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Sarah D. Sparks in her article above, suggests that recent research indicates that 'video-chat or avatar environments' actually can lead to natural engagements between students. To View the complete article you can either subscribe or sign up for a two week free trial.

This article supports the argument that no one education method is the best on its own. The blend of social media, technology and face-2-face interactions help students to effectively communicate and form bonds with their classmates.

This article explains MobiSocial's collaborative look at the future of mobile social networking. It offers some info on new apps created to aid in its uses, safety and ethics.

"...creating new models for professional development by combining live, interactive webinars with a social networking community."

Although you have to subscribe to read the entire article, the beginning of this had a few good points on how to categorize different crises in a school's crisis plan of action.

This is an interesting idea on how to use facebook as an educational tool instead of the social media giant it has become. My school just went to a 1:1 laptop school and there has been talk of baning facebook. This article makes quite the arguement for an educational use of this social media.

This blog entry references an article and describes how Coldwell Banker provides training for associates and finds that giving them social connections and letting the associates drive the learning works better than designing instruction for them. Learner centered!

This article tackles the biggest concern about using social media in the classroom: privacy. The article points out that Google+ is not a cure all for the privacy and security issues presented by Facebook. A good article for educators considering using social media in their classrooms.

A study showing how social networking is contributing to cheating.

There is so much information available now to people that plagiarism is easier and more tempting.

"Plagiarism is cheating, it is dishonest, and it is unethical." The first way to avoid students from plagiarizing is to set clear expectations in a written format that provides concrete examples. There are programs such as Glatt Plagarism Services that can be used to detect plagerism. By giving students a good background on the importance of citing ideas, topics, and quotes and providing them with how to cite correctly, they will be less tempted to plagiarize. As educators we can take many steps to provide support for our students so that they do not plagiarize.

This article includes a Mindmap that visually shows differences between the social media or personal side of learning vs the collaborative side of learning. As stated in the article education is now using 21st century tools for teaching and learning internet-based tools for use in teaching and learning.

The article looks at how to shift from limited classroom instruction focused on lecture, homework, discussion, memorization to using the web as a tool to expand the learning experience. Imagine getting a tweet from a student who is outraged when Lennie kills Curly's wife in Of Mice and Men? Aaron Iffland explains how to make your classroom viral while requiring students to engage more in their own learning.

I like this article and I think students learn best by doing. I think I am addicted to my phone. I can paly games, read, wrtie, email and socialize all at the sametime. It's fun and educational!

This is an academic paper examining the reasons why an online learning group should 'move ... from cohort to community.' (abstract), and how students resources and strategies may be managed to accomplish this. The paper asserts that students in a distance learning situation are isolated from each other and the teacher, therefore it is of vital importance that the cohort needs to create a sense of community rather than simply exist alone in the virtual learning room. The article quotes Vygotsky's social development theory of 1978, Selznik's seven elements of community: history, identity, mutuality, plurality, autonomy, participation, and integration (1996), and how the author's of the article modified the characteristics to conform more with current online learning theory. I found this article particularly relevant to the current situation I find myself in. Even though I am happy in my own space and don't need the close interaction with others, I can see that it is important to push myself forward in the sense of gleaning the most benefit from the course and those many intelligent people out there. This is difficult for me because I find the time necessary to maintain so many contacts, and actually have something worthwhile to say and share goes against my slow, ponderous thinking and non-gregarious nature!

When looking for various assessments in relation to technology, I stumbled upon this article that discusses assessments, not only in relation to all students, but students with special needs.  Technology has really made a breakthrough with communication barriers among children with autism.  Technology assessments have helped with data collection, communication, and allowing various learning techniques to create new methods of retaining information.  In relations specifically to children with autism, the internet is a social network for them and allows them to communicate without the need for speech.  It is very interesting and worth a read through.

In this book there introductions to more than six dozen web tools for K-12 teachers. Additionally, you will find sections devoted to using Skype with students, ESL/ELL, blogging in elementary schools, social media for educators, teaching online, and using technology in alternative education settings.

Create interactive and informative educational timelines in an extremely easy manner. Students will love being given the option of creating a timeline. Use Timerime for history, art, science, social studies or just about any subject in which they are required to understand the time frame at which events occurred.

Easyclass.com is one of the recent examples of next-gen LMS solutions by providing a collaborative learning platform that allows schools to integrate online education, classroom management, and social networking through a user-friendly interface.

For anyone who is interested in literary theory and philosophy, this is an interesting article about Facebook and how it related to Foucault's concept of heterotopia. My AP students have had discussions about how social media changes our view and perspectives on time.

This article looks at online communication from a district's point of view. Using tools such as websites, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, online surveys, YouTube, and Pinterest, school districts are getting information out to a variety of constituents, not just parents and students. They are building a connection to the community.

Check out these seven video tips, made by Edutopia bloggers and contributors, on using technology in your classroom. Watch teachers, an administrator and consultant talk about real applications of media tools for students. Content for this project is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND License.

In these 7 brief video clips, educators share how they use specific technology and social-media tools in classrooms, including Twitter,Facebook, Wikis, Digital Cameras, YouTube, Wii and GPS devices.