When it comes to technology, do you ever feel like your students are speaking a foreign language? When hearing terms like YouTube, Twitter, Blogs, Wiki, and Furl, some of us who aren’t members of the millennial generation wonder “What are they talking about?” More important still is the next question: “How can I talk to them?”
How many of you have ever wished there was an easier, faster, more efficient method of reaching out to your student body than the traditional methods of newsletters, flyers, or even campus e-mail? How many of you have your own blog? How many have a MySpace or FaceBook page loaded up with pictures from your last family outing? So why not take a few of those “fun” things you already do from home and use them at work? Web sites taking advantage of the social aspects of Web 2.0 make interaction with students almost easy.
While reading this article won’t make you a social media expert, it will hopefully give you some insight into deciphering the terms and tools of this generation, as well as a few suggestions on how you may be able to use some of these tools to reach out to your students. more…