it has become an imperative for us as educators -- and parents -- to model appropriate digital citizenship to even our youngest learners.
Group items tagged
Introducing Social Media to Elementary Students | Edutopia - 23 views
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"Even our youngest learners" - yes - as young as preschool if they understand reading a book/print.
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I think of my 8 month old and her ability to swipe left and right on my husbands Kindle already! Our children are exposed to all sorts go technology from birth and we should exposed them to it but responsibly. I remember telling my husband, i didn't want her to watch tv too early or be exposed to technology without loving the pages of a book first... It's definitely hard, can be done, be technology and social media should be in moderation. -Jess Ross -
Jess,your comment took me back to another article I read about how today's young people's brains have been completely rewired and almost programmed to be receptive to technology. But your concern as to how to behave in a parentally responsible way with regard to when and how to introduce your young child to technology made me also recall earlier articles I read about the many tech-employed parents working in Silicon Valley and how they have elected not to expose their preschool and elementary children to technology and social media because these, they believe, " inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans." Like you, many want their children to discover of the magic of turning a page of a book and getting lost in it. Here is a like to one such article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?_r=0 (O. McBride) -
Thanks O. It is amazing the how many folks in Silicon Valley have the outlook. I understand their theory, however, i do understand that our work is saturated with it and it's many time necessary to even communicate and learn. I'm looking forward to digging in to this resource and reading a little more on this subject. Thanks for the article! :) -Jess Ross
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teacher's blog post
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I JUST LOVE THIS. This is everything I hope for in my future classroom. As I have been planning my final project, I felt as if I was starting out with something way to involved and was thinking about scrapping it all. After reading this, I am keeping it and am up for the challenge, as the students will get so much out of the experience! Awesome to hear how it works in other classrooms. I will have to check out her Twitter to see how it is unfolding! (Shannon Feerrar) -
This is definitely a shining example of how successful it can be for an educator. I know I would love to implement some kind of technology into my classroom and the way this teacher is doing it is a great inspiration. The engagement piece of the students is is something we all strive for and how to change it up so our students want to keep asking those questions! -Andrea Zajac
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I have worked with and spoken to dozens of educators who strongly feel that engaging in social media is irrelevant for them because of their students' age
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I feel as if this is a common "argument." As we learn more about the benefits of utilizing social media within the younger classroom, we have to share the positives and how we are going to change any difficulties that we faced. Hopefully that will allow for others to understand and see the benefits with utilizing social media in the younger classrooms.
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Social media in the classroom, specifically the younger classroom is a key element to learning in my opinion. Students are already so tech savvy that we need to help them learn how they already know how. Our school district just blocked Pinterest from the computers because it is a social media site. Lots of teachers use that for their lessons though so they are working on getting that resolved. -
It's all about education - most of the administrators in the district probably have never been educated on social media - so they are afraid of it. If you create meaningful learning experiences using social media, then share it with others - invite them into your classroom to see how your students could benefit. Change takes time but it only takes one "irritation" in the system to begin that change. Dr. Fritz
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Local districts in Lancaster have all started to participate in more technology in the classroom and the whole social media idea. I am not sure what district started it but it just seemed like all of a sudden everything went paperless and we were to be subscribing to district apps to keep up on what is going on. (Shannon Feerrar)
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I am seeing an increase in the use of social media in my school district, but with just the younger teachers and particulary in Kindgergarten. At my school, the kindergarten teachers have a website for their grade. They also use bar codes and other means to increase student participation during class. I have had training on these techniques, but have not used them yet. (Dawn Lynn)
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This fall, however, they uncovered a new dimension for Twitter. In October, one member of the class found himself trapped in New York during Hurricane Sandy. Kristin Ziemke and her students used Twitter and their blogs to learn about the storm while also checking on their classmate's well being. She describes the experience in her blog:
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To add a sticky note right to the highlight, after you highlight - hover your mouse over the top left of the highlighted text. Then, a menu will appear - click the down arrow and add your note. -Dr. Fritz
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I am so amazed by these teachers and their creativity. Great use of social media here! (Shannon Feerrar)
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Students already have enough screen time. Students need to be able to communicate in person. Students don't need to know about social media at this point -- it isn't age appropriate.
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I found this portion of the article to be very helpful. Since starting this class, I have focused mainly on the positives that social media has on students and the classroom. However, these three bullets make very compelling concerns/arguments for social media in the classroom. I feel it is important to gain a wide range of facts/opinions on topics even if you still feel the positives outweigh the negatives! - Mark Ferko -
These bullets are so true. The students are going home after school and sitting on some form of technology. Most think of social media as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, those sorts of things. I thought that too until I started taking this course. There is lots that students can use as far as social media that isn't along those lines.
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I found this conclusion to the article to be very summative of the importance of social media in the classroom. The one part I especially liked as "whether you introduce social media to students through a class blog, individual student blogs, Twitter or paper, there is NO "right way" to begin". -- Mark Ferko
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The only "right way" is the way that enhances learning/connections/communications for your students! -Dr. Fritz
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I agree this is a great way to end the article. I think the part where it states "we introduce all children to social media in appropriate and meaningful ways" is key. To teach digital citizenship then we have to decipher the context for how are students are to be engaged and what they should be doing to create a proper learning experience still even online. - Andrea Zajac
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I agree that "teaching students about social media in appropriate and meaning ways" is very important. I remember learning typing in middle school in the early '90's, and how bored I was with only typing certain letters with certain fingers. I was really excited to type and use a computer, but I was not engaged because what we were doing was not meaningful. So important!
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Whether you introduce social media to students through a class blog, individual student blogs, Twitter or paper, there is no "right way" to begin. Do I really feel that toddlers should Tweet? Probably not. However, what's important is that we introduce all children to social media in appropriate and meaningful ways, regardless of their age, such that they can connect to a global audience and develop as empowered, networked learners.
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If we honestly think about it, we were all taught the "social media" of our time in early elementary school. Remember the friendly letter? How about thank you notes? Telephone etiquette? In early grades, none of us were expected to master these skills independently, but they were integrated into our curriculum so that effective social behavior could be modeled at a young age
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I found this to be a very amazing and thought out point. It was a great addition to the article and really made a nice reference to past years before today's "social media" was around! -- Mark Ferko
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Students will be needing these media skills as they matriculate into middle and high school. For a student who is shy, this can be another way for them to communicate. (K.Maguire) -
I completely agree and I hadn't thought of this before the article. We introduce these concepts to students at an early age and social media is another medium where students are sharing their ideas. I do think the difference is that a letter and phone call are private between two people. Social media opens up our thoughts and opinions up to a great world and because of that we need to educate our students as early as possible. (M.Brown) -
Playing Devils advocate side: it also opens up for the lack of being responsible with communication, hence the large amount of cyber bullying and sharing of personal information. It is IMPERATIVE that we teach our students what is appropriate and inappropriate media manners. As teachers we also need to make sure we are aware of what is going on within our own sites and student usage in school. This seems to be fairly easy with programs to see what our students are doing on the computer as they are doing it. (Shannon Feerrar)
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I am also going to play devils advocate here because I think there is a loss of letter writing and cards in our world today. I did a lesson this past spring for pre-student teaching on card writing and the students loved it. They wanted to write more than one card. I think we have to teach our students how to be good writers first before we direct them to a social media environment. This can easily be done as we teach students and I agree it has to be appropriate with their writing. "You" is not spelled "U". Maybe I am sentimental, but I was just thinking the other day when we think about how people recorded history we had letters to help us piece some of it together. I would like students to still hold value to the power of writing. One word said wrong and posted out to the world could change their whole life. -Andrea Zajac
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I walked past their blog walls. To teach the concept of posting and commenting, the students created physical blogs on bulletin boards in the hallway of the school
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This was very interesting to see. I had never thought of using a blog as a form of writing for students in elementary level. The classroom that I am student teaching in is a preK classroom. They don't know how to type but they are journaling. They draw a picture and then write about it. If I had a higher classroom, I would think about blogging as their writing. (E. Soble)
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For the younger students, you could add their drawing to VoiceThread. THen, the students could "speak" their comments/story about the picture! -Dr. Fritz
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What a wonderful idea! Showing students that really they are making a poster that has their ideas and opinions goes a long way to making the internet and posting less abstract. (M.Brown)
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I found this interesting as well. It is a great way to work on the pre-writing process with students as well as incorporating an introduction to how to use social media. I have seen some teachers do the whole Instagram or Selfie walls, but this to me would be more connected and more structural because then the students can actually go and write on their class blog. I agree Kindergarteners would love to record themselves. Knowing that we are working on fundamentals at this point in the year I see this being a great lesson activity for later in the year when they have gained some reading and more writing skills. They would feel more confident in their "voice" to want to record it. This is why I like the resource StoryBird it is a similar concept, but even this Croak.It resource would be nice for the students to use. -Andrea Zajac
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I love this idea! I did something similar with a Google+ profile for the class, and they decorated the board with their profile information as a class. The kids really enjoyed expressing themselves as a class.
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Now that I know how easy it is to use voice thread, I could see using this tool in elementary school and having the kids make a presentation for the classroom or even the school! (Dawn Lynn)
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In just the past few weeks, Kristen Wideen's students have shared math stories with a class in Iowa and frog data with a class in Singapore
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This lends itself to the concept of flat classroom. As adults, it is necessary to collaborate across the globe in science and medicine. It's a great opportunity for students to build on their learning from another perspective. -K. Maguire
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It would also help encourage accepting others and respecting others opinions. It will also allow students to open their minds and possibly learn a new way to to something. (Shannon Feerrar)
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This type of interaction is great. Not only does it let students share what they are learning, but it allows them to see how other students learn, and how their culture is different (C.Loring)
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Lately, the grade 1/2 students in Kristen Wideen's class have been studying tadpoles and frogs. I know this because I've seen their Padlet wall of questions, witnessed the delivery of tadpoles, and watched a young boy read to his amphibian friend -- all through Twitter
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This highlights the way social media can be so helpful to bringing parents and the community into the classroom. Parents can feel connected to their children's learning which means they will hopeful be able to engage with their children better and more easily.
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Kristen Wideen originally created a class Twitter account so that her students could begin to engage in the cultivation of their own Personal Learning Networks (PLNs). Her students not only learn, but also share their learning with a broader community. Whether through whole-group Twitter activities and Skype, calls or individual KidBlogs, these students recognize that there are connections to be made beyond their Ontario classroom -- all while working on their reading, writing, communication and collaboration.
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This is proof that elementary students can benefit from social media. Young learners and their families can see the advantages of using social in the classroom and young students are taught, at an early age, proper use of social media tools.
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My students were empowered to be part of a learning network that was for students, by students. So often, young children only have access to information that is filtered through an adult channel. While oftentimes that is appropriate, kids also need the model of other children as information providers
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There were many things said in this article, but I find this quote to be just as profound. We want our students to feel empowered and be a part of the learning process. In a social media context the students really do get to do this. I hesitate on how to introduce this at such a young age, but as models for our students we can help guide them in the right direction. -Andrea Zajac
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This also speaks to a classroom being student led instead of always being teacher led. I love to watch students work together and teach each other. This is one area where I see the need for improvement in my teaching style and technology is one tool to increase this type of learning in the classroom. (Dawn Lynn)
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Student led learning seems particularly important with online resources since its something so many people use on their own. The more students practice exploring online resources and learn how to use online resources to accomplish tasks, the more students will be able to do this on their own. With the fast pace of that technology is evolving, its imperative that students learn to explore new online tools because new ones come along so often and old ones change in time. Timothy Conley
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KidBlogs
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With the resources mentioned hear such as KidBlogs and Croak.It there is a better understanding of how to implement social media in a classroom at a younger age. Before these I do not feel there would have been much success nor would teachers felt safe. The more tools available that offer a safe environment for students more teachers are going to want to use them. -Andrea Zajac
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Comments
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Social media enables the creation of meaningful connections
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Meaningful connections! Because technology surrounds our ever day life... these are the "authentic and relevant connections" our children make with the world. It's the way they communicate. Although, face-to-face connections are important,educators should continue to find ways to teach children within this foundation, meeting their need and source of connection. -Jess Ross
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I also think this is important to students who may have social anxiety. Although it may be impossible for them to talk to someone in person, they may open up a lot more on social media/through technology (C.Loring)
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connections
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I highlighted this section of the article introducing Social Media to Elementary Students because I think it emphasizes the importance for hands on activities for elementary school students.
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I highlighted this section of the article introducing Social Media to Elementary Students because I think it emphasizes the importance for hands on activities for elementary school students. (Fareed Adams)
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This would be great to share with parents on Back to School Night because we often hear concerns from parents over amounts of screen time at home and they want their child to have opportunities for typical social time activities like recess at school. - Kathryn Maguire
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Collectively, they would discuss their learning experiences as a class, before Tweeting out their thoughts, questions and ideas to their broader learning community.
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I think this is what makes tweeting so dynamic because you can transcend the confines of the classroom and connect with the broader community. (Fareed Adams)
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http://www.academia.edu/194162/Collaborative_Learning_Experiences_Using_Social_Networks Social Media Networks can play a huge role in the development of our children's learning experiences. I have attached this article on collaboration in the learning experience through 3 phases through a "live learning strategy". Enjoy! :) -Jess Ross
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Not only did social media empower this student, but it also provided her with a global audience. In 18 days, she received 42 comments from teachers, family members and other adults from across the continent. By empowering her students with the use of social media, Kristin Ziemke connects them to a global audience and introduces them to the complex communication required to be effective digital citizens.
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For teachers who have only started to explore the uses of social media for their own professional development, much less with their students, setting children loose on blogs or Twitter can seem daunting.
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Getting something started with something new can sometime scare people. For people who are not technologically inclined this could be even worse. I've heard teachers in the past shy away from technology instead of embracing it because they aren't tech savvy. As teachers, we need to assume that new things and ideas will come out and we have to jump on board. In the end, students benefit from this and that's the number one priority.
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As I said, I agree. However, if used effectively, social media can transform a student's learning experience.
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Communicating with students from other environments can be valuable. Students can share things that they are good at as well as things that they struggle with. It is powerful for a child to hear from another child from a place outside their immediate realm. - K. Maguire
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Extend the Classroom
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"Extend the classroom" is a great phrase. Why does a classroom have to be a room? Social media came make the world the classroom. -Jeannine McGoldrick
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I agree that young children need to interact in a face-to-face setting.
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"Children need to interact in a face to face setting". Children who are a bit shy will have an easier time face to face when they're online. -Jeannine McGoldrick
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The classes' twitter page: https://twitter.com/MrsWideensClasshttp://kidblog.org/home/ - ...2 more comments...
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I have no idea if my highlighting and note will show up -Jeannine McGoldrick
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Beth Holland, communication coordinator and instructor at EdTech Teacher, gives three age-appropriate examples of introducing social media to children in the lower elementary grades.
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The more I reflect on introducing social media to our elementary students, the more I wonder if we are teaching them that they are not relevant unless they are connected to a group of individuals beyond their physical environment, or to subconsciously validate themselves by the number of likes or comments they receive from their followers...#hmmmm~ Marissa Williams -
"To teach the concept of posting and commenting, the students created physical blogs on bulletin boards in the hallway of the school." Before actually introducing a social media tool in the class we could have a blog wall to teach students #posting, #commenting and reflection to stare and frame their conversations and get them familiar with the process.
Keeping up with social media--in 30 minutes a day (you heard me!) | - 60 views
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Keeping up with social media–in 30 minutes a day (you heard me!
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This presentation is from 2012; however, it has a lot of great information that I feel will really help you organize your PLN. Here is the updated presentation that corresponds with this article: http://www.slideshare.net/arikhanson/how-to-keep-up-with-social-media-in-30-minutes-a-day-of-less
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but most folks use Google Reader. You can use either.
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Google Reader is no longer in service:(. I really miss this tool; however, feedly is a great too to use.
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I have has such a hard time organizing the influx of blogs that Feebly will probably be the best tool I've learned about. It is a great way to organize and scan the titles of articles and posts I want to read. Rudalia Sutton
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Cadmus is a great tool to maximize downtime. It displays content on Twitter since you last checked in. It manages Twitter streams and takes replies in Twitter and groups them into "conversations". (t. Ghaznavi) -
I am new to twitter how do you use Cadmus? Is it something I have to download? Rudalia Sutton
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Use tools like Flipboard, Reeder (iPhone app) and Cadmus (great tool for catching up with what you missed on Twitter since you last signed in–see below) to keep on top of industry trends and business news.
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Twitter lists to follow industry thought leaders. Twitter lists to follow bloggers you want to get to know better. You can even create private Twitter lists to follow competitors, industry influencers and other folks you don’t want your competitors or others seeing. What’s more, you can steal OTHER PEOPLE’S Twitter lists for you own. That’s right–why do all the work when someone else may have already done it.
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I think this is a great idea. The steps to do this are here:https://media.twitter.com/best-practice/create-and-use-twitter-lists. As a Twitter user, I really like the idea of condensing and filtering information to be more tailored to my likes and needs. -
I love this idea! I want to use twitter for professional reasons, but I also want to be able to follow my personal interests. This would allow me to do both! I can focus on education topics when I need to without getting distracted by other news and vice versa. I have a tendency to follow any interesting leads I see so this will help keep me focused. -
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After starting this class I recently joined Twitter so I am still learning all the ins and outs that Twitter offers. This is a cool feature that can come in handy and help limit the amount of time spent on Twitter looking for new posts by who you follow. B.Berg -
I am new to twitter but I will be sure to try out this technique. I am always afraid that I'll get on and get sucked in and never get any work done. So it's nice to know that I can be productive in what I read. Rudalia Sutton
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This sounds like a great way to organize what I want to see on Twitter. Since I am still new to Twitter, I am still overwhelmed with all of the information. Is there an education list out there?
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I never even knew Twitter Lists even were a thing; however, I can definitely see the usefulness of them. They can give you a way to section off your follows and focus on different parts at a time instead of everyone at once. (John Bugay) -
Twitter lists are wonderful! I've taken advantage of this tool in my personal life and I can see the beauty of using this in the professional life as well. Thanks for highlighting this!-Ryan Burks -
Dawn - yes, there are lists. There are also lists of twitter chats. If you google "educational twitter chat", you'll find them!
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This is such a good feature. It gives us the oppertunity to follow people we personally want to follow and people we follow for our careers. I would personally like this because my sister is in college and is at the age of 20. She was the one who introduced me to twitter in the first place. S Ruggiero -
I love the idea of being able to steal other users twitter lists. Why reinvent the wheel, when someone else has already created a sufficient list. C. Spina -
It is great that you can use other users lists. It makes it much easier to find people to follow. It also reduces the time spent to find the right people to follow. C. Spina
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think about the time you’re captive, where you have nothing to do but the task at hand. For me, it’s moving the lawn. I throw in the ear buds and spend 45 minutes mowing the lawn AND listening to my favorite podcast (and thus, getting smarter about my craft).
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Prior to using Podcasts, I would either use music or nothing at all during exercise time, cooking, or other activities that I can focus on something else while doing. By integrating listening to podcasts into these times, I have upped my productivity and am able to use relevant podcasts to learn more about information I am interested in. When I first saw podcasts and how lengthy many of them are, it can feel overwhelming to sit down and listen to a 30-60 minute "talk". However, if you use them while doing other activities (during cooking or long drives is my favorite) you can get what you need done while being informed. My favorite podcasts range from entertainment (Serial) to informative for teachers (TED Talks, EdReach). - Lauren Rose -
I recently just started to listen to podcasts while I work out, and it has been a total game-changer. I stay on the treadmill longer because I'm interested in what I'm hearing, and I'm learning something new at the same time. Definitely a good way to multi-task. (N. Mlynski) -
I have never thought of listening to anything but music while I run. I'm going to give this a try. Thanks for the tips!
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My husband has a long commute (50 minutes) and uses the time to listen to his favorite podcasts. He finds it calming when dealing with traffic and more interesting than morning radio! Tonya Scott -
This is a good idea. I never thought to listen to podcast while mowing my lawn, or maybe even doing laundry. After reading this article, I have come to realize that we can use our technology at all different times of the day. Maria Onorato -
My husband is very efficient in this strategy. He listens to podcasts anytime he is doing housework and home alone. I wish that I had the motivation to do this as well because it is a great time saver! -S. Goodyear -
You can subscribe to podcasts and the newest version will automatically pop up in your feed! -Dr. Fritz
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I think that this is a very good way to efficiently use time in a way that allows you to multitask. I think commuting is a great opportunity to listen to information through podcasts. I find that a lot of the time when I could be listening to informational programs, I am doing a lot of reflection and mental preparation. While I do not think that this is a bad thing, I could make more conscious efforts to put my ear plugs in. - Ilana Haas -
I agree, podcasts are a productivity game changer! Since beginning this course, I've started listening to TED Talks a few mornings a week during my commute. I would have guessed I would not enjoy listening while I run, but turns out I do! --Meridith Hayden -
I would listen to podcasts in the car (just about my only downtime chore where I am not already multitasking), but my car is not new enough to have bluetooth or any other means to listen to a podcast, and headphones are illegal in the car. -
I have listened to many Podcasts. I have used them to educate myself in numerous subjects. The benefit of Podcasts is you can multi-task and still listen and absorb the information. C. Spina
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I listen to Podcasts very often. I have educated myself on numerous topics by listening to Podcasts. I love that you can listen to Podcasts and multi-task. C. Spina
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Why should I reinvent the wheel? Heather already has all the spokes in place. Or, what about Social Media Examiner’s weekly roundup? Or, what about Sarah Evans’ daily Commentz enewsletter? One of the few enewsletter I read on a regular basis. Don’t do all the work yourself–seek out those sources that already exist and use that information to your advantage.
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This is something that is really important to remember when you start to feel overwhelmed by social media. Other people are out there searching for and curating the same resources that you want, use them as allies in the fight against wasted time. (N. Mlynski)
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I love this idea of seeking out sources that already exist. It will save you a lot of time.
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You don't need to reinvent the wheel!! I hear this all the time in reference to lesson planning, too. Tonya Scott
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This is such a useful idea, especially when you are gathering information on a new topic. It can be hard to sort and tell a resources worth if you aren't an expert. This idea allows you to filter out the resources that aren't worth your time and hone in on the really good ideas. J.Clay
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In general, I really like this idea of saving time and being efficient through the use of social media, including sharing the resources that another has already created. I think that is a big aspect of social media: we use it in order to assist one another and collaborate through shared ideas. - Ilana Haas
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My thoughts are the same, don't reinvent the wheel, take it and improve on it, or adjust it to meet your needs.. -
I think that it is very important for us to realize that it is not necessary to "reinvent the wheel." This can save a lot of time browsing through blogs. By finding a blog that compiles a list of top posts for the week we are able to be more efficient and have more time to read and expand our knowledge and ideas. The internet and blogs are created to help share our ideas and finds with others who share the same interests and we should take advantage of these trusty sources when we can! -Carissa McGuigan
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organize my blogs by geography (MN blogs), discipline (PR, social media, mobile), clients (industry blogs) and other miscellaneous categories (fun, business blogs, etc.).
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This is a great way to keep organized. It would be so much easier and quicker to find things you are looking for. I'm going to have to give this a try myself.
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I have been using Feedly and it is a great way to organize webpages, blogs, newspapers or organizations that I like to look at often. However, I can't imagine actually only spending 15 minutes on there!! Maybe I need to narrow down my scope a bit. But I find that I will log-in and then spend an hour or two without realizing it! Tonya Scott
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I know this piece resonated with me as I initially stated in the beginning of this course that I never had time to really manage my social media outlets when it came to posting and engaging on my music FB, twitter as well as my nonprofit. This gives a good way to manage them without feeling overwhelmed, more so not feeling like I don't have the time to manage them with my busy day to day schedule. -Jess Ross
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I like that you highlighted this quote, because it gives us all a place to start with in using Feedly. Instead of being lost we can organize it like it is laid out here.
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I agree, that this is a great tool to manage social media outlets in an efficient way. I have a hard time keeping up with checking all of my social media outlets on a daily basis. C. Spina
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You know that time you waste each day standing in line for coffee, on the bus commuting or (gulp) in the bathroom (don’t lie, you know you do it)? You need to start using that time to your advantage.
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I had never thought of looking through my things while I have down time, maybe I will be able to do this more now since my kids have their own ipods, kindles..... I'm going to try to do this more often, even if only 5 minutes a day! -Christina Miller -
Hi Christina, I was just thinking the same thing. I have to maximize my downtime! C. Hornyak
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I understand what she is saying here, but I think that downtime can be good. We need to be able to clear and rest our minds (and our eyes) sometimes. Call me old-fashioned, but it really bothers me when I see people in public with their phones or ipads out and their eyes glued on it. Especially young children. I think this is one area where technology and social media is damaging our culture and society. Just some thoughts! Sorry for the "soap-box"! Tonya Scott
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I think that this is a great example of how we can maximize our downtime and really put our smart phones to good use. I personally think that I would have to start making more of a conscious effort to do this because I tend to get caught up in my surroundings and would rather be present in the current moment than with my face in my phone. I completely understand the point of this strategy. I just think that for some people, they would have to change a lifestyle habit. -Ilana Haas
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I agree, I never thought that that 5 minutes in the bathroom can be beneficial, or maybe when you are on your lunch break from work. I'm going to have to remember that every time I have an extra 5 minutes to use it to my advantage and organize my PLN
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Maximizeing down time can be a good idea, but it can also burn you out. We are so connected all of the time that I think we need to take a break from technology every day. I make my children do it, so I need to lead by example! (Dawn Lynn)
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As others have said downtime is important to relax and little and destress. So although there are times where downtime can be used for stuff like this, we do not want to create burnout. For example, I know some off periods I get I should use for planning and prep, but some days I just use it to unwind after a stressful class. During days like that I could not imagine doing something like this.
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I actually think that this is totally ridiculous. People can't be connected all of the time. Most of the time, these are the times where it is my actual and only downtime for the day and let me tell you, I am not wasting it on social media. I need it for my own sanity! (Felicia Ulsh) -
That's a great idea, but as most of you will soon, or at some point realize, when you move on to the journey of your doctorate, there's no such thing as "down time", but time management is definitely necessary, something that I am in constant struggle with.
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I agree - it feels so good to just leave all technology off for the day! I think deep down inside, my kids appreciate it, too:). -Dr. Fritz
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I enjoyed this back and forth of opinions on using social media during downtime. The way I've always thought about it is whether my downtime has more opportunities from being present with my own thoughts and the world around me, or if this is a true downtime I should be taking advantage of. No one can tell you where to draw the line with too much use of technology, but I think there is a time to get busy on your phone and a time to give it a rest. Having worked at a Starbucks for some time in the past, I can say I've seen people miss great thing in the real world around them because of their phones, but I've also seen people enjoy their otherwise tedious and frustrating wait because of social media. All I can say for sure about this is to try to be mindful of those around you and to be dynamic about moving from the world on your phone to the world around you. Technology is given a bad rap because of how oblivious people can be when they use it in public. If now is the time to get stuff done in your downtime, make that little bit of effort to be good to the real people around you. Timothy Conley
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I can see where there are some points in time that can be used to do this but I do not think that every waking moment should be devoted to maximizing downtime. As with everything else, there should be balance. Sometimes standing in line is just for standing in line and not having your face buried in a phone. I understand what the writer is trying to say but think there should be some discretion for how literally it is applied. (W. Kerr) -
I have mixed feelings about this statement. Everytime I have downtime I feel like I always reach for my phone and start browsing through all of my social media accounts. Lately I have been telling myself that I need to back off and back away from technology because I feel like it distracts me from the world around me and I don't feel like I take the time to notice my surroundings enough. I definitely think its important to try and keep up to date with new updates in the industry but I think its important to draw a line and a maximum amount of time spent doing this each day because it can really take away from personal relaxation time that I feel is important also. -Carissa McGuigan
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This reminds me of the time management exercise I used to do with college students. I'd put a brick in a glass jar, then some stones, then some sand to fill in the gaps and ask if it was full. When they would (inevitably) say it was full, I'd start pouring in water, then lead a discussion about finding those bits of downtime. That being said, I think a teacher who is constantly ON - teaching, learning, seeking, reading, etc. - runs the risk of burning out very quickly. This is especially true for those of us who are true introverts. ~S. Owens -
I strongly disagree with this quote. What happened to work/life balance? Downtime is important, and so is having interests outside of your job - especially for teachers who can get burnt out so easily. I think technology makes it so easy to be "working" 24/7 that we need to consciously separate ourselves from our jobs - which makes downtime so important. - P. Cammiso
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When I was big into media and PR (before I realized my true passion in teaching!) I was ALWAYS on twitter. It actually got both myself and my significant other tons of business. I created one for both him and myself, and became so active in Twitter lists and following industry leaders that it actually had a huge effect in terms of promotion and clientele! -G.Ilisco
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It’s a great list of interactive marketers and PR folks in the Twin Cities. Use Twitter lists to your advantage to make Twitter smaller–and more manageable–on a daily basis.
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It is a great idea to steal these lists. I don't know if I would know where to start in making my own lists, but stealing someone else's would also connect me to new Twitter bloggers! -S. Goodyear
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I am super excited to use these lists for the teacher blog/fb page I'd like to start as well as network with my nonprofit and music. I cannot believe I didn't know about this piece through twitter. This class has definitely enlightened my perspective on using social media, but understanding the simple frameworks that can make social media work for me instead of me working for it. -Jess Ross
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This strategy relates most to my personal life. I try my best to constantly have on my radio or podcasts to listen to as I'm doing tasks around the house. My favorite is Joel Osteen! It's such a great way to incorporate technology into your daily routines. -G.Ilisco
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I'm not even sure how to find podcasts, let alone sort through them. Pointers anyone? Rudalia Sutton
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Rudalia - you can search for them on the Internet or look in Itunes. Sometimes the website will tell you they have them (news and sports sites especially).
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Specifically, think about the time you’re captive, where you have nothing to do but the task at hand
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The point is, get organized about your blog reading system
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Ok so this is where I need to start really using social media to my benefit. I'm so used to getting my knowledge from reading magazines and talking to teachers that I work with that I forget how valuable social media is. Feebly is just the tool I need to stay organized because boy am I all over the place some days when it comes to keeping tabs on the different blogs that I sort through. With the use of feebly I can definitely take that 15 minutes to read through the important educational knowledge that is trending that I would have otherwise missed. - Lindsay Minton -
The really nice thing about feedly is that you can organize blogs into folders. So, I have my personal blogs (knitting, recipes, etc.) in separate folders. Then, I have a folder for student blogs, news, etc. -Dr. Fritz
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I have never heard of this, but it is something that I think would be so beneficial. Now that I started a Twitter, I feel as if it is getting out of control, which gives me anxiety. Anything that helps me organized is a plus in my books! (Shannon Feerrar)
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Shannon - I try to get on Twitter for just a few minutes each day and scan through my feed. When the timer goes off, I leave it.....usually:). Dr. Fritz
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I like that this allows you to organize blogs in folders. It is similar to an e-mail account where you categorize e-mails. It makes it much easier to find the particular subject you are looking for. C. Spina
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I use these articles and posts in presentations, client decks, blog posts and for reference in client meetings from time to time.
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I really like this option although I haven't tried it. It would be nice to be able to access highlighted information easily and quickly without having to take the time to search for the article in my bookmarks bar and then skim the article for the info. I could pull up research or ideas at a team planning meeting or when I am writing lesson plans. Tonya Scott
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This is actually a good idea. You never know when you might need a presentation for a work meeting, or an article for that matter.
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I agree, this would be a useful tool to access information quickly. I can see using this when I'm teaching a new idea in science and I could have highlighted information ready to view on the SmartBoard to introduce the lesson or to add information to the lesson. (Dawn Lynn)
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Diigo is a great tool for stuff like this, because we don't always have easy access to a pen and paper to write down the sources we found. Diigo provides an easier way of doing this that is convenient, so finding and citing sources does not become the chore it can be. (John Bugay)
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I love that I can use this tool to easily share information with my staff. I like that you can highlight information that is important when I am delivering PD. C. Spina
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Might not seem like much, but this gives you a great way to keep tabs on journalists you’re trying to develop relationships with, colleagues in the industry, business partners and other influencers. All of which you want to stay connected to.
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Staying in contact with colleagues through facebook has been very helpful for me. This may be a great collaboration tool. A back-up plan so you don't miss anything colleagues are publishing. Tonya Scott
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This seems like it would have direct application to creating a PLN and nurturing the online relationships in a meaningful give-and-take kind of way. -
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I agree that podcasts are a great way to extend your PLN. I have always wanted to create my own podcasts about teaching. I just didn't know how to get it out there into the digital cosmos. Rudalia Sutton
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The message that I'm getting from this section of the text is: "Stay Connected." This is directly related to the idea and use of PLNs that we have talked about in this class. There are many ways to build your PLN and this article gives wonderful tips.-Ryan Burks
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The point is develop a process where you can scan and save a lot of posts/articles on the Web quickly and efficiently.
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I like that the author gives ideas for tools to use, but basically just gives the idea that being organized is the most important part of the process. Finding a way to keep a daily process efficient and reliable is what is most important.
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I agree completely with this statement. Using social media needs to be a planned process and something that can become habit and a routine. It can seem overwhelming at first, but I understand how this could be a useful activity.-Ryan Burks
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I love that these tools can allow me to more easily share resources with my staff. C. Spina
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Many folks use Paper.li as a tool to curate content and then share that content on Twitter.
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This is a great idea, but seems like it would be one of the more time consuming strategies. I do like the image that the author also posted in the article of how Paper.li sorts through content for you.
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I can see myself using this tool more in the summer. I generally have more down time and would be able to take my time curating, rather than only able to allot 15-20 mins a day to any social media. I will give this a try this coming summer. --Meridith Hayden
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Paper.li
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This seems like a great thing. It is a way to create and combine things that we read and find interesting and then share them with others in your field. This could be a way to combine topics and articles then share the ideas with our students so they can see how what we are learning relates to the real world. They can also see how others in industry are talking about what they are learning. B. Berg
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curate content
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Good point--I agree. It is not being lazy...it is being resourceful and efficient. Barbara may
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Google Alerts.
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I never thought about adding a google alert to keep up with educational news but this is an outstanding idea! I could tailor my alerts with specific keywords to keep up with different things! - L. Beeson
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Google has so many different ways to access information. I will be sure to check out Google Alerts. Rudalia Sutton
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I organize my blogs by geography (MN blogs), discipline (PR, social media, mobile), clients (industry blogs) and other miscellaneous categories (fun, business blogs, etc.). With Feedly, I can scan headlines of these blogs in about 15 minutes a day (I give myself a hard stop). I look for posts that would be relevant to clients–and interesting to me. I bookmark those I think meet those criteria, maybe share them on Twitter/Facebook and move on. 100 blogs in 15 minutes. Believe it.
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This is my goal to organize social media and bookmark those things that are important to me. i would like to read important blogs in 15 minutes each day. (Dawn Lynn)
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Dawn - try feedly.com. I really like it! (And Google Reader doesn't exist anymore). -Dr. Fritz
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Organization is the key to everything. My blog post are not organized at all. I think that is something I need to work on. If blogs are organized than it will be possible to read blogs in 15 minutes. S Ruggiero
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Maximize downtime
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this is when I have to disagree--downtime should be downtime. We do not have to constantly inundate our brains with more and more information. Sometimes, we can just let our brains relax and "zone out."
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I’m talking about podcasts.
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All of which you want to stay connected to
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All of which you want to stay connected to.
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I think it's a great idea to use a tool like Feedly that just let's you see headlines. That way, you're not overwhelmed looking through a bunch of blogs, and can just refer back to the ones that really interested you
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Yes, Chelsea - feedly lets you also organize your feeds by subject. It is really convenient to only have to go to one page to read all of your feeds! -Dr. Fritz
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My Diigo archive is a goldmine of articles and blog posts I’ve saved over the last 5-6 years.
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Diigo, is very new to me and this has been my first experiences with this method of social media. I am sure I will take some time in the near future to explore this with a deeper meaning. What I am also finding that I find myself getting introduced to so many social media tools, that by the time I figure it all out, I will be retired and on a beach in a sunny state, but having on young adult a soph in college and one teenager in the 10th grade, and one in the 7th and one in the 3rd (lol, that's all) I enjoy discussing some of this with them. Especially my oldest two, to see what their knowledge base is where they are attending school.
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I never really thought about how valuable these tools can be. Here it is in black and white, yet again from another source. I hope to continue learning about more tools that we can use to help us build our network of resources. I agree completely that these tools can keep information at our fingertips, especially when we are all using so many mobile devices.
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A colleague and I lamented this point a couple months ago: Why don’t more people take advantage of Twitter lists? They give you a great way to make Twitter smaller. Consider the opportunities
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I have used Twitter on a limited bases in the past, actually after reading this, it reminded me that I had a twitter account for my non-profit organization that was maintained by another person of my organization. I just felt that I got the same with Linkedin and had gotten use to it. For me it's if I get use to it change becomes difficult. It took me years to get use to not hearing the original ground line sign in of AOL, and more so to stop using AOL, actually, I still go there every now and then. This course, all though I will admit, I have not put my best efforts in, is a very valuable course in that it educates you on what is out there and how to use these tools. I will, as I have stated revisit all of these great tools, it will only make us more informed and social media up to date...
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I relate to this sentiment a lot. Twitter has never been very attractive to me partially because it's such a vast expanse of small ideas and thoughts. I tend to prefer going through articles and blogs. It's refreshing to think that you can make twitter serve to make finding those things easier. It hasn't been the best time for me to start using these social media tools recently, but in the coming months I may be moving to twitter to make the ways I already browse the internet more accessible and efficient. Timothy Conley
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One thing I learned a while ago when it comes to curating content. If someone else is doing it better than you, steal from them
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Or, "hire them" and pay them their worth to keep them! One of the most important realization of self, is knowing your limitations a lesson over the years I have been forced to learn, started out with a pluming job in my house that should have taken 2 hours, instead it took two days and a call to the plummer at weekend rates. It was at this time I fully understood someone's worth in their abilities to do things much better then I am possible of doing...
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Facebook
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I have added and keep finding new resources to follow on Facebook and I keep adding new individuals to follow on Facebook everyday, I have stumbled upon so many excellent resources and professional development advice since I began expanding my PLN during this quarter. - L. Beeson
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You have to maximize your downtime.
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I agree with Arik Hanson that as teachers, we must maximize any downtime that we have. However, I do not think that downtime should be spent reading education blogs and twitter posts. At least, this shouldn't happen all the time. Everyone needs time to remove themselves from their jobs. Not being able to do causes burn out. I personally look forward to the little breaks during the school day so that I can turn off my brain momentarily and recharge my batteries. - Alex Kenkelen (EDUC 611-901)
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I’m talking about podcasts.
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Podcasts are an amazing resource! I was not really into them until I started this class, but there are so many different types of podcasts you can utilize to help you in the classroom. My favorite time to listen to them are in the car in the morning commute (there's no good music on this time anyway) and during my prep period. I have just been listening to them in the background as I do other work in my classroom. It is a great resource that I wish that I knew about earlier. -L.Corso -
Podcasts are so useful! I think about how often I am in the car driving from student teaching to work to school to home. I often use podcasts while I'm driving. They are an excellent resource and they introduce me to new ideas and people that can help me in the classroom and enhance my learning. -Genevieve Kelly
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Paper.li does all the heavy lifting–and serves me up a daily/weekly digest of posts from people Paper.li thinks I find influential/interesting.
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It is nice that it keeps track of what might be of interest to you and shares those posts with you weekly. This could be a big time saver.
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It’s invaluable information–and it’s all at my fingertips because of this “scan and save” process I’ve developed (not all that groundbreaking, keep in mind)
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There is so much information at our fingertips and we need to be able to use it. Tools that will help us become better teachers and help us in our classrooms are all invaluable information. Scanning and saving can help us in so many ways. S Ruggiero
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I use Diigo to not only archive posts (by tags/topics), but also to share them
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One of the best ways for me to utilize social media is the ability to save things for later. Almost every time I find a great source I find while I'm waiting in line or some other time when I don't really have time to read the information but know that I want to read it later. Up to this point I have been using Pinterest to pin articles and sources for later. Diigo is a great tool however because then I can organize my saved sources. In Pinterest I have look around and hope to find the picture that goes with the link but in Diigo I can tag the post and then find it easily later. This ability to save things for later is imperative for me personally to be able to most efficiently and effectively use social media on the regular (Erin Cameron) -
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This is the first time I have used Digolet, but I think it is a great tool. I would love to see this used in school and for homework assignment. Students can go in and share there ideas about any article the instructor chooses. It is an easy way for students to collaborate. C. Spina
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but also to share
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Paper.li
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I just checked out paper.li and found that it is moving to a paid service on March 8th. But I wasn't that impressed with it anyway. The automatically generated papers were not very well keword organized. When searching for physics education, I got mostly physical education articles.
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Feedly
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I never got into an RSS system, because I have been far too busy. As this author mentions, I could scan the headlines, but I would never have time to go back and read the articles. Perhaps once I am finished with my PhD and concurrent MS and only have one job, I can attempt this. Now that I have some strategies, it might work.
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I have never gotten into on either. I have also been too busy with work and grad school. I hope to read more during the summer months.
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I still can't even figure out how they work, and how I'm supposed to find the time to read the headlines behind the articles. I can barely find enough time for my Facebook news feed!
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But, I also discovered a new tool called Newsle recently (thanks Heather Whaling!) that serves you up alerts (emails) each time one of your LinkedIn, Facebook or email database contacts is featured in a news story
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I explored "Newsle" and I plan on using it in the future. It saves you the time of searching for news stories containing information about people you follow on Social Media. Many times, there is a news story that would provide beneficial information to you, but you miss it because you did not have the time to browse the internet that day. C. Spina
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I researched "Newsle"and plan on using it in the future. I love that you can be notified when someone you follow on Social Media is mentioned in a news story. We do not always have time to browse the internet, so we miss articles that would be beneficial to us.
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And, you need more information to do your job more effectively–and efficiently. And you want to stay smarter about industry trends.
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I found this statement to be so important, because we need to constantly be learning. Education is changing so rapidly that it is hard to keep up with everything that we need to know. The more knowledge that an educator has about current educational trends, will lead to more effective instruction. C. Spina
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Strategy #5: Turn on the radio
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Why don’t more people take advantage of Twitter lists? They give you a great way to make Twitter smaller.
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Twitter is so expansive that would be almost impossible to cover all the content. Making lists is a good way to be organized and utilize the time you spend on it wisely. (W.Kerr)
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Again
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It is extremely important to think about the downtime we have (especially those who are student teaching). By listening to podcasts (I listen to mine on my commute), we can maximize our learning time without wasting any time! -Julia Wisniewski
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This is where a social bookmarking tool called Diigo does some serious heavy lifting for me
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Curating your own content can be just as powerful as reviewing others that have done it for you.
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It can be beneficial to compile our own resources i.e. blogs/articles related to education. This helps us to actively acknowledge what our particular interests are as we browse and what we personally find important. I like the idea of following blogs that curate content for you but sometimes our own interests can change and by browsing content we can evolve the content we curate accordingly. It is great that this tool will provide suggestions for you based on your interests also as it would keep the process more efficient. -Carissa McGuigan
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Don’t do all the work yourself–seek out those sources that already exist and use that information to your advantage.
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Don’t do all the work yourself–seek out those sources that already exist and use that information to your advantage.
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Why don’t more people take advantage of Twitter lists?
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I began using twitter several years ago as a teenager. Since then I strictly viewed twitter as a way to communicate with friends and to tweet about random thoughts. I never once thought of twitter being used for the purpose of expanding my knowledge in my professional life as a teacher. It was not until this course that I realized how beneficial it could be to use twitter for the purpose of following blogs and finding articles that would allow me to expand my knowledge as a teacher according to my own interests. I completely intend to create a twitter profile that is strictly for following professional blogs geared towards education. -Carissa McGuigan
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X Add Sticky Note Megan Krotz less than a minute ago Private One of the biggest takeaways I am getting from this article is to use my downtime in a productive way. Just like preparing my food for the week is the only way I pack a lunch and eat healthy, I need to find shortcuts and plan to do things like read blogs during my downtime. I did not know about setting up alerts or ways to check twitter faster, I actually try to go through the entire timeline. I think I need to spend time setting up things like this for the week, like reading 100 blogs in 15 mins and checking twitter more often!
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Delicious
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I attempted to use Delicious for an assignment earlier this term, but it didn't appear to have any new content in the last two years, at least that pertained to education. ~S. Owens
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Does this scenario sound familiar? You’re stuck in meetings all day. You have absolutely no time. Yet your boss is asking you to stay on top of all things social media-related.
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What I find to be very interesting about these opening comments is that it addresses the idea that many people are being asked to follow more information than they are reasonably able to. Then the article goes on to explain how it is possible to stay up-to-date with social media in a shorter amount of time than many people would believe is possible. I think this quote is interesting because it is intrigues the reader to find out how it is possible to do more than we think we can do. I remember the first time I was on the internet, my professor telling me that the problem of the future will be that there is too much information, and we will have to week through the information to find what is actually relevant. This thought lead me to ask if it is important to scan hundreds of blogs, or is it more important to have a stronger working knowledge of actual information? I further wonder, how much information do we need, and what is the reason for scanning hundreds of blogs?
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I see how this strategy could work but unless you got back to actually read, what are you really getting out of scanning 100 blogs in 15 minutes? I see how this works for the author but as a teacher, am I really taking advantage of the blog if I'm only scanning at the pace of 100 blogs in 15 minutes?
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I LOVE DIIGO! One of my biggest issues with reading online is that you don't have the opportunity to mark up your reading like you do with paper. I also love that you can save for latter and use it to collaborate. I have started using Diigo before this class and I hope to now start a more regimented process for using it.
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Driving is always a great time to listen to podcasts! Obviously you can't take notes if needed, but I've found that Siri is a great way to jot down some things if I need to. Think about all the time you have to drive and now imagine that time being productive! What a difference!
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Feedly is a blog reader tool (much like Google Reader).
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Feedly is laid out nicely, however I still don't understand the concept of scanning 100 blogs in 15 minutes. Isn't that the same as simply reading the headlines? Headlines can be extremely misleading. I tried setting up a Feedly page and I like it, but I still am not sure how I'm going to read blogs so quickly-I guess I just have to start practicing! -P. Fradin
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The Twitter List is a great way to filter out irrelevant posts when scrolling through your timeline. I'm not a fan of not being able to Tweet a response or add to the conversation though. Marissa J Williams
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o Is a great article on differentiating instruction! Eliminating Assessment Fog based on these three guidelines; identifying clear learning targets, separating logistical from academic, and providing different options/opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding of the content is a great way to filter out unnecessary details that may confuse our students and distract them from learning objectives and what we as teachers truly expect from them. Marissa J. Williams
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I just added my highlight and sticky note to the article but I only saw comments and highlights from 2015 so I wanted to make sure that I commented in the right place.
Michigan State guidelines for how to create an AUP - 0 views
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The article was simple in language and went step by step in how to properly setup a policy, how to use the school board and community to help develop it, create specific situations and consequence when people do not comply, and creating a physical contract to be signed by parents and child that they understand the policies at their school.
Introducing SM to Elementary Students: Blog Wall - 3 views
Marissa WIlliams
