I'm back to my discussion on social media and networking. It's not going away, I've realized, because it is here to stay. And, it's about time for me to embrace it (or at least acknowledge that I need to pay attention to it in order to stay on top of my game).
I went to a conference this past weekend, where I had the opportunity to hear from a guy named Evan Korzon. Evan started a business called scvngr, which essentially organizes national text message-based scavenger hunts. Pretty cool idea with low start-up and maintenance costs. I admire his entrepreneurial spirit.
The challenge is understanding how technology appropriately fits into your (read: my) daily work/life. I still stand by the fact that face-to-face interactions are invaluable. BUT, technology can help us connect before we have the chance to make those face-to-face interactions. Nothing profound to you I'm sure, but a new and interesting light-bulb moment for me.
Take Orientation at JMU for example. We can attempt to keep up with technology once students get here, but the fact of the matter is that students are connecting AS SOON AS they read the first line of their acceptance letter. We should provide ways for them to 1) connect online before they get here, 2) between when they come to summer Orientation and when they move-in, and 3) again during August Orientation. If I get into JMU in February, aren't I going to immediately look for ways to connect with other people who also got in? Facebook is only really meeting this need on a small scale. All you do there is join "JMU Class of 2012" and then there aren't really any catalysts for meeting people who have similar interests.
We need to "control" these interactions minimally, and only for the purpose of making sure correct information is out there (e.g., a student brings up the hypnotist coming to campus during August Orientation and wants to grab dinner with some people who may have an interest in studying hypnosis but he/she has the wrong date for the event). Otherwise they should remain public space and free for students to manage on their own. If they want to know who is interested in soccer or dungeons and dragons, they should hypothetically be able to search via a university source and have a soccer game set up on the Quad for their orientation date. These connections are necessary and are happening whether we realize it or not. Maybe it's time I make some bold moves to creatively meet this need. I think the possibilities are exciting and I don't think all ideas have been tapped.
5 comments:
What I think is missing is student space for and by students. A group of sophomores I work with recently created a wiki about academic life and majors at Colorado College. There is a ton of information provided to students by each department and in the course catalog, but the students felt they were missing honest info about what it's really like to take a course or enroll in a major. Any student that's interested will have access to the site and can edit the pages. I am impressed by their initiative.
I wonder if a social networking tool initiated by student life staff is really going to accomplish what you intend it to. Perhaps it needs to come through the voices of other students, especially upperclassmen. Can social networking come from the top down? Why must the college "control" student communication? Just a few things I've considered lately.
Kira, I completely agree. I would love to initiate something at JMU that came from our upperclass student coordinators. Or, the twenty-six orientation leaders who work throughout the summer could start individual blogs, twitter sites, or other tools for their groups to connect.
I think completely avoiding our involvement could be detrimental to OUR responsibility to connect with them. It just reinforces the idea that we can't be "cool" or "on their level." I hesitate to go down this road, but it's the same as alcohol in my opinion. Our avoidance of engaging in real conversations about our drinking choices with students doesn't set us up for success. We separate ourselves from the issue, which I don't think relates with students. Same as separation completely from social networking won't work...I don't think.
Kira/Kevin,
Nice posts...although in some ways I feel as if I'm back at Miami posting on Blackboard.
Kevin, I think you hit on a great point. How do we connect with students on "their level" with their technologies all while respecting their space.
That said, can we find ways to either use services such as Facebook to better connect with students or create a portal that is (as) attractive to students but provides increased functionality (notifying students about upcoming events, allowing them to easily create groups based on common interests or living spaces, etc.)
Facebook just announced on Wednesday that they were introducing new functionality for universities and organizations to have their own official profiles. You can see an example here: www.facebook.com/stanford and find more information here: http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/03/10/23046/
Kira, I do think that social networking can come from the top down, as long as administrators meet students where they are at. One of my favorite blogs (with tons of student interest too) is written by a Dean of Admission at UVA. Check it out here: http://uvaapplication.blogspot.com/
If you take a few minutes to peruse, you'll note the amount of student response and interaction with the Dean...pretty cool that a site reaches such a broad audience.
That's it brahs...thanks for the great food for thought!
Jim, good stuff. You were actually paying attention in grad school? Or since then?
Kevin and Co.,
From the freshman student perspective and granted this is three years out, but when I was a freshman I didn't really want to connect with school administrators, I wasn't worried about climbing ladders or feeling comfortable with administration so much as just not sitting alone (or worse at a table of "adults") at lunch for that first week.
As far as students connecting before school, at GW students had plenty of options we took advantage of, but most are open to students at any school... I remember "meeting" a friend I still talk to today on a web forum hosted by the school for accepted students.
But where our social networking really is taking place is on FB, possibly My Space, and maybe you have a few freshman communicating through twitter or blogs.
FB. This is an interesting median especially for incoming students. I spent hours on FB scanning posts and profiles of my peers the summer before college. However I would have been creeped out to receive a friend request from an administrator that summer. Leave FB to your upper class mentors and guides, but make sure they are scanning it looking for potential dangerous threads (lets all drink a fifth before orientation... type posts)
Jim, I really like the idea of administrator blogs! If I knew what was going through the heads of some of my schools upper administrators, I might have more forgiveness for their poor policy decisions.
Overall, I think it is really important to view the internet and social media as a place to inform not befriend. Personal interaction is where students form their opinions of administrators, kevin if your looking to avoid the "old" and "us-them" mentality. Talk to students in person. Be real. But doings so online BEFORE you personally meet them is not, in my opinion, a road to success.
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