Social Networks, Communities of Practice, and Personal Learning Networks

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As I mentioned in my previous article, we are living in a new era now. We as teachers, we must be conscious of that. Our students does not have the same expectations regarding the teaching experience and the tools that the teachers should use in class. Most of Millennial are expecting a dynamic class and they are expecting teachers capable to handle the traditions, the knowledge as well as the technology. 

It is amazing now how many opportunities Teachers have around the world; technology have allowed us to live in a connected and hyper connected world. We can be chatting here face to face while there is somebody learning Chinese Mandarin with a colleague in China. Is not that an amazing thing? 

However, we have to be captious with the use of the "Social Networks, Communities of Practice, and Personal Learning Networks", especially with the first ones. Why? Due Technology can connect us but not expose us to people with bad intentions. (I know this is not the topic here but it's just a bit of the cake). 

Teachers and students must study the possibilities of having classes through some devices and also we must agree on what to use or what not to use. What is the criteria to select them? According to my short experience, I must say: 

-Whether an app is feasible for the goals and need of our students. 

-The conditions and speed of devices that we are going to use.

-The type of exercise, we must be careful not to assign an exercise that can expose the personal lives of our students by revealing details that could be attractive to robbers. For example: ask them to record a video talking about themselves and revealing where they lives. The videos should be discrete. 

-To avoid the previous one situation, we must select apps that could have the options of editing and saving for a private environment.