An Academic Context

Introduction

 

            This blog is my report on the analysis of data produced by the Social Media Literacy Program (SMLP). In the interest of understanding how Social Media can be used as a tool to enhance the classroom experience, resources will be evaluated on a first hand basis. Development of the ideas expressed in this space represents a collaborative effort which began from my perspective a little over twenty-four years ago, and from the academic perspective many, many years ago.

            Social Media as a topic of discussion within Medford High School (MHS) seems to have permeated every department, office, and classroom while remaining undefined. The term itself cannot be found in any of the district’s student handbooks but the amount of information shared by students and staff who utilize it is already influencing decisions being made on a daily basis. This internship through Suffolk University’s Ethics and Public Policy Department will be served in the interest of all parties that may benefit from a better understanding of our current situation.

            There are many ways the 2012-2013 academic year will present new opportunities for innovation. All of this is due to the commitment staff and faculty have made to giving students access to the best tools possible. The adaptability necessary to use Social Media as a tool is a characteristic that Medford High now has. The new technology being brought in by the support of our community is just what’s needed for Social Media to find a niche in both the classroom and office environments.

            Calling it the Social Media Literacy Program means to imply that this is a purely academic exercise. Outside of education, corporate and government organizations have been paying attention to Social Media developments and can now enjoy the returns on their initial investment. Early experience is helping them serve customers and constituents in new, innovative ways. Although late to the game, educators in all forms can quickly learn the basics from recent Social Media campaigns to better serve their students.

            All of this jargon is typical of most conversations surrounding Social Media in schools. In simplest terms, this internship will attempt to study and inform standard making where none currently exist. Under the supervision of program advisors at Medford High School and Suffolk University, the program’s properties will generate new information for the schools to better know a misunderstood subject.

  

Intern:

Curtis Tuden

MHS Substitute

Suffolk University EPP

781-572-7196

curtis.tuden@gmail.com 

Program Advisors: 

Suffolk University

Nir Eisikovits, PhD, LLB

Director, Graduate Program in Ethics and Public Policy

617-994-6464

neisikov@suffolk.edu

Medford High School

David Blauch

Support Service Specialist

781-393-2303

dblauch@medford.k12.ma.us

 
Requirements

            The internship requires that research be produced on a regular basis. What’s produced is capable of taking many forms but will begin with the creation of this blog where new information is shared, culminating in a final report to be presented in the Spring of 2013. Content will depend on how the program develops with respect to student participation. Any suggestions on behalf of departments within Medford High or Suffolk will be incorporated. The program’s amorphous structure is predicted to remain a characteristic of the program because unexpected future developments are bound to make preconceived plans obsolete. All steps forward will be taken with a research mentality. The end product will be information that can supplement a rewrite of the student handbook that addresses Social Media. A number of schools have already attempted this and results have varied. Medford High is capable of becoming a leader in this arena. Having spent all of the last twenty years in either the student or teacher role, it is incredible to see the amount of behavioral changes made by the student population in reaction to increased communication. Today’s generation of students is consuming more information than ever before and has an established presence in Social Media. The significance is realizing these changes will only grow in complexity.

             Progress will be evaluated in accordance with the following "NEST Criteria" which is designed to place incentives on scholastic innovation and can be applied at many levels within the Medford High Community in the effort of specializing the administration’s knowledge of Social Media:

• Its novelty, the degree to which the information demonstrates a leap in creativity
• Does the data represent a fundamental change in the governance, management, direction, or policy approach of a particular jurisdiction?
• Does the data represent a significant improvement in the process by which a service is delivered?
• Does the data introduce a substantially new technology or service concept?

• Its effectiveness, the degree to which the information has achieved tangible results
• Does the data respond to the needs of a well-defined group of clients?
• Does the data demonstrate its effectiveness in meeting its stated goals and objectives quantitatively and qualitatively?
• Does the data produce unanticipated benefits for its clients?
• Does the data present evidence of already completed, independent evaluation?

• Its significance, the degree to which the information successfully addresses an important problem of public concern
• To what degree does the data address a problem of national import and scope?
• To what degree does the data make substantial progress in diminishing the problem within its jurisdiction?
• To what degree does the data change the organizational culture or the traditional approach to management or problem solving?

• Its transferability, the degree to which the information, or aspects of it, shows promise of inspiring successful replication by other entities
• To what extent can this program be replicated in other jurisdictions?
• To what extent can this program serve as a model that other jurisdictions will seek to replicate?
• To what extent are program components, concepts, principles, or insights transferable to other disciplines or policy areas?