Social Media In Education

Source: http://www.sociableblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/twitter-classroom.jpg

https://blog.sewickley.org/9-ways-to-use-social-media-in-your-classroom

Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Instagram, and many other social media sites have made their way into classrooms. The article I read (Link Above or Click Here) discussed 9 ways to use social media in the classroom. The article suggested that teachers could allow students to follow someone who blogs, tweets or pins about a certain topic. The teacher should allow the students to discuss the information that was found. Many of the strategies that were mentioned in this article were introduced to us in our class. Such as allowing our students to use blogging as a writing assignment. Students would blog about a certain topic then write a response to three or more of their classmates. There was one particular suggestion that stood out to me. The article suggested that a teacher of younger students could share a daily post with students from a certain blogger or twitter user. I really like this idea because it introduces younger students to social media. This will helps the students learn that social media is more than a communication device but also a tool to help them learn.

Read More

Where has the time gone?

Source:https://savvyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/where-has-the-time-gone.jpg

Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday I wrote my very first blog. I remember going through the settings and trying to figure out how to add labels. I can honestly say that I have learned a great deal of information from this course. I feel more confident in creating ways to incorporate technology into any subject, lesson, or activity. I believe that every teacher should be required to take an educational technology course. Technology plays a very important role and will continue to grow in the future. It is imperative that teachers keep up with the current trends and understand how to use it within the classroom. There are a variety of tools that I will be using within my learning space. Virtual Field Trips, Audioboom, Thinglink, Blogger, Digital Map Spaces, Web 2.0 tools, The Triple E Framework, and a host of much more. One of the main concepts that stood out to me was when we discussed active learning and how important active learning is to student attainment. Educational technology allows students to be a part of their learning experience. Students are able to write, read, and even speak using some applications. I also enjoyed participating in the education chats. It was great to connect with other educators and share ideas on various topics. In closing, this course has opened my mind up to new ideas. I’ve already started to use many Web 2.0 tools with the youth I’m currently working with. I plan to use more tools learned from this course in the future!   

Read More

Data Dig

Image Source: http://www.paymentsolutionpros.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Data-Mining.png

This was a very interesting assignment. I felt like I was a private investigator, investigating information on myself. Oddly enough, I actually enjoyed the assignment. I always thought of myself being somewhat private when it comes to social media. More specifically when it comes to working with my teen students. Many of my high school students always ask for my Facebook name, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc. I was surprised at how easily much of my information could be found online. I used various websites for my data mine which included Blockshopper, Socialmention, Nuwber, Pipl, Radaris, Instant Checkmate, and a google search. I also used whitepages.com. Many of the sites listed my correct age, current, and former addresses as well as my family members. Instant Checkmate had the most information on me which included my undergrad college address. The Google search revealed my social media usernames. I’m not very concerned about the information but found it interesting that so much personal information could be discovered with only a name and a city. I believe that this is a skill that should be taught to students. Especially, high school students. Many employers search the internet for information on potential employees. Students should be aware of this and monitor the information online about them. Teachers, parents, mentors and any individual who work with students should be responsible for teaching students about this skill.

I found the following video interesting. The video is about Data Mining and how it is used in a variety of ways.

Read More

Web 2.0 Tools

Image from https://audioboom.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

This week our assignment was to explore a new Web 2.0 tool. I viewed various Web 2.0 tools but struggled to find a tool that would best suit the students I work with.  I came across a host of great Web 2.0 tools but wanted to find a tool that would meet my students' specific needs. As I worked with one of my primary students this week, I noticed him struggling to read a book aloud that he selected. My first response was for him to choose another "just right" book. His response was "Mr. Phil, I really, really, really, would like to read this book." I decided to use the iPad to record the book aloud using voice memos. As I scrolled through the apps, I noticed Audioboom. Audioboom was the exact tool I needed. I recorded the book and explored Audioboom further. Audioboom turned out to be a great tool! I discovered a few more ways I could incorporate Audioboom into future lessons.

5 Ways to Use Audioboom in the Classroom

Audioboom Tutorial

Read More

Tweet Chat (Professional Learning Networks- PLN)

Courtesy of https://twitter.com/ED_CONVERSATION 

I participated in my first Tweetchat this weekend. Tweetchat is a live Twitter event that is focused on a particular topic. The moderator poses a question, using a unique hashtag and participants respond with answers using the same unique hashtag. I participated in the # 21stedchat. I was instantly intrigued by this tweet chat. As a 21st century educator, I am always looking for ways to collaborate with others in the field of education to share ideas on how to make students successful in today's world. The #21stedchat topic was Power of Feedback for the Contemporary Learner. The one-hour Tweetchat went by extremely fast! However, it was interesting to see the variety of views on each question that was answered. The main takeaway for myself was that feedback should be genuine and specific in order to allow students to improve.  I'm looking forward to joining in next week and I'll also be looking at other educational Tweetchats as well.

I came across an article on Twitter entitled Educating Students in Poverty. This article was about providing early childhood education and after-school programs to low-income communities as a way to decrease the achievement gap. This was a great article and is something I am very passionate about. I truly believe that all students can achieve if given early support and continued support throughout their academic career. Exposing early childhood students to reading and math at an early age is beneficial to their future. After-school programs are beneficial to decreasing the achievement gap as well. For some students, the 1 to 1 1/2 hour of reading and math is not enough. Some struggling students might need the extra support of reading and math which can be delivered by the after-school program. Here is a link to the article for more information. Educating Students in Poverty

Read More