Sunday, March 19, 2017

Session 2: Question 2 Social Media and Teachers

Chapter 5: This chapter is about teachers' use of social media. How could you use social media professionally? Cite your page numbers. 

This is a good example of how to use social media. I retweeted an article about how middle schoolers are successfully learning in social media and tagged Don Wettrick, the author of Pure Genius. He ❤️ it. We just made a professional connection via social media that otherwise would have never happened. 

17 comments:

  1. I use Twitter as a professional learning tool. I follow other educational leaders and teachers that share different types of innovative technology tools they use in their classrooms. I also use Twitter for Twitter chats about educational topics such as increasing student engagement or meeting students' 21st century educational needs. I agree with the author when he talks about how teachers need to embrace social media so they can have the latest educational practices and resources for them (Kindle location 1085).Teachers shouldn't wait until a faculty meeting or a district training to find out the most current beliefs and practices that are being used in successful and effective classroom today.

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    1. I agree with Annie Mitchell's 's response on June 14th that social media can be an excellent professional learning tool for teachers. Where else can you find and get ideas and questions that you have. Not only that, it's reaching out to a wide variety of people, not just your neighbor. The more collaboration the better!

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    2. I agree with Annie Mitchell that we shouldn't wait until trainings to find out the latest and most successful practices. They are all over the internet, and we can use sites like Pinterest and Twitter to find them and collaborate with some of the best teachers around the country.

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  2. @Annie Mitchell...you certainly do use Twitter as a professional learning tool. You "find great ideas and attract pro-level collaborators" page 61. I agree that social media is a game changer. The speed at which education is updating attests to the value of using Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Nearpod, Kahoot,etc. I remember when we were forced to create Twitter and Apple accounts, etc., to use for school purposes at E Trainer meetings. They were so right!

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    1. I have to be the first to day I am unfortunately NOT a social media person. I only have Facebook and Pinterest and I'm not really looking to get into anything else. I know I need to, but just like the kids anything new is scary. UGH I know it's only going to get worse. Here's to not being scared to fail!

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  3. "Twitter is not just for the Kardashians. It serves as a tool for discovering amazing teachers who are sharing what works for them." pg 62. The author makes a compelling argument that Twitter is for teachers. My feed is not solely about teachers, but it is mostly educational. I have interacted with authors and it leads to interacting with author's friends and colleagues. This month I have interacted with Jason Green who cowrote Blended Learning in Action as well as Carol Salva who just published Boosting Achievment.
    I am always on the search for innovative 2nd grade teachers, and Twitter is the way to find them. I first started with Diigo feeds in my inbox daily, and then Edmodo groups and connections. One step at a time makes it easier to adjust.

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    1. @Melanie I am so excited to hear you have made professional connections with authors via Twitter. This is a great example of social media working for educators.

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  4. I could really relate to the part on pages 60-63 where they talked about finding a supportive community. I feel this really speaks to me because like I said I am not comfortable or knowledgeable with social media like I should be. Having the students know I'm "learning" with them I'm hoping they will be more daring as well to try new things and learn with me. I definitely see myself using social media more to get ideas and creative ways to do things in my classroom.

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    1. I agree with you Breidenthal. Kids need to know we do not have all the answers and that we seek resources or use tools to help grow and learn.

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  5. @Mrs. Breidenthal...I know a teacher who got switched from 5th grade language arts to math/science to just math to just science...all in one month. She was so unprepared for the science, she just told her students, "let's find out how this experiment turns out." She was not apologetic or self-conscious. I was impressed with that.

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  6. Teachers can use social media as a tool to enhance and enrich their teachings. I personally believe that "when it comes to finding great ideas and attracting pro-level collaborators, social media is the game changer." Page 61. I personally do not have a social media account, but that does not stop be from reading out it and finding ideas and solutions to my classroom situations. I look and read on SBISD Learner's Journey account from last year to write and respond to concerns and situations that I need help on. It's also easier to sometimes ask others for advice and solutions, ideas and inspirations from a network of teachers than just your next door teacher because you get to reach a variety of people and get SO many ideas!

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    1. I agree with Sara Chu and the author p. 61. You can find great ideas using social media tools. Pinterest is one my favorites. Also, I think we need a think tank social media platform for teachers in our districts. We need to be able to communicate with these innovative people. .

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  7. I use social media to get ideas or to learn something new. I don't really follow anyone but I do keep up with certain threads. I am advocate for password protected social media tools for kids. I agree with the entire chapters message of collaboration and sharing ideas through various social media platforms. They can be extremely useful. I show students JChoy's blog, the Google Tools, TeacherTube, Skype, Primary Pad, AppearIn, etc. Also, the things that students can create or produce using these tools can be life-changing. Just think about the PSA created by Austin and Mason regarding the unsolved case of the student who was stabbed on pp. 73-74.

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  8. I use Pinterest a lot to get ideas for anchor charts, classroom management, and lessons. I haven't quite figured out how to use Twitter or Instagram yet, but I like the idea of using them to showcase classroom activities and student work (Kindle location 1222).

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    1. I also use Pinterest as mentioned in Alice O'Meara's July 16th comment. I don't use Pinterest too often, however, as at times I find it overwhelming. However, I will say it's one of the places where you'll find creative, fun ideas for ANYTHING you need for your classroom! I love being able to create boards and save "pins" to the boards- so if we like an activity/idea we can essentially save it for later use.

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  9. I don't have a Twitter or a YouTube account, but I got some great ideas from this chapter as to how I can use social media in the classroom. I think it'd be neat to have a blog that demonstrates what students are learning in the classroom. I know for me this would take some getting used to, as I'm not often on my computer unless checking work emails or doing professional development. When I have my Facebook account, I use it to get ideas for books to read, neat teaching ideas (I follow a Kindergarten teachers group and I have lots of friends who are teachers). I have posted my student's work online, and I love doing so. I think the only thing that makes me uncomfortable though is how sometimes I view sharing work as bragging. This chapter helped me understand that "if I have found something that works, share the knowledge with the educational community. It isn't bragging; it's helping. (pg. 64). That was great for me to hear.

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  10. I’ve found that YouTube is a great place to upload videos, especially how to videos, for students to refer to if looking for an explanation on how to log-on to various websites or how to use online graphic organizational tools such as Spicynodes. “Have a question on how to use it? Great! Watch the video!”

    However, in the spirit of honesty, I will admit that I could do better in regards to establishing and maintaining a presence on social media especially on Twitter and/or Facebook. And although I’m not typically actively pinning every day, I have found Pintrest a great way to find great visuals and anchor charts for difficult math concepts (Wettrick, 2014, pg. 67-70)

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