Social Media in the Classroom

Oftentimes when I think of social media, I usually think it's only referring to things like Facebook and Twitter. When I was reading a presentation about social media, I came across the following image. This image stood out to me and made me realize that other tools like Google Docs and Pinterest are also social media. I like how this image grouped these technology tools into different categories. So, the next time I am asked if I am interested in using social media in my classroom, I do not have to limit my thinking into just those two tools.

Social Media Map: Image Source

In order to gain ideas on how to use social media in the classroom, I read the following article entitled 22 Simple Examples of Social Media in the Classroom. On here, I learned the idea of having students create fake Facebook pages about a famous historical figure, and using Pinterest to pin student work to share with parents, etc. In addition to those, a classroom blog can be used in a writing class to have students interact with others, especially their classmates. I like finding resources like this that provide example ideas on ways I can use tools with my students and their families. If I use these tools in my personal life to communicate and collaborate with others, then it makes sense to use them professionally with my colleagues, students, and parents. Since the world is used to these tools, it will probably help them stay organized if all aspects of their life start using them, so all teachers need to start realizing that using these tools more will benefit their school.

I also read another article entitled What Would Abe Lincoln's Social Media Campaign Look Like? A New Classroom Use for Twitter and Facebook. I find it very interesting to look at how social media played a big role in political elections, and how things may have been different if social media was used in the past during Abraham Lincoln's time. This article explained how this topic could be turned into a lesson for students. I found the lesson to be a great idea and it definitely would  allow students to use many different higher-order thinking skills to collaborate and communicate. Within the lesson, students could use other technology tools like Recite to write quotes from historical figures and how those could have been used in a campaign. Awesome way to integrate social media into a lesson! It's something I don't think I would have come up with on my own. One just needs to be social in order to gain great ideas!

Pln: Twitter & EdChats

First Time Twitter User 

I made a Twitter account for the very first time several weeks ago!

You can follow me at: @lwalls776

In the past, I have been on Twitter to read some tweets of celebrities, etc., but I never made my own account. I will be honest that I had a negative notion about this social media service as I thought it was only for people who wanted to constantly let other people know what they were doing at the moment! I was like, "Who cares what you had for dinner?" After creating my account and finding a ton of educational ideas, resources, and people to follow, I instantly changed my mind! What a fantastic place for educators to share ideas and talk about important education topics.

Image Source

#EdChat:Engagement in the Classroom 

I participated in an #EdChat last week for #ETCoaches
(ISTE EdTechCoachesNetwork @EdTechCoaches) about engagement in classrooms and professional learning experiences. The chat was hosted by Steve Wick @WickedEdTech. He is a High School Science Teacher and Technology Coordinator. This topic of engagement was very fitting for me as we were discussing active learning that week in my online class. Steve Wick introduced himself and shared a picture of a quotation that said The More You Share, The More You Learn. This saying definitely rang true for me after I have finished the chat since I gained some great ideas from this experience. I only learned because I participated.

Steve Wick asked various questions related to engagement, and I responded to most of them. The first question asked us to define student engagement and to share some key words connected to it. My response is below:

Personal Photo from #EdChat  Twitter Account

The part that I really liked about this experience is that the host and other people started liking and retweeting some of the thoughts I was sharing. Steve Wick liked that I said that engagement is when students are actively "discovering a solution," and he liked that I used the word "curious" as a keyword for engagement. I was nervous about participating in this chat at first, but after hearing positive comments like this, I received affirmation that made me feel more confident about myself and my thoughts related to education.

Personal Photo from #EdChat Twitter Account

My favorite part of the chat was when he asked what strategies or things we do to "hook" our students at the start of a lesson. This was my response:

Personal Photo from #EdChat Twitter Account

By sharing this example on the #EdChat, I made the host laugh out loud! At the same time, a lot of people responded well to my response. I felt really good that I shared this example.

Personal Photo from #EdChat Twitter Account

One main takeaway that I gained from this chat is the idea to have students respond to a video clip by making a slide recap. I tried this idea a few days after this chat with my students after they watched a social studies video clip. I had students write 3 things they learned and 1 question that they had about the video clip on a Google Slide. Students then had to present these in class. It was a very engaging and simple activity that put the learning directly into the hands of the students. I love that I learned this idea!

Personal Photo from #EdChat Twitter Account

Steve Wick also talked a bit about HyperDocs. I shared that I learned more about them in my class, and he said that if I have any questions, or if I want to run one by him, he'd be excited to talk. I thought this was so nice, and I am so happy that I follow him!

Personal Photo from #EdChat Twitter Account

I wish I had known more about Twitter and the online support it provides, especially when I first started teaching. I think being a part of an online community like this would have helped me gain ideas and possibly ease some of my anxiety during those early days of teaching. Staying connected with other educators can help me grow and stay up-to-date with new ideas, so I am glad that I am following this community now.


Resources:

HyperDocs: I was able to find several already made HyperDocs by just searching for specific ones on Twitter. These are ones that connect with current units I'm doing in class. There are a whole lot out there on Twitter!
            
 Mesopotamia: Hammurabi Code HyperDoc by Nicole Beardsley (@beardsleyteach)
 Plate Tectonics HyperDoc by Stella Pollard (@Stella_Pollard)

 How-to HyperDoc: Intro HyperDoc for students and teachers by Nicole Beardsley (@beardsleyteach)

I follow Ditch That Textbook on Twitter. They provide and share a lot of great resources and lessons, especially related to technology. 

I also follow Smekens Education. A few years ago, I attended several writing and reading conferences from this service. I gained so many ideas in writing that I still use today. I am happy to follow her (Kristina Smekens) on Twitter as she shares different resources and writing tips via videos.

I have been following Seesaw, too. I saw a recent post that spelling tests could be dictated to students by using Seesaw. By using this, it can allow teachers to administer several individualized tests to students. See tweet @MrsKylieHand