Social Networking with Students

A few years ago I used GoodReads.com as an enrichment with my students. Back then I had computers in my classroom, and I allowed the kids to get online when they finished their work. Now, sans computers, I'm using GoodReads again - this time in place of those old, raggedy paper reading logs. No more strangely coincidental documentation! ("Danny, I see you read ten pages every night from 9:00 to 9:30...again.") No more forged signatures! No more "lost papers" turned in on the last day of the grading period filled out the night before!* (*For students who don't have computer or Internet access, or whose parents don't want them online, of whom there are only a few, the raggedy paper logs remain...)

GoodReads allows for an authentic discussion about books. Students are familiar with social networking due to the countless hours they spend each night on FaceBook. Now, their homework is more fun and engaging because it's conversational, interactive and technological.



Students add books to shelves that I and their friends can see: "currently reading," "read" and "to read." The books appear with their covers, and students can rate the books with one to five stars. They can also write reviews and read each others, which gives them a good idea of what books are out there, and what might interest them. It also gets them excited about reading and makes it a bit more "cool," since it gives reading a social element, rather than remaining a solitary activity.

At the beginning of the year I created class groups for each of my class periods. The students first assignment was to create an account and join their respective group.



Their second assignment - and all subsequent weekly homework - is to respond to a discussion prompt on their group's wall. Each Wednesday I post a discussion topic, and they have to reply by Friday at midnight for full credit.



The discussion so far has been pretty simple: what book are you reading, if you abandoned a book tell us why, how much have you read this week, make a text-to-text, -self, or -world connection to your book, summarize what has happened, etc. After my students are more in the habit of using GoodReads and posting on time, I plan to take the questions a bit deeper. For now, it seems to be accomplishing its goal of getting them READING - and that's what's most important.