Social Networking Tools
Social Networking is an important part of communication. Soloman and Schrum (2014) support social networking in a learning environment by stating, “The point of communicating with others is to learn, develop, and expand all that we know; to share ideas and information; or just to enjoy social interactions” (p. 114).
Twitter is a tool that I’ve been using for a while now. While many people use it for personal use, I use my account mainly for educational purposes. The wealth of knowledge one can obtain from this source can be overwhelming at times; however, the information I have retained from it has proven to be both useful and conducive to the learning environment in my classroom. The amount of educational resources available through Twitter is amazing to me. While attending a Code.org workshop last weekend, we started the class by posting on Twitter. Within the minute of posting, I had four new followers, which added to my reserve from which to pull ideas and knowledge. I began following April DeGennaro (our facilitator for the course), Teach Code from code.org, Alexandra Vlachakis (the Code.org district facilitator), among other teachers who attended the workshop. Just from these organizations and people I began following yesterday, I have learned new ways to teach coding to my students and opportunities for available grants and even potential jobs. Twitter will be a resource I continue to use and one from which I will use to grow as an educator and leader in the world of instructional technology. My handle is @BashlorSheri; I invite anyone and everyone to follow me.
Another social networking tool that I’m exploring for educational use is Instagram. I feel as though Instagram is a safe and controlled (with some parent monitoring) environment for my students to use. Because of this, I have started allowing students to follow me on Instagram and I follow them back as well; this type of communication opened up a new world to me as an educator. Not only did the photos students posted spark conversation in class, their postings allowed me to see them from a different angle. I learned of their insecurities and true feelings about school; it also showed me what students needed more instruction for digital citizenship or etiquette. With this tool, I have learned more about my students. I plan on using it soon for students to create advertisements, questions they have about an assignment, or for me to post an actual assignment itself.
YouTube is also a social environment we use for posting announcements at our school. This is a great way to communicate with parents, students, and the community about what’s going on in your school. Each week, my students create announcements by filming, editing, and posting them through YouTube. They make sure the safety mode is unlisted; however, there are times we make our postings public. We also share our videos through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to reach a variety of audiences and age groups. I also use YouTube on my educational blog to share resources with other teachers and those who attend presentations in which I present. One can watch an example of our announcements by clicking https://youtu.be/pIH_1VMnsrw. A new link is created each week and shared with parents through newsletters, emails, and a QR code to scan. Also, an example of a public announcement we’ve had in the past can be found by clicking https://youtu.be/C_8Qk-BTCZU, which is an advertisement students created for our annual wax museum.
Virtual Environments
Virtual environments are also very interesting and useful to me as an educator. “Students do many things these days in the world of virtual environments. They invent extensive and creative lives for themselves in which they play, build, interact, and explore” (Solomon & Schrum, 2014, p. 176). I have personally found these tools allow students to extend and refine their critical-thinking skills. Edheads.org is an excellent resource for students to use. Students can choose from many different activities, from performing a deep brain simulation surgery all the way to designing a cell phone. Students love doing these activities, as it promotes new learning and exploring their use of creativity. This website also has teacher resources to explore and use during lessons.
Another virtual environment I thoroughly enjoy is the Code.org website and resources. This website allows teachers to sign up and have access to free lessons to teach students how to code. I first introduce coding and gaming to students this way, then allow them to begin designing their own games and virtual environments. With the major need for computer science education, this is the perfect tool to get students excited about learning how to code. I am also excited about exploring 3-D modeling through the educational Minecraft, which I haven’t gotten around to yet; I hear that it’s awesome!
Digital Divide
The digital divide at our school isn’t prominent. We have devices available to all students in each grade level and use fundraising money to add to our plethora each year. In addition to iPad carts, lap top carts, and Chrome book carts, we have desk tops, short-throw projectors, and Ladibugs in each classroom. Special Education has even more devices, in addition to what each regular classroom has. All students also have computer lab each week to learn more resources to use. We also offer an after-school technology club to students to learn more about robotics, coding, game design, presentations, and much more. My gifted students use green-screen technology to produce videos and create many products with technology.
There is a small divide with the students living in lower socio-economic situations. Although many of these students use devices and Internet services at school, they do not have access to use them from home. I would like to see the possibility of students being able to use hotspots at home, especially when receiving hospital home bound services. I am currently serving a student on hospital homebound who just got their electricity turned back on; I had to use the light on my cell phone if I stayed after the sun started going down. Allowing hot spots for students to work on things at home as well as when receiving instruction at home for students in situations that call for it would be awesome.
Social Networking Tools
Social Networking is an important part of communication. Soloman and Schrum (2014) support social networking in a learning environment by stating, “The point of communicating with others is to learn, develop, and expand all that we know; to share ideas and information; or just to enjoy social interactions” (p. 114).
Twitter is a tool that I’ve been using for a while now. While many people use it for personal use, I use my account mainly for educational purposes. The wealth of knowledge one can obtain from this source can be overwhelming at times; however, the information I have retained from it has proven to be both useful and conducive to the learning environment in my classroom. The amount of educational resources available through Twitter is amazing to me. While attending a Code.org workshop last weekend, we started the class by posting on Twitter. Within the minute of posting, I had four new followers, which added to my reserve from which to pull ideas and knowledge. I began following April DeGennaro (our facilitator for the course), Teach Code from code.org, Alexandra Vlachakis (the Code.org district facilitator), among other teachers who attended the workshop. Just from these organizations and people I began following yesterday, I have learned new ways to teach coding to my students and opportunities for available grants and even potential jobs. Twitter will be a resource I continue to use and one from which I will use to grow as an educator and leader in the world of instructional technology. My handle is @BashlorSheri; I invite anyone and everyone to follow me.
Another social networking tool that I’m exploring for educational use is Instagram. I feel as though Instagram is a safe and controlled (with some parent monitoring) environment for my students to use. Because of this, I have started allowing students to follow me on Instagram and I follow them back as well; this type of communication opened up a new world to me as an educator. Not only did the photos students posted spark conversation in class, their postings allowed me to see them from a different angle. I learned of their insecurities and true feelings about school; it also showed me what students needed more instruction for digital citizenship or etiquette. With this tool, I have learned more about my students. I plan on using it soon for students to create advertisements, questions they have about an assignment, or for me to post an actual assignment itself.
YouTube is also a social environment we use for posting announcements at our school. This is a great way to communicate with parents, students, and the community about what’s going on in your school. Each week, my students create announcements by filming, editing, and posting them through YouTube. They make sure the safety mode is unlisted; however, there are times we make our postings public. We also share our videos through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to reach a variety of audiences and age groups. I also use YouTube on my educational blog to share resources with other teachers and those who attend presentations in which I present. One can watch an example of our announcements by clicking https://youtu.be/pIH_1VMnsrw. A new link is created each week and shared with parents through newsletters, emails, and a QR code to scan. Also, an example of a public announcement we’ve had in the past can be found by clicking https://youtu.be/C_8Qk-BTCZU, which is an advertisement students created for our annual wax museum.
Virtual Environments
Virtual environments are also very interesting and useful to me as an educator. “Students do many things these days in the world of virtual environments. They invent extensive and creative lives for themselves in which they play, build, interact, and explore” (Solomon & Schrum, 2014, p. 176). I have personally found these tools allow students to extend and refine their critical-thinking skills. Edheads.org is an excellent resource for students to use. Students can choose from many different activities, from performing a deep brain simulation surgery all the way to designing a cell phone. Students love doing these activities, as it promotes new learning and exploring their use of creativity. This website also has teacher resources to explore and use during lessons.
Another virtual environment I thoroughly enjoy is the Code.org website and resources. This website allows teachers to sign up and have access to free lessons to teach students how to code. I first introduce coding and gaming to students this way, then allow them to begin designing their own games and virtual environments. With the major need for computer science education, this is the perfect tool to get students excited about learning how to code. I am also excited about exploring 3-D modeling through the educational Minecraft, which I haven’t gotten around to yet; I hear that it’s awesome!
Digital Divide
The digital divide at our school isn’t prominent. We have devices available to all students in each grade level and use fundraising money to add to our plethora each year. In addition to iPad carts, lap top carts, and Chrome book carts, we have desk tops, short-throw projectors, and Ladibugs in each classroom. Special Education has even more devices, in addition to what each regular classroom has. All students also have computer lab each week to learn more resources to use. We also offer an after-school technology club to students to learn more about robotics, coding, game design, presentations, and much more. My gifted students use green-screen technology to produce videos and create many products with technology.
There is a small divide with the students living in lower socio-economic situations. Although many of these students use devices and Internet services at school, they do not have access to use them from home. I would like to see the possibility of students being able to use hotspots at home, especially when receiving hospital home bound services. I am currently serving a student on hospital homebound who just got their electricity turned back on; I had to use the light on my cell phone if I stayed after the sun started going down. Allowing hot spots for students to work on things at home as well as when receiving instruction at home for students in situations that call for it would be awesome.