The use of social media - websites that do more than just give you information, but rather interact with you and let you interact with others - is ever increasing. There are so many different sites you can use ... so here are a few of my favorites!
*Twitter - I've already told you I am a Twitter-holic. I love the ease and speed of perusing my "feed" and clicking on articles and information that interest me. After I sat in on my first Twitter Chat I gained a whole new host of people to follow and be followed by and found an awesome community of people willing and ready to share brilliant ideas. I love it. If I have questions, am in need of resources or ideas, or have have something I want to share, this is the perfect place to it. Personalized PDC. What's better than that?
**Pinterest - If ever I am drained of creativity ... or have an idea and need help pulling it off ... or need to see someone else's ideas of how to accomplish something ... Pinterest is the place I go. Whether I'm searching "Revolutionary War" or "Benjamin Franklin" in search of fun projects and approaches to teaching new curriculum or looking for "ways to reach English Language Learners" (seriously, that brought up an ENTIRE host of resources here!), Pinterest never lets me down. I feel absolutely no need to recreate the wheel ... people are creative, and I LOVE that they make their ideas available to me though this site!
***Nings - This one is new to me as of today. But I like it already. I joined a Ning for Elementary teachers ... http://elementarytechteachers.ning.com/. On this site I can chat with other teachers, read their blogs, watch and share videos, and participate in forum discussions. A great deal of the current discussions on the site revolve around educational technology -- which I think is fantastic! I think this will be a fabulous resource for find new ideas, asking questions, discussing education trends, and learning from other teachers. I never get tired of hearing what other teachers have tried and loved - and this is another great way for me to do that.
****Facebook - I mostly use Facebook for personal socialization. I do think it is a great way for schools to get information out to parents/community members. I follow the pages of many educational companies and a lot of my friends happen to be teachers, so my news feed often contains educational blurbs and ideas. It is another great way to stay connected, share ideas, and keep up with people.
I know there are countless more social media sites available. I have a Google+ account ... and I use it some ... but I just haven't quite figured out how to make the best use of it yet. Maybe tackling that will be the next step.
I love being connected with people. I love hearing others ideas. I love seeing the things they try and do. And that's why I love social media.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
#TwitterChat
I just spent an hour with my phone dinging crazily with notifications about the awesome ideas popping up on my computer screen. Technology overload? Close. But in the best way possible.
That's right ... I just sat in on my first Twitter chat. And what a chat it was!
A random Google search helped me find a chat group #4thchat. And tonight I joined in.
It was fast paced. Overwhelmingly so at first. Tweets flyin' like crazy. All about 4th grade and this weeks topics of choice, holidays and celebrations.
So much PD. So many great ideas. And such a feel of community!
I followed people. People followed me. I'm building a PLC.
And if you haven't started yet ... you should!
That's right ... I just sat in on my first Twitter chat. And what a chat it was!
A random Google search helped me find a chat group #4thchat. And tonight I joined in.
It was fast paced. Overwhelmingly so at first. Tweets flyin' like crazy. All about 4th grade and this weeks topics of choice, holidays and celebrations.
So much PD. So many great ideas. And such a feel of community!
I followed people. People followed me. I'm building a PLC.
And if you haven't started yet ... you should!
#4thchat Monday nights from 7-8 PM.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Becoming Networked
Last week I did something amazing. Based on a recommendation from an awesome colleague (read Victoria's blog here), I checked out Twiducate. And then I did something even more amazing ... I introduced my kiddos to it. And, though it is not quite like Twitter, it is close enough that my kids have decided we should call our posts "tweets" ... and they are thrilled.
Twiducate is basically a posting board for my classroom. Its a place my kids and I can share ideas and thoughts and questions. It's a place they can prove they can show me (and their classmates) what they are learning (like last week when they were asked to make a post describing the Dust Bowl using a simile). It's a brilliant way for me to get a formative assessment. It's very teacher controlled ... the kids have to have my class code and a password to access our class. I get an e-mail every time something is posted (for now the chat feature is disabled because I don't get e-mails about chats) so I can keep an eye on things.
And it's fun. Right now they are super excited to just communicate with their classmates. I also have the option to add other classes so that we can communicate with them. Talk about great collaboration. (Shameless plug ... if you start using Twiducate, add my class!) I have, for now, asked my classes to only post when and what I ask them to ... we are still learning about the social media side of things, so I am not quite "turning them loose" yet.
But look at us ... 37 nine and ten year old kids and one still slightly nervous teacher ... becoming a networked classroom. Whoa.
I've read articles (like this one). I've done research (such as this). And, lets be honest, the benefits of being a networked classroom are numerous and obvious. It's a great way to engage kids. It's a great way to connect kids. It's 'world-flattening'. It's preparing kids for their future jobs (all of which aren't even created yet!). For my kiddos (4th graders) it's a great way to teach them digital citizenship skills such as etiquette and safety in a secure environment.
Sometimes I get scared. Letting go of control is hard. What if I don't teach them enough about cyber bulling and internet safety? So, when my kids asked "Hey! Can we get on this at home?!" I quickly responded "Not yet. Let's figure it out together, here at school, first." That's part of the reason ... the other part? It's just plain ole' still scary to turn my 4th graders loose with the internet. But I'm getting there.
When I read articles such as this one "Pros and Cons of Social Media in the Classroom" it is so clear that the pros outweigh the cons. So, here I am, trying to make my class a networked classroom. I'm taking it slowly and handing out lots of internet safety speeches. And, I think they are listening and learning (hopefully not only the content I'm teaching but also life long skills). And I know they are loving every minute of it.
And when a kid looks at you and says "Mrs. Moreland! This is so ... so, modern!" Well, that makes it aall worth it.
Twiducate is basically a posting board for my classroom. Its a place my kids and I can share ideas and thoughts and questions. It's a place they can prove they can show me (and their classmates) what they are learning (like last week when they were asked to make a post describing the Dust Bowl using a simile). It's a brilliant way for me to get a formative assessment. It's very teacher controlled ... the kids have to have my class code and a password to access our class. I get an e-mail every time something is posted (for now the chat feature is disabled because I don't get e-mails about chats) so I can keep an eye on things.
And it's fun. Right now they are super excited to just communicate with their classmates. I also have the option to add other classes so that we can communicate with them. Talk about great collaboration. (Shameless plug ... if you start using Twiducate, add my class!) I have, for now, asked my classes to only post when and what I ask them to ... we are still learning about the social media side of things, so I am not quite "turning them loose" yet.
But look at us ... 37 nine and ten year old kids and one still slightly nervous teacher ... becoming a networked classroom. Whoa.
I've read articles (like this one). I've done research (such as this). And, lets be honest, the benefits of being a networked classroom are numerous and obvious. It's a great way to engage kids. It's a great way to connect kids. It's 'world-flattening'. It's preparing kids for their future jobs (all of which aren't even created yet!). For my kiddos (4th graders) it's a great way to teach them digital citizenship skills such as etiquette and safety in a secure environment.
Sometimes I get scared. Letting go of control is hard. What if I don't teach them enough about cyber bulling and internet safety? So, when my kids asked "Hey! Can we get on this at home?!" I quickly responded "Not yet. Let's figure it out together, here at school, first." That's part of the reason ... the other part? It's just plain ole' still scary to turn my 4th graders loose with the internet. But I'm getting there.
When I read articles such as this one "Pros and Cons of Social Media in the Classroom" it is so clear that the pros outweigh the cons. So, here I am, trying to make my class a networked classroom. I'm taking it slowly and handing out lots of internet safety speeches. And, I think they are listening and learning (hopefully not only the content I'm teaching but also life long skills). And I know they are loving every minute of it.
And when a kid looks at you and says "Mrs. Moreland! This is so ... so, modern!" Well, that makes it aall worth it.
How are YOU transitioning your room to a networked classroom?
What other great sites should I check out?
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Tweet Tweet
It's official ... I am a Twitter addict. With TweetDeck on my computers at work and home and the Twitter App on my phone, I check Twitter countless times a day ... it takes just a second to browse through my feed, clicking on articles I want to check - whether to read now, or bookmark for later.
I didn't warm up to Twitter right away. I had an account for over a year before I started falling in love with it. In fact, at first, I really didn't like it. I am a Blogger at heart (I'm sure you could say something about the fact that I like to be wordy ... which you can't be in a Tweet...). I had people telling me it was great for professional development and collaboration ... but I couldn't see past the random tweets of weather and other such "small talk" to get any great professional benefit.
Earth shattering data: it turns out, if you want to use Twitter for collaboration and professional development, you have to 'follow' people that you want to collaborate with and learn from. Who knew? ha! That's where articles such as this came in handy for me. I found out there are people who have already done all the leg work for me and are ready to give me great ideas about which Tweeters are worth my time to follow. I started using Twitter to to collaborate with people who were interested in the same things as me ... educational politics, educational technology, elementary education, and of course the local sports scores. I found articles such as this one (seriously one of my favorites) that helped me figure out #hashtags and find ways to get connected with more educators. And I fell. In. Love.
Twitter is the most convenient way for me to get educational updates and news. I love that in one place I can find articles about educational politics and technology and random creative teaching ideas ... I can read them, I can scan them, I can skip them, I can bookmark them for later ... so many possibilities! It's quick, its easy. It's time efficient. It's perfect.
I still don't have Twitter figured out. My use of #hashtags is minimal because I'm usually not quite sure which ones would be appropriate. And I'm still working on putting my own thoughts and information out there (I have a habit of reading and not sharing back...). But I'm working on it. And I'm finding that the more I figure out, the more I love.
Right now, I'm only using Twitter for myself. It's my own personal professional development. Though I've heard and read so many inspiring things about bringing Twitter into the classroom ... I just haven't figured out the practicality of putting social media into the hands of my 9 and 10 year old's. Trust me, I'm mulling it over ... but the management side of social media is still a bit unnerving to me. So, for now, my favorite way to use Twitter is to grow myself!
 | |
| I dare say I click on this lovely button more times a day than I click on my Facebook app ... which is saying something! |
Earth shattering data: it turns out, if you want to use Twitter for collaboration and professional development, you have to 'follow' people that you want to collaborate with and learn from. Who knew? ha! That's where articles such as this came in handy for me. I found out there are people who have already done all the leg work for me and are ready to give me great ideas about which Tweeters are worth my time to follow. I started using Twitter to to collaborate with people who were interested in the same things as me ... educational politics, educational technology, elementary education, and of course the local sports scores. I found articles such as this one (seriously one of my favorites) that helped me figure out #hashtags and find ways to get connected with more educators. And I fell. In. Love.
Twitter is the most convenient way for me to get educational updates and news. I love that in one place I can find articles about educational politics and technology and random creative teaching ideas ... I can read them, I can scan them, I can skip them, I can bookmark them for later ... so many possibilities! It's quick, its easy. It's time efficient. It's perfect.
I still don't have Twitter figured out. My use of #hashtags is minimal because I'm usually not quite sure which ones would be appropriate. And I'm still working on putting my own thoughts and information out there (I have a habit of reading and not sharing back...). But I'm working on it. And I'm finding that the more I figure out, the more I love.
Right now, I'm only using Twitter for myself. It's my own personal professional development. Though I've heard and read so many inspiring things about bringing Twitter into the classroom ... I just haven't figured out the practicality of putting social media into the hands of my 9 and 10 year old's. Trust me, I'm mulling it over ... but the management side of social media is still a bit unnerving to me. So, for now, my favorite way to use Twitter is to grow myself!
What's your favorite way to use Twitter?
Who are your favorite people to follow?
Are you using it in your classroom? Encourage me!
Monday, March 10, 2014
Professional Learning Networks
Whether it's coming up with and sharing new ideas, seeking help and ideas, or simply searching for resources, collaboration is key in the education world ... and that's why PLN's (Professional Learning Networks) are so important.
One of my favorite PLN's is blogger. I blog on my personal account about life in general, and I love following other blogs both for my personal interests and my education interests. So many wonderful ideas can be found in other people's blogs ... so much insight can be shared ... and so much can be realized by typing one yourself! I also think blogging is a great introduction to PLN's in the classroom. You can set so many controls on them that it is a "safe" way to introduce students into the world of online collaboration.
For personal connections I love Facebook as much as the next person ... I use it to keep up with family and friends around the world. However, for professional/educational connections I am falling quickly in love with Twitter. I love seeing what other people are thinking about, looking at, and researching! I love that twitter gives me the ability to glance through things quickly and bookmark them for later when I have time to really read. Here is "The Teacher's Guide to Twitter" ... an article I love.
There are many, many PLN's out there in the wide web world ... the trick is find ones that you like! For me, the next step is implementing them in my classroom more. Anything I love this much for myself is definitely worth incorporating into my classroom for my students more and more! This article, "5 Personal Learning Networks for Educators" has a list of PLN's that I will be checking out - for both myself and my students - soon!
What is your favorite PLN to use yourself?
What is your favorite PLN to use with your students?
What is your favorite PLN to use with your students?
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