not changed my view since. I am somewhat active on LinkedIn for professional/work purposes, but even that is for a very narrow range of uses.
My digital footprint is very limited with the exception of a few references to areas of personal or professional interest. It is further diluted by a number of online spaces referring to a Czech politician of the same name.
As an educator I work only with adult learners. I find that there may be more space for social media for learning purposes, but largely in informal ways, i.e. within self-selected communities of practice. As Wenger (1998) and later Wenger-Trayner (2011) mention, this broad view of learning within communities centred around domains (areas of professional or personal interest/need for skill or knowledge) can function well outside formal contexts. That is where I see the benefits of social media for learning purposes. I am much more hesitant when it comes to using social media in formal learning contexts, especially due to the largely permanent nature of one’s digital footstep and the increased levels of concern about this among both adult and younger learners today. I am not convinced that the benefits outweigh the potential personal risks to the learner. There are of course areas where one can exploit the benefits of some environments within more closed interactions (limited Facebook groups, unlisted Youtube content), but that seems to take away arguably the greatest benefit of social media, i.e. its open and global nature. For younger learners I think the risks are that much greater and alternatives to open social media (e.g. Brainly) may be reasonable ways to still use mobile learning in such teaching contexts. I found it interesting that you felt teachers are responsible for educating learners about their digital presence / use of digital media – certainly, I would agree that this is part of what today’s education needs to address (especially in relation to digital security etc.), but I am not convinced that it is the role of every teacher today, in fact not of most teachers.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wenger-Trayner, E. (2009). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Retrieved from: https://wenger-trayner.com/resources/publications/cops-and-learning-systems/