Socializing Can Be Fun

Blog #2

Facebook 101 or The Basics of Myspace.

Should courses such as these be put into the classroom?

There are both postive and negative possibilities in having things like this in the curriculum of schools. There are ways it could be incorporated into computer courses and not affect the core curriculum which seems to be the main concern of this adventure. Since most students, 73% of online teens are already using social networking sites, according to a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, it might be a good idea to teach students the basics, including what to do and what not to do.



The traditional Facebook and Myspace don't even have to be the social networks of choice in schools; there are alternative options. "The Flat Classroom Project is one example where educators have built social-networking sites (mostly using Ning) specifically for use in class and home assignments. Not only does this allow for educationally relevant communication for students in the classroom, but for them to interact with students in far away classrooms both in the U.S. and abroad so students around the world can reach and learn from each other." (Magid, 2010). A wiki website (allowing for people to update information) shows a list of social networks that are used for educational purposes. Please click the link to access the list.

Social Networking in Education List, also...
100 Ways to Use Facebook

Instead of merely blocking all social networking sites from the school's computers, we should try and find ways to solve the main issues with social networking and the safety. If keying in on the interests of students is the key to keep their attention and to help them retain information, why not use social networking as a way to do this? I am not recommending that you add students to your personal facebook page, that is unprofessional and grounds for termination, but using a group page to share assignments, homework, etc. or teaching students of the privacy features and what information should be shared over facebook may not be an all bad concept.

Do you or have you thought of using social networking in your classroom? How do you think we can obtain online safety by using social networking in education? "The NSBA [National School Board Association] also found that schools and especially parents have strong expectations about the positive roles that social networking could play in students' lives, and both are interested in social networking as a tool." (Deubel, 2009). Do you feel the same?

Until next time, Keys to Motivation
- Lauren

References:

Deubel, Patricia (2009). Social Networking in Schools: Incentives for Participation. The Journal. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/09/16/social-networking-in-schools-incentives-for-participation.aspx

Magid, Larry (2010). Social networking belongs in schools. CNET News. Retrieved from http://news.cnet.com/8301-19518_3-10459983-238.html.

Tweet Tweet Tweet

Blog #1

According to their website, “Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest information about what you find interesting. Simply find the public streams you find most compelling and follow the conversations. At the heart of Twitter are small bursts of information called Tweets. Each Tweet is 140 characters in length ... Connected to each Tweet is a rich details pane that provides additional information, deeper context and embedded media.”

Twitter can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom. For example, during my student teaching semester, twitter was used with my technology course in order for us to reflect (twice a week) on our experiences in the classroom, ask questions, share interesting information, etc. When first asked to use twitter, I was very hesitant and not interested in the least. However, I ended up really enjoying it. I was able to reflect to others, as well as to myself, about things I had learned during the weeks of student teaching.
         
Twitter is very effective in helping students to become concise in their writing. Often times students write an excess of information, hoping the right answer is in there somewhere and cannot tell you specifically what the answer to the question is.

Here is one example of how a teacher uses twitter in her college classroom:

This teacher used twitter to help with class discussions, a very interesting way to include a large classroom in a discussion and the make everyone’s opinion heard (or read).

Other twitter uses I have seen:

• Warm-up (teacher uses a quote from a fellow tweeter or create her own warm-up)
• Posting homework/assignments for the day (great for students who are absent and for parents)
• Sharing links either from teacher to students, students to teacher, or teacher to teacher
• Scavenger hunts
• Today in history
• Brainstorming in groups
• Book clubs

For more ideas on using Twitter in the classroom, click the link below.

http://cooper-taylor.com/2008/08/50-ideas-on-using-twitter-for-education/

Until next time, Socializing Can Be Fun!

- Lauren

References

Cooper-Taylor, Carol (2008). 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Education. Retrieved from http://cooper-taylor.com/2008/08/50-ideas-on-using-twitter-for-education/

Kirkpatrick, Marshall (2009). How One Teacher Uses Twitter in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_one_teacher_uses_twitter_in_the_classroom.php

Twitter. http://www.twitter.com/

YouTube (2009). The Twitter Experiment – Twitter in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WPVWDkF7U8.

Back to School, Back to School

Intro blog.

As my first blog, I just wanted to start with a bit of information I found that I thought was interesting. I'm very exciting about using this blog as a way to learn more about different tech tools and to review them and check to see how useful they will be in my future classroom.

According to a survey conducted by ReadWriteWeb, the top 5 back to school tech tools chosen by teachers are:

1.  iPad
2.  Twitter
3.  Google Apps for Education
4.  Blogs
5.  Sharing and Collaborative Tools

My first few posts are going to be discussing the uses of some of the above tools in the classroom and how they can benefit your classroom!

Until next time... Tweet Tweet Tweet
-Lauren