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trina79

Social Media for Middle Level Classrooms - 1 views

  • Thus, many teachers are integrating technology with instruction especially since young adolescents are frequent computer users and find technology very engaging
  • teachers and students feel strongly that technology is an essential learning component because it assists with engagement, makes education relevant to students' lives, and serves as an inspiring force (p. 31).
  • "Additionally, learning experiences are greatly enhanced when all students have the technology to access rich content, communicate with others, write for authentic audiences, and collaborate with other learners next door or across the globe"
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  • Integration of social media has the engagement factor teachers and students seek while enabling students to gain a variety of academic and social skills
  • Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) identify seven types of social media: collaborative projects (e.g., Wikipedia) blogs and microblogs (e.g., Twitter, Kidblog.org) social news networking sites (e.g., Digg and Leakernet) content communities (e.g., YouTube and DailyMotion) social networking sites (e.g., Facebook) virtual game-worlds (e.g., Minecraft, World of Warcraft) virtual social worlds (e.g., Second Life)
  • ncreased student engagement and learning and citizenship education are benefits related to social media use in school.
  • For example, middle grades students can discover how technology-assisted writing can foster innovation, global communication and participation, and creative problem solving with a broader communit
  • Further, Ramsay purports that technology-assisted writing can nurture student creativity, communication, and problem solving skills while developing digital citizens.
  • Additionally, social media helps facilitate differentiation by allowing the needs of creative learners to be met through a cooperative learning environment. Students are better able to balance their individualism with the need for contact with others, allowing new ideas to flourish
  • Social media can help adolescents develop and strengthen collaboration skills as they share knowledge, learn with and from others, and are active in the learning process
  • Therefore, inclusion of social media in education activities is necessary to help increase equity among students of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds by increasing access to information and information technology (Darling-Hammond, Zielezinski, & Goldman, 2014; Grinager, 2006).
  • Darling-Hammond et al. (2014) recommend the following practices to promote optimal learning opportunities for all students: (a) technology access policies should aim for 1:1 computer access and ensure that speedy internet connections are available, (b) policies and practices should favor technology that promotes high levels of interactivity and engagement and that allows for varying learning choices and opportunities, (c) instructional opportunities should enable students to use technology to create content as well as learn material, and (d) learning environments that provide significant and varied levels of teacher support and opportunities for interactions among students as companions to technology use
  • The first issue many educators currently face is equitable access for students and teachers. Further, uncertainty exists on the type and frequency of professional development for middle level educators that addresses ethical and appropriate use of social networking. Additionally, educators must learn how best to help students navigate safely and monitor students in a virtual environment. Lastly, educators must recognize the possibility for distractions and overstimulation that is often linked to certain types of social media and networking activities (Chen & Bryer, 2012).
  • Educators and policymakers need to provide the appropriate technology funding and related professional development so students and teachers have the equipment, knowledge, and skills necessary for taking full advantage of what technology can offer.
  • It is imperative for educators to have professional development opportunities that enable them to learn developmentally appropriate best practices for preparing students
  • AMLE (NMSA, 2010) believes that middle schools must provide adult advocates to middle school students to guide academic and personal development in an inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive school environment
  • Students need to learn how to make great choices about what they share and what are appropriate actions with others, and always review and manage their online reputations in light of others' ability to contribute to that reputation either positively or negatively with a few clicks of the mouse
  • Edutopia.com, a website published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation and highly regarded by the educational community, provides thoughtful resources on creating social media guidelines for schools.
  • In tandem, teachers must continue to address the issue of plagiarism including how to determine if sources are credible and having clear and consistent plagiarism policies regularly disseminated to students and parents.
  • Research suggests that discussions and collaborations are the most common social media classroom strategies (Chen & Bryer, 2012). Frye, Trathen, and Koppenhaver (2010) proclaim that blogs offer students the ability to publish work and comment on others' writing, which increases motivation.
  • Research shows that social media can increase student learning and engage students who otherwise may be disinterested in the classroom
  • Social media afford[s] the opportunity for all children with online access to contribute to the world in meaningful ways, do real work for real audiences for real purposes, find great teachers and collaborators from around the world, and become great teachers in their own right. (
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    The information in this article supports one of the things that my school tech integrationist is trying to get teachers to do with social media. He is asking teachers to do Penpal Schools, which will connect students with other students from around the world. I am going to be having my class do Penpal schools. I also want to try out having my students blog about books we are reading in 7th grade language arts after reading about the benefits of blogging in this article.
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    How is your school liking PenPals Schools? I started using it in my classroom but found it to be too time consuming and the questions were a bit overwhelming in the project that we chose. My students were also not getting responses in the way that I expected them to. A lot of them were just getting a lot of "hi" from their Pen pals instead of anything useful.
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    Very cool! I really wish I had students at an older age level. Though I can do something like this for 2nd graders it is more difficult with their reading and writing skill levels. Still a pretty cool tool to use for students and teachers alike. Thank you for sharing!
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    Social Media is important. When I was in middle school and high school we didn't learn about social media or how to be safe on the internet. It was more of a foot note than a subject in class that we learned about. Blogging was foreign to me until now. I feel like I have missed a lot because of this.
Katie Upah

Nine Strategies for Reaching All Learners in English - 0 views

  • Readers and Writers Workshop is an instructional model that focuses on students as learners, as well as readers and writers in practice. As readers and writers, students are mentored, working in a supportive and collaborative environment with their mentor on touchstone texts.
  • As a middle school ELA teacher, I continue to collaborate with my peers in the building and across the school district. I participate in planning and designing instruction, inquiry-based studies, and collaborative coaching and learning. These activities have provided me with a repertoire of research-based best practices to engage the readers and writers in my ELA classroom.
  • Provide instruction in basic reading strategies using reciprocal teaching practice that includes predicting, visualizing, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing.
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  • From the first day of school, we encourage students to choose the books they read. We model how to choose and review a book for reading. We also encourage students to choose books at their independent reading level rather than at their frustration or difficult level. Students read for 30 minutes daily and complete an entry on the reading.
  • Teach students to mark or highlight text for main ideas and also for answers to specific questions. Text annotation is an excellent method to make meaning and provide evidence to support answers.
  • Use t-chart graphic organizers to have them identify specific lines from a text and explain their thoughts about the lines.
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    This article lists 9 general strategies to appeal to all students in the English classroom, both in the middle school and the high school.
Colleen Griffith

Buzzmath - Middle School Math Practice. Anytime, Anywhere. - 0 views

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    Buzzmath is an interactive website designed for middle school students to practice skills specific to common core. Teachers can create free accounts for limited access or pay for premium accounts. With a premium account, buzzmath will collect data on students progress which makes grouping easier on the teacher. It is a great way for schools with one to one initiatives to incorporate technology into the classroom.
Zoey Salisbury

Best Elementary School Apps on Pinterest | Apps, Elementary Schools and Technology - 4 views

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    Using Pinterest to teach technology to Elementary students
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    This is a great resource! I saved it to my own bookmarks for future use. I can definitely see how this will be useful for me in the classroom. I teach middle school I believe that many elementary apps can be translated into middle school. This is definitely geared towards teacher use which is what I like about it. Pinterest is a great resource and sometimes I forget to use it when I should!
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    Thank you for sharing this! There are some great apps on this page. I am always looking for new apps for kids to use and this is a great resource. I have it bookmarked!
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    There are a so many of these lists out on pinterest anymore. I think it would be interesting to compare what apps tend to make the lists on more than one? I do love this site though and like that someone has spelled out exactly what can be used for teachers in the future.
Erin Mulder

Smithsonian Ocean Portal | Find Your Blue - 3 views

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    Smithsonian website with resources and information about oceans, science, etc; features an "Educator's Corner" with lesson plans and activities.
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    Erin this looks like a great website. Although I won't be able to use it in my classroom, I can definitely see how it would be beneficial for grade school and middle school teachers. I think this will be a great resource for both students and teachers, and is very interactive. The pictures just "pop" off the page and provides great educational opportunities for students.
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    This looks like an awesome website for students who are researching about marine life. There is a lot to look at and search on this website. I think I would enjoy using this website in my classroom someday.
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    Erin, this looks like a really great website for educators! I noticed they have a section just for educators where you can see lesson plans and activities! That is so awesome! I definitely agree with Megan I can see this being used more in an elementary or middle school setting but I think it would be a great resource!
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    Erin - I really like the layout of this site I think it could be a valuable site for sharing rich photos and videos for science classes I also think this resource could be used as a credible research resource for students. Here is another well done science site that is very similar. http://goo.gl/WULg4n
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    Erin this looks like a great site for students who want to learn about the ocean. When I visited it I noticed just how easy the site was to navigate. Super simple for people who might now be to tech savvy. Everything was laid out in an easy to read manner. The articles looked fun and full of information. If I ever became a teacher and we were learning about the ocean this would be a huge help, because the Smithsonian is one of the most prestigious organizations in the world. The Smithsonian has many different interactive website that deal with all different parts of our planet, and the ocean is just on small sliver of their knowledge.
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    I really liked this website, and I remember liking the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, itself. The site is very user-friendly for both teachers and students.
Sarah Ebener

5 Authentic Roles For Twitter In Your School - 3 views

  • We’ve theorized before that learning through social networks is the future. 
  • Use twitter’s search bar–search for your what you’re interested in learning more about. This isn’t as staright-forward as a Google search, for example, but you’ll get a better sense of the kinds of information people are sharing.
  • Know your hashtags. They’re a valuable tool to use to follow and participate in conversations on certain topics and themed twitter chats.
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    article discussing different ways in which twitter can be used in the classroom
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    I use Twitter for my own personal and professional use, but I need to do a better job of using it with my students. The article suggested having students tweet their thesis statement in writing class, which gave me some ideas to use in my classroom. I also liked the idea of having students participate in tweetchats with experts and professionals in the field.
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    Sarah, I've been trying to use Twitter more for professional use. I think it's a great way to share resources. My biggest concern is that my students may be too young to use Twitter, but I do have parents that follow me. I once did a field experience with the Technology Teacher of the Year in 2012, and he tweeted out multiple times a day! He would take pictures of students "in action" and tweet it out to let the parents know what was going on in class. He also tweets out many resources to parents so that they can get more involved in their child's education. The student's even took pictures on the iPad and tweeted them out (and have I mentioned that these are 3rd GRADERS?!) I have never seen Twitter used in such a wonderful way! These students had technology in their hands every single day and were completely engaged. It was fascinating and inspiring. Amanda
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    Sarah, Thank you for sharing this article. Twitter exploded last year in my district, especially at the high school, as a form of communication for everyone. The middle school, where I am primilary at, is slowly catching on. However, I LOVE Twitter as a professional resource. I think it is like a social bookmarker. I can share the websites, and then go back when I have time to explore them more. I agree this can be used in my library to be an effective communication tool for both students and staff. I believe this resource can be used for both students and staff, but they have different purposes. As a professional, using hashtags can be very benefical to find information. It can also be a great way to network, using the Twitter Chats that go on all around the United States and the world. Students can use this to communicate. For example, the students wanted to have a blue out in honor of a student who has cancer at the football game last night. They asked the opposing team to join them in wearing blue to honor a young man who is fighting for his life. They did, and they donated an additional $425 because they found that information on Twitter! I am not aware of other resources that do that same thing. I believe Twitter is unique with their limit of 140 characters and the strong hashtag movement they begun all throughout the internet world.
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    Emma, are you in Clinton? I heard about the "blue out"! I like to use Twitter for mainly professional use, but that varies from anywhere between retweeting professional articles to reminding the study body to buy their yearbooks. I try to throw in some personal stuff every now and again just to show that their teacher is an actual human, too. :)
Colleen Griffith

Middle School Math Madness! - 0 views

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    A blog about the use of foldables in the math to be used in my math journals.
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    A blog about the use of foldables in the math to be used in my math journals.
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