Social networking is becoming a part of every day life, including the professional aspect. While the younger
generations can be quite comfortable with technology, its professional application may be somewhat of a mystery.
I had an opportunity to speak at DeVry in Orlando, FL on January 22, 2009 to the students and some faculty about how social networking can be used for job seeking and to establish professional credentials online. What I found surprising is that the students seemed like they were hearing this for the first time. Many of them thought that social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are for games, sharing videos, pictures and other entertaining activities.
My presentation on Social Networking 101 was quite an eye opener for many of the audience participants. I introduced LinkedIn as the premier professional social network, guiding them through basic principles and how to apply them. It was a great experience! It did get me thinking that schools should start teaching social networking for professional use as a part of the student curriculum. I’ve been approached by numerous companies, professional organizations and entrepreneur / small business centers to teach classes, so why don’t colleges get on board?
Colleges, like DeVry, take on the philosophy of helping students bridge the gap between college life and the professional world. It only seems logical to have social networking be a part of that philosophy. I’d like to challenge educational institutions to push the envelope further away from traditional notions of teaching and really help prepare their students for the new business world. As educators, I believe it is our duty to get them as ready as we can for the next stage of their lives. Besides, they might be our bosses one day!
What are your thoughts on teaching social networking as part of a college curriculum? Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. Feedback is always welcome and encouraged!
Jenna Papakalos at Social Networking 101, DeVry in Orlando, FL
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4 users responded in this post
I attended your presentation at DeVry, and the information you shared has inspired me to add a lesson on social networking to my professional writing course. In fact, our first assignment is to set up an account on LinkedIn and write a professional summary. The students are then going to post their summaries in the online discussion portion of the course to allow for constructive feedback from their peers. I am looking forward to the activity and will let you know how it goes.
Angela,
Thanks so much for such a wonderful compliment. It is wonderful that you have worked social networking into your professional writing course. This is the new way to communicate in today’s business world and you are doing your students a great service by preparing them for it.
Please do keep in touch and let me know how the assignments go. I am happy to provide any assistance I can.
Best always,
Jenna
Saw your note about this post on Twitter and thought I would add my $0.02. Like Angela, I also teach at DeVry (the Bakersfield, CA center) and at other campuses as well (both online and traditional). Perhaps due to my inner geek making a habit of showing on the outside, I can’t help but directly and indirectly integrate social media into my classes. I especially like doing this in classes not typically considered “techie” (e.g. English), but I find doing so gives the students a more interesting way to engage the material. I now have several students following me on Twitter and, while knowing that makes me a bit more self conscious about what I post, it has really helped to expand the learning beyond the classroom and beyond the semester once it is over. Social media has really enhanced how I teach and has seemed to improve my students’ interest in the material as well. By the way, I’d like to take a look at your presentation — is it available on SlideShare?
Jenna,
The LinkedIn assignment is going really well! Only one of the nearly thirty students in the class had even heard of LinkedIn before, so it really is a great opportunity to explain the professional side of social networking and guide them through the process of creating their online professional profiles. The students all posted their basic information, and they are working on writing their summaries. Through peer review, they are proofreading each other’s work and offering suggestions. It’s exciting to be working on something that they will definitely use outside of the classroom setting.
Thanks again,
Angela
What do you think?