Edutopia has a great post Technology Tools for the First Week of School, by Mary Beth Hertz. Mary Beth has created a Google Doc that is a result of Twitter Tweets and contains lots of great ideas for technology tools. Check it out, I am sure you will find an idea you can use in your classroom.
Making the Case for Social Media in Education
by Betty Ray
During the time it takes me to write this intro (approx. one minute), 42,000 people will update their Facebook status, 36,000 tweets will be sent, and fifteen hours of video will be uploaded to YouTube.
Undoubtedly, the world as we know it is quickly becoming wired through social media. Our guest blogger, Steve Johnson (@edtechsteve) sheds some light on the current state of social media in schools and even provides some handy talking points to make the case to lift internet filters within schools.
–Betty Ray, Community Manager (@EdutopiaBetty) and Elana Leoni, Social Media Marketing Coordinator (@elanaleoni)
The 3/9/10 #edchat discussion was another example of the most scrolling fun you can have in an hour on the Internet. The topic this time was “How can social media create real change in education?”
Right away, folks got busy reframing the question in more “real” terms:
Social-networking tools such as Facebook, Skype and Twitter — once widely scorned by schools because of concerns over student conduct and privacy — have become popular vehicles for engaging students in innovative lessons, promoting schools and spurring collaboration and professional development among teachers. Many hurdles remain, however, as schools work to develop policies on safe and appropriate use of the tools by students and teachers alike. Education Week: Click Here for the full story
KidBlog provides teachers and educators with a quick and easy way for to set up a own classroom blog. This safe and simple blogging platform allows teachers to give each student their own, unique blog. With simple login menus, students can easily access the site. Spell check ensures that students can see and correct any spelling mistakes. Teachers can maintain complete control over the blogs by requiring posts to be approved before publishing. Visitor access can also be restricted to just class members or guests with a password.
Club Penguin is an ad-free, virtual world where children can play games, have fun and interact with others. Recently joined with the Walt Disney Company, the two companies share an interest in providing a safe and fun experience for kids on the Internet. Kids are able to submit artwork, choose desktop wallpapers and color pages or comics. It is a way for them to get used to the world of social networking which they will soon be opened up to in the future.
by All Hands on Deck: Reflections on Teaching, New Literacies, & English Education in a Time of Change
If it’s #followfriday (#ff), this must be Twitter. #followfriday is when folks who Tweet list names of folks they think other Tweeters might want to follow. This custom has a sweet history. Michah Baldwin, the originator, says,
It wasnt hard for people to suggest folks to follow, because everyone has people they follow that they find interesting, insightful, funny, intelligent or whatever it is that makes you love to interact with another person (online or off).
Then came #teachertuesday, when folks were (are?) called on to list educators who would be interesting to follow.
I’ve been a little leery of the custom. Sure, it’s gratifying to get listed– who didn’t want to be one of the cool kids in high school? But when people keep recommending the same people, who in turn recommend people from the same circles, etc., what’s that about?
Probably these folks really like and admire each other. Probably they– we– just love lists. For example, I can predict with some accuracy that I’ll bookmark a site with a headline like this:
- 25 Sites We Can’t Live Without
- 20 Free Web Apps for the 2.0 Student
- 27 of the Most Comprehensively Compiled Social Media Guides
Or, maybe we just want guarantees: we want to be sure that we get the most valuable information. After all, since there is so much out there, we want to know what the best is. This is true of everything from movies and restaurants to pediatricians and… education blogs?
- 50 Best Blogs for Education Leaders
- Determining the Top Education Blogs
- Best Education Blogs for 2010
But I think there’s at least one other explanation for all of this listing, rating, and recommending.
As the tsunami of information continues to swell, it becomes less possible for all of us to know the same things. Do you feel that rumbling beneath your feet? That’s just everything we once felt sure of, breaking open.
I think lists counteract the feeling of overwhelm or helplessness in the face of TMI (Too Much Information) or TLC (Too Little Certainty.) After all, if there’s a list, it means there’s Someone Out There Who Knows and Something We (All) Should Know.
Recommending the same folks over and over reminds me of circling the wagons on a new frontier.
And still, with every dawn, that wagon train uncurls. It pulls out again.
5 Reasons Why Educators Should Network
By Tanya Roscorla, Converge Magazine
The period of isolationism in the United States ended during World War II, but while political isolation is no more, educational isolation is still prevalent in public schools today.
Many teachers go to school each day, teach their students and leave. If they’re struggling with how to teach a lesson that will engage their students, they might ask for advice from the teacher down the hall, but a lot of times, they struggle alone.
For the Full article: http://www.convergemag.com/workforce/5-Reasons-Why-Educators-Should-Network.html?elq=950373c352934907809d6d59cc66cfec
