Contemplating Connections

Right now I am reading Smarter Than You Think by Clive Thompson.  The subtitle of the book is "How technology is changing our minds for the better," and he makes some very interesting points and made me think about whether my school is actually using technology to its full capacity.  In the chapter titled "Ambient Awareness," he talks about social media and whether all of those seemingly pointless posts about what a person is doing or eating at any moment are actually pointless.  Thompson concludes they aren't because they let others know that person better, and through a chain of posts, get in tune with who that person is despite not being physically with the person.

All of this made me start thinking about my school and how we encourage students to communicate in the classroom, the hallway, and the cafeteria, but we typically require that communication to be face-to-face (which isn't a bad idea) because we discourage the use of social media (cell phones are only allowed during lunch because students have laptops/laptops should only be used for school work).  What if students were allowed to use social media as a way to build, as Thompson put it, a type of ESP (extrasensory perception), which would result in ambient awareness in the school?  What if they were able to post their thoughts in the moment for others to see?  I imagine those thoughts could look like this:

• I am so hungry right now!  
• Does anyone know how to find the standard deviation in a data set?  
• Does anyone else see connections between what happened in Julius Caesar and the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey?  
• I'm really struggling with how to help my friend deal with the loss of her mother.

What could these brief glimpses into the thoughts of students do?  They could let teachers gain an understanding of why a student acts the way he/she does, lead a student to help another student in study hall with a difficult concept, give students opportunities to share their areas of expertise, or develop student empathy for others as they realize they share similar experiences.

Is it possible Thompson's moments of ambient awareness already exist at my school beyond what teachers see?  Students already use social media like Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat to connect with each other outside school, but I doubt there is a focus on school in those connections.  A picture on Snapchat probably doesn't do very well to convey a need for help with a math or science concept, so what could be used?  In my mind, something like a message board which is available only to school students and staff might serve this purpose.  Students, staff, etc., could post messages to which anyone could respond.  What would it do for the school's sense of community if a student posted an issue, question, or observation and had ten students, two teachers, and the superintendent provide feedback?  What if the principal or superintendent posted a question and received feedback from the students?  It seems those connections would be invaluable to building the school's sense of community.

While I look at all of the positives which might come from this, I can also see the potential for problems.  Would students post a bunch of random, unnecessary comments on the message board?  Would it be an opportunity for students to bully others?  Would anyone actually post anything, or would teachers and students view it as "just another pointless task" that would be ignored?

Ironically, that last concern is something my friend Brandon said is even a concern at the large company where he works (I continue to be convinced that all people, regardless of age, simply want to be able to see a purpose in what they are doing - a post for another day).  If we can show students there is a purpose in sharing ideas, asking questions, and working together, this ambient awareness could result in student growth, which should always be the goal.