MVCR Tech Tools

This blog has followed social gaming juggernaut Zynga's progress for a couple years now. One of its most popular gaming apps is FarmVille, which runs on Facebook and touts an estimated 70 million players, making it one of, if not the, most popular games ever. Testaments to the game's popularity abound. I opted to post this here as we are debating the use of Web 2.0 tools in education. Farmville dominated Facebook games for a number of years, and educators made use of this trend to enhance their teaching. Though it has not been developed for educational purposes, I know even teachers of business studies who used it in their classes with students 13+ of age. This example should encourage us to make use of what is trending and popular with our students to our advantage!

Mashable's 5th annual Social Media Day takes place on Monday, June 30, 2014. The goal? It's designed as "a way to recognize the digital revolution happening right before our eyes." This revolution is happening in higher education.

This post is a 20-minute guide to Twitter for non-techies. If you are new to Twitter-or know someone who is-this will get you up and running quickly.

From this article: Presence is the most important best practice for an online course (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010, p. 53) Research has shown that an important component in students 'performance in and satisfaction with their online course is the active participation of the instructor within their course (Picciano, 2002; Rovai, 2002; Swan & Shih, 2005). ***Because online presence is such a pivotal part of our role as facilitators, social media certainly assists us in actively participating in each course.

Given the harsh criticisms that social networks commonly face when it comes to their use by teenagers, I thought it would be useful to post this newspaper piece that presents the opposite argument: Social media might be usually considered to be just places of the lurking danger of real-life social isolation (among more gruesome dangers in this context), but they could also be seen as places where a teenager can be inventive, discover aptitudes and of course develop his/her social skills. Also, it discusses research which shows that teenagers are more often than not well aware of the dangers that lie behind the (ab)use of social media.

Hmmm, should I share this with my teenage son?

Good article, though I am still sceptical!

The Journal of Online Learning and Teaching The impact of social networks on lives of the majority of young adults has been enormous, although their impact on education is less well understood. Some consideration has been give to the role Facebook plays in higher education and in the transition from secondary to tertiary education, but little analysis has been conducted on the role of the microblogging social network Twitter. By examining the use made of this service by two cohorts of students, this study found that Twitter is easy for students to use and popular with the majority once they have experience with it. For this study different patterns of use between individuals in the study and between the two different student cohorts were observed, as was the emergence of informal online peer support networks. The results of this study suggest models for future use of microblogging services.

This extensive directory of learning tools and technologies is the result of a collective effort initiated, developed and maintained by Jane Hart from the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies. It offers a comprehensive list of tech tools which you can use for your online and offline teaching.

Why information literacy is important even within the context of social media.

This is my fear. Yes, libraries use social media but does anyone care? Like anything, good use of social media requires thought and planning.

Interesting indeed....Chicago Public Library has a growing number of fans. That's reassuring.

One should keep the posts coming, cause if one stops, then no one would listen for sure!

A list of tools for teachers looking to incorporate technology in the classroom. 50 tools divided into four categories.

This is amazing! Thanks a mil... Bookmarking it straightaway!

I think this is a great resource. Thanks for sharing.

Mostly about High School but I think still pertinent.

This is an interesting article about 8th graders. It applies also to most of high school students also, but I believe that mature adults can use it as a useful tool that enhances education. For many it is nothing more than an escape from the duties of the real world. I have found it to be both "All about me" and informative. Social media does need to be taught in the classroom if it's going to used.

This is a really neat tool for lecturing online. Basically pretty low-tech but with a super futuristic look. And the media team is hilarious, of course.

The article discusses unique barriers to of social media in nursing education such as patient privacy, ethics and professionalism. In addition, examples for uses and applications are included. tt1521

eLearn Magazine is a leading source of high-quality information on the uses of online learning and training strategies in a variety of contexts for K-12, higher education, and the corporate workforce.eLearn Magazine presents new technologies and approaches for creating, delivering, and supporting online instruction and workplace performance.

Having used Twitter for the first time this week in our Technology Tools class, I am intrigued by its potential application to online classes. This article discusses some possible ideas.

This is a good resource. Thank you!

I share your sentiments about practical use in the classroom. Thanks for sharing.

Really interested in how to use twitter for education and keeping it's use in a professional manner :-)

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Take the quiz. See if you are ready for social media in your class

The myth about social media in the classroom is that if you use it, kids will be Tweeting, Facebooking and Snapchatting while you're trying to teach. We still have to focus on the task at hand. Don't mistake social media for socializing.