Classroom Engagement with Social Media Tools

     In our classrooms today, we have students that are used to having multimedia tools at their disposal. Graphics, interactions with others online while playing video games, and stimulating environments is something that students are interested in and crave. Social media is an avenue in which to do this.

Social media engages students. One of the ways to ensure the retention and application of content is to provide an environment that is stimulating. The engagement needs to be emotional as well. When the instructor can imbed the emotional factor, the retention level is much higher. Social media provides this avenue just within the name. Students are very social and this impacts their emotional side. When the students utilize social media, they are already engaged emotionally. Now the teachers need to tap into the academic side as well.

     One social media tool that provides both emotional and academic appeal is Etherpad. Etherpad is a tool that allows the students to collaborate on their writing. Students post their writing and then others can help them edit their papers. Students can then return the favor. They may edit others' writing as well. This tool also provides the opportunity for students to write more and to encourage dialogue among peers. A bonus to Etherpad is it is free.

     Another social media tool is Google Docs. Google Docs is free and offers the opportunity to again collaborate with peers on different assignments. These assignments range from written papers to spreadsheets and more. Beth Ritter-Guth, a teacher in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, said about Google Docs that it “allows the students to work together around their busy schedules. I love that there are a variety of output formats, as well, so accessibility is not an issue.” Accessibility not being an issue is one of the best components of social media. When students can access the information and work on it collaboratively, engagement is increased and learning can take place.

     Finally social media provides the opportunity to begin developing skills that students need in the real world. According to an article entitled “7 Reasons to Leverage Social Networking Tools in the Classroom”, having students employ social media is important because the business world is embracing social media more each year. New jobs are being created because of social media. As one of the goals of schools is to prepare the students for the real world, utilizing social media in the classroom is an important part of the curriculum. This is a definite engage quality for the students. Graduation for some cannot come fast enough, but as educators we need to equip them for that day well.

     Social media does engage students. Utilizing social media in the classroom will be a necessity in the next several years to prepare students for the real world.

Key words: social media, Google Docs, Etherpad

Social Media Etiquette Required

Social media has power. This was recently proven this past weekend when senior Emily Sullivan from Shawnee Mission East High School in Kansas tweeted a rude comment about the state's governor. Even though she never actually said the comment, she tweeted this “said” comment and the governor's office responded. The governor demanded an apology and then after some thought rescinded his request. This power of social media though has many people asking if social media should be policed. Emily Sullivan did make the comment that she would watch what she says, but is that really good enough?

So what should schools do about social media etiquette? The first thought to consider are the consequences of inappropriate tweets. Students have lost scholarships and job opportunities due to inappropriate posts. There is freedom of speech granted in the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution, but saying malicious and libelous words is not granted in these rights. Stating an opinion and justifying a position with facts is very different from attacking the person. Schools are developing policies for social media etiquette but a problem for schools is what students post after school.

The second thought about school and social media etiquette is teaching what is appropriate in a post or tweet. Basically what is appropriate comes down to the word respect. Respect is something students earn through their actions and their words. When a student uses social media, he needs to be cognizant of the tone and word choices made. Always encouraging students to read what they have written before they post is very important.

The third thought to ponder is that once a student has posted or tweeted something, that comment stays online permanently. Unlike editing errors in a paper after writing a draft, once something is placed on the internet it is there for all to see any time and anywhere. Again the earlier example of the senior who tweeted the comment that had the state of Kansas up in arms. Sometimes students feel that because they are on their phone or their computer, what they say does not reflect on them. However this is not true. Schools need to make the students aware of the consequences of poorly worded posts and how to improve upon what they write.

So should schools take a stand on policing social media? I think the best course for schools is to teach, promote, and encourage students to utilize proper etiquette when tweeting and posting.

Key words: social media, tweeting, respect, schools

Dark Side of Social Media and Schools

In looking at social media and schools, one needs to consider the dark side of social media. Unfortunately, there are instances of cyberbullying, sexting, and inappropriate comments posted. So there are a couple of avenues to explore here: what are the teens themselves saying about the dark side of social media and what can schools do.

According to Pew Internet and American Life Project, 90% of teens ignore the rude comments posted. 80% of teens defended someone who was being ridiculed; 79% have posted to others to stop their rude comments; 69% of teens said their peers wrote positively about others. However, there is a flip side to these percentages. 21% of teens reported that they have joined in posting derogatory statements; 8% of teens have been cyberbullied; 25% have had a bad experience online and it ended up in a face to face confrontation and 22% of teens said that their poor experience with social media ended a friendship. Clearly teens have had experience with the dark side of social media.

So what can schools do to help prevent the dark side of social media within its walls? The first step is to have a clear policy with the main purpose of social media being for educational uses. This ensures the safety of students as well as staff members. Social media tools need to have an educational value. Just chatting online is not an appropriate use of social media in school. A second step is to educate the students. Educating the students in the appropriate use of the site and appropriate language is imperative when introducing social media in school. Just like explaining to students that texting language is acceptable in some venues and not others, teachers need to demonstrate and monitor student interactions with the social media tool. Schools need to be considered safe places for student expression. When students are shown the correct way to respond to posts in school, then educators can encourage the same behavior in the students online conversations outside of the classroom. A final way schools can prevent the dark side of social media is to apply appropriate consequences. Unfortunately students will write something inappropriate. When the student does, immediate action needs to take place. Being proactive and having a plan in place will benefit the school and ensure the integrity of the social media tool. In North Dakota, by the year 2012, all schools must have a cyberbullying policy in place. Most of the states in the country are also looking into enacting policies concerning social media and the appropriate use in schools.

There is a dark side to social media in schools. However, by educating the students, staff, and administration, most of the problems associated with social media will be eliminated. Checking posts made by school personnel is important too. With educating and monitoring done in schools, hopefully this enables and encourages students to continue posting appropriate responses in their own personal lives.

Key words: dark side of new media, education

Gaggle-Is it a bird, a plane, or a social media tool for schools?

     In looking at other social media sites that are safe for schools, another tool that is widely respected is Gaggle. According to Dictionary.com a gaggle is “an assortment of related things”. This is true for this social media site and here are a few ways that schools can implement this technology into the classroom.

     The first aspect of this tool is it offers professional development. This is absolutely critical for ensuring the success of this social media in schools. As each educator comes with his own background knowledge of social media tools, offering professional development from a site encourages the teachers to actually utilize the tool in their classroom. The professional development offered by Gaggle falls into three categories: basic, proficient, and advanced. Within the professional development site, there are also choices that the teacher may choose from such as curriculum integration to training courses. There are also different webinars that an educator may attend to aid in their knowledge of Gaggle. What an incredible way to introduce another social media tool within one site!

     The second aspect of this tool is sharing what the benefits are from each stakeholder's point of view. For the administration, Gaggle provides reduction in paper costs, communication with the entire school or selected groups, and virus free storage. For the teacher, it assists with a paperless classroom, communication with the students, and a way to motivate students. For the students, Gaggle furnishes communication among peers and the ability to turn in assignments electronically. This last piece is especially important because this is how they will be submitting their work at the college level as well as reporting hours worked at some jobs. From all three viewpoints, this tool provides necessary communication and a tool that is reducing the paper waste.

     The final aspect about Gaggle that is important is its safety. When schools begin utilizing a social media tool, the utmost priority is the safety. Gaggle employs all of the FERPA regulations and allows the school administration and educators to access all of its tools. Student access is limited to the tools the school allows them to utilize. This tool also filters vulgarity and sexual references. As schools are needing to foster appropriate communication among students and staff, this is an important feature to have with a social media tool.

     This is a tool that I would like to explore more. As the entire school would have to be involved and not just a classroom, the professional development piece would be the best place to begin thinking about “selling” this social media tool to a school district.

Key words: Gaggle, professional development

Collaborize Classroom II

Several weeks ago I published information concerning Collaborize Classroom. I have set up an account for my senior English class to see what the benefits are to this tool.

At first, my seniors were excited about “blogging” although that is not what they are truly doing. We went over etiquette of what a good post is. We discussed what they had seen on Facebook concerning some of the comments that their friends and acquaintances had made. We shared what is appropriate language in a post. Then the students shared their first comments to a posting that I had created. The responses were comical and I was disappointed in their responses. I thought that this was not going to be a tool that I would utilize. However, as I stress to my students, if at first you don't succeed, try try again.

The second attempt was much better. As the students could view the comments made by the other students, which they were really excited to see and comment on, the students became aware of what my expectations in posting comments were. As comments were posted, students elaborated and clarified points made by other students. Students also continued a comment of another student in their posts. My seniors were actually reading and engaging in a discussion through the use of this tool. Of course, the students would tell you that they were not discussing because no words were used aloud, but the repartee among the students was lively and enriching their knowledge of the text. This was what I was hoping from this social media tool and what had sold me on this site. Collaborize Classroom sells their product by saying that educators will get 100 % participation and grading time will be reduced. This was verified for me in two ways: one was reading about it in the Collaborize Classroom blog and the other was through practical experience. I am able to keep track of my students comprehension of the text we are reading and seeing what insights they are able to develop. It also allows the students to see what the others in the classroom are thinking. I have also had 100% participation.

From utilizing this tool for the last several weeks, I have come to several conclusions. One is I will be using this tool often. I enjoy the feedback that I am seeing from the students. The second conclusion is the students are enjoying discussing the text this way. I know verbal discussions are improving somewhat as well with the use of this tool, but the students enjoy commenting and responding to comments from their peers. Finally I have much more to learn about using this particular tool. As my students and I have found some success with the application so far, I will continue to become more familiar of the ways to best utilize this tool.

Key words: Collaborize Classroom, classroom, appropriate language

SchoolTube and TeacherTube-videos for the classroom

Students love watching movies. YouTube is watched and enjoyed by many students. However, in the classroom this site is usually blocked and requires an override password to view the videos. This can be frustrating and tiresome for the classroom teacher. So SchoolTube and TeacherTube are the sites that educators need to utilize.

Let's first look at SchoolTube. SchoolTube offers videos made by students and schools about certain topics. These videos are educational as well as very appealing. Students enjoy watching other students share information on videos. Students also enjoy creating these videos to share. SchoolTube allows students to be creative in sharing their knowledge. This site also provides contests the students and schools can enter. Schools can register on SchoolTube. SchoolTube is also on the social networking bandwagon being affiliated with Facebook and Twitter. This links the videos students and schools create even more by sharing them with other social media sites. SchoolTube is definitely student oriented.

TeacherTube is more from an adult perspective sharing insights and information about topics. These videos have more of a lecture structure as they are designed and usually reported by adults rather than students like in SchoolTube. TeacherTube is also linked to Facebook and Twitter. TeacherTube provides documents, photos, and audio bytes as well. This social media also has an important feature entitled “Keep it safe. Flag all inappropriate content” (2011). This is a terrific feature because it permits TeacherTube to constantly check the content of the submissions and only allow appropriate material. As this site is not usually blocked at schools, it is important that such a filter be in place so videos that are utilized in the classroom are appropriate. The videos still need to be previewed by the teacher before viewing them in class. TeacherTube does have advertisements before each video, but you can begin the video before class starts to skip the ad.

Both of these sites are free to use. However the true benefit to the classroom teacher is the sharing of information with others. Whether the information is done through student or teacher videos, all educators may access these two tools to help aid instruction in the class. From personal experience, when a video is employed in the classroom, engagement in the lesson is higher and the students retain more as they have another way to make personal connections with the material. Of the two tools, I prefer TeacherTube. The reason for this is because the content is more grade level appropriate for my students than SchoolTube.

Key words:  SchoolTube, TeacherTube, Facebook,Twitter

Social Media: Collaboration in the Classroom

     A tool that offers many resources for the teacher in using social media in the classroom is a site called Collaborize Classroom. This site allows students to interact with prompts from the teacher in four different ways: agree or disagree, multiple choice, post responses or vote for someone else's response. As Catlin Tucker, a high school English teacher commented, this tool gives the students a voice in the classroom. Many times the discussion is limited to a few students. By offering four different ways to respond, students now can have their opinion heard. These posts and questions can also be brought into the regular classroom for further discussion. This is one resource for the classroom teacher this tool offers.

     Another valuable resource is the resource pages provided by Collaborize Classroom. These pages provide prompts already used and posted by other teachers. As the curriculum standards are similar from state to state, many of the prompts provided are relevant to many teachers. An example of this is one of the prompts posted is about “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe. This is a poem that many English teachers use. As Collaborize Classroom has already had someone post a prompt for the students to respond to, what a terrific idea to share that with other teachers. This is a valuable resource especially for novice teachers.

In addition, lesson plans can also be posted with this tool. As instructors are always looking for new ways to approach a lesson, utilizing all or part of the posted lesson plans are ideal. The lesson plans are broken down by subject area, grade level, and tags. Teachers that are utilizing this site are able to post their plans so other teachers can benefit from them as well. Collaborating through this social media network enhances the teaching process. Teachers do not get as much time to collaborate as needed. Collaborize Classroom is a terrific tool that allows teachers to do just that.

     Best of all though this site is free. As with most social media tools, having direct access to these sites without a fee is important to many teachers as they already have a lot of out of pocket expenses. However, that is not why teachers would use this site. This site offers the collaboration of lesson plans and prompts for students to respond to. This tool allows teachers to collaborate with each other of similar interests in one arena. Collaborize Classroom is a tool that I believe I will use as an educator.

Kindles in the classroom

Kindles in the Classroom

Schools are on fixed budgets. Textbooks and novels for each student are expensive and many times teachers only have a finite number of these. When new students come into a school district, sometimes there is not a textbook or novel for them for several days. Copies need to be made of the reading material and it is frustrating for the new students without having the full benefit of the whole text. This is where the Kindle becomes the tool needed in the classroom.

Will the Kindle change education? In this article by Scholastic, one of the benefits that the Kindle provides is the storage capability. This tool can hold up to 1,500 digital books. This is a huge benefit for the student and the classroom. If a student had to literally pack around that many books, their physique would definitely suffer. However, the Kindle weighs 10.2 ounces. Students would be more than happy to carry this e-reader from class to class. The Kindle also alleviates the problem of not having enough of a textbook or novel. As you can download immediately the book needed, students do not have to be without.

Another benefit is the linking capability of the Kindle. You can sync your Kindle with computers. Now you have your books in several places. Kindle also provides software that makes it usable without having to purchase a Kindle. Dictionaries on the Kindle make understanding of unfamiliar words easier as the students can look up the word immediately. According to the Georgia Media Library Association library media specialist Pamela Hill, “E-readers have a lot of potential for use in the classroom.”

Of course being able to change the font and highlighting specific pieces of text is another benefit the Kindle offers. Students engage better with the text if they can manipulate it. The Kindle offers this attribute.

Grants are being awarded to schools for use of the Kindle in the classroom. Glenview Education Foundation granted 300 students Kindles at Springman Middle School. The Kindles will be used in a variety of ways from enriching to motivating students and their reading. The project is currently underway and results should be pending soon.

Is the Kindle without faults? No.  Sometimes the ebooks are more expensive than previously owned books. Ebooks cannot always be shared between readers too. As the Kindle is an electronic device, charging the battery is a must and the battery will need to be replaced. However with a few faults, the Kindle seems to be a tool that is needed in the classroom.

Key words: Kindle, classroom

Email and social media-A great link

Email and social media-A great link

Email is not an old tool anymore. In fact people are utilizing email and social media to market their products. Welcome to ConstantContact. This tool invites you to use your email option and link it to other social media. Social media tools are now being used in emails to promote products. As people purchase and recommend products, social media tools allow these individuals to connect with others and share their approval or disapproval of a product. Businesses can then reshape their products based on comments received through email and the other social media technologies. This promotes a connectivity between the business and their consumers.

Now email itself is not a social media device. Peter Kim says that "e-mail is a distribution mechanism and social media is a collective mechanism" (Apr 2011). I would agree, but what is so wonderful about social media is now it can utilize tools such as email in advertising products. Emails are being used for retail. Most people are now receiving information about products through their email once they have clinked on a site or link. Businesses can now influence your decision making process by sending you information about their items through email. A study done on 500 emails showed that connecting the emails to social media such as Twitter and Facebook, the emails were 30% more likely to be looked at and 55% were clicked through when there were more than three social media tools given (2010). This is the power of social media.

Email and social media do not just impact marketers. This is an appropriate venue for teachers as well. Notifying parents is now made easier through email because of its link with social media.

The other day I emailed a parent and received almost an instant reply because their email was hooked to their Facebook page and their iPhone. As I needed to make contact with this parent, but I was unable to use a phone at that moment, email was the option I chose. Social media tools helped convey the message right away. For teachers, email is an easy mode of communication. I don't always have time to have a phone conversation nor do many parents. When email is linked with other social media tools, it allows educators to keep in contact with the students' parents. Email, which was once a slow process of sending and receiving messages, now has the capability of quick replies with social media. Email is also readily available at schools where many of the other social media devices are not without having to supply an override password. So email and social media linking up is a terrific benefit for the educator.

Some people have said that email is on its way out. Now with the social media link email will be utilized even more. From marketers to the educator, email is still a viable tool thanks to social media and the links it provides.

Key words: email, social media, education

Embrace Social Media in the Classroom

   Social media is a reality in our technological world. Students are craving interactions with others. Engaging them in the classroom is more challenging than ever. As educators, we need to employ the old adage "don't work harder; work smarter". This is why social media needs to be embraced in the classroom.

   Students are already using Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. However schools block these sites to protect the students from potentially harmful material. So what social media may schools use that are free, aren’t blocked and provide safety for their students?

   Sara Kessler wrote about The Case for Social Media for school in 2010. One of the benefits she writes about is that some of the social media is free to educators. An example of this free social media is kidblog.org. This site allows teachers to create a classroom blog. With this blog, students can respond to discussion questions and publish their own posts concerning topics discussed in class. This creates the interactions that students desire. The benefit to the teacher is the blog allows students to comment on other students’ work and gives the teacher feedback about the effectiveness of the lesson through the responses posted.

   Edmodo is another free blogging site that schools may use. This site offers two main thrusts: connecting students and connecting the world. Currently there are 1.5 million users of this site. In our society today, students need to work on collaboration and not isolation. Making connections with other students is an essential life skill that all of them will need. Engaging students through technology is what the future will be about in education. Utilizing blogging sites is one avenue educators may use.

   Another component of social media that is just beginning to be utilized in the classroom is the back channel feature at TodaysMeet. This tool enables students to participate in a discussion without actually having to speak. Students have terrific ideas, but some are unwilling to share. This social media allows the students to post questions, responses and thoughts in a live stream. The teacher can monitor the live feeds and incorporate them into the discussion as well. In an article by Trip Gabriel entitled Students Speak Up in Class, Silently, via Social Media, students comment that this is a terrific way to speak up without actually having to raise their hands and speak out. This social media is currently free.

   Of course with any social media device the teacher needs to be careful of what is being posted whether it is in a blog or through a back channel. As a poster put out by Argus says, “Words have a life of their own. Think before you speak”.

Key words: social media, kidblog.org, Edmodo, TodaysMeet

Differentiated Instruction with Technology-A Good Idea

 

Differentiated Instruction with Technology

     Since the inception of NCLB (No Child Left Behind), educators have been faced with ways to ensure that all children are proficient by 2014. That is an enormous feat. However, many teachers are embracing this challenge by using differentiated instruction with technology to meet this goal.

     One of the first ways technology can be used in differentiated instruction is by assessing the students' skills before the unit is taught Pre-assessment. Teachers can use this information to formulate different instructional models to help each student be successful.

     Another way technology can be used in a differentiated lesson is what Dr. Carolyn Burleson calls the Intake Option (2003). This tool allows how the instruction is received by the student. Various models appear in this option appealing to the different intelligences ranging from visual, auditory, and even kinesthetic learners.

     Following this course of action, the next step in utilizing this technology is to give the students the means to process the information. A few examples of the processing piece are thinking maps, Web Quests, interactive maps, and graphic organizers (Burleson, 2003). By offering multiple means of obtaining the information, this allows the teacher to meet the needs of the individual student.

     Finally how the student presents their knowledge of the material is a beneficial aspect of technology. Students can use many different media tools to demonstrate their mastery of the concept. Introducing new forms such as the prezi gives the students the avenue in which their learning is highlighted.

     One of the barriers however to differentiated instruction with technology is the knowledge of the teacher. Many schools are now instituting professional development specifically targeting technology and differentiated instruction because of NCLB. As an educator myself, this is an area I feel that education needs to pursue. Differentiated instruction with technology is a valuable tool in the classroom.

Key words:

differentiated instruction, NCLB

References:

Burleson, C. (2003). Using Technology to Differentiate Instruction.

Retrieved from

http://www.lausd.net/lausd/offices/di/Burleson/workshops/differentiate/index.htm

Stansbury, M. (2009, February 2). Technology Empowers Differentiated Instruction

Retrieved from

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/02/02/technology-empowers-differentiated-instruction/

Technology will help reluctant readers

Reluctant readers have been a reality of schools for many years. These readers struggle to comprehend, engage with the text, or just plain find reading cumbersome. Technology is one avenue to increase the success rate of changing reluctant readers into enthusiastic ones.

One mode of technology that turns on reluctant readers is the Kindle. Kindle is the trademark of Amazon and it is an electronic book. What is wonderful about the Kindle is that many books may be stored on it. Amazon is also adapting its technology to add page numbers to go along with the printed text Kindles go to school. Students that were hesitant to read a hand held book find the Kindle to be user friendly. They can easily change pages with a finger swish and the print is easy on the eyes. E-readers are also popular. The audio component and the highlighting capability offer other ways to engage the reluctant readers.

Another mode of technology for the reluctant reader is the Digital Book Talk book trailers. This device allows students to view videos and listen to a preview of books. This enables the student to choose a novel that they are interested in. Of course, just like any preview, the trailer leaves off where the student is going to want to find out what happens next. This technology can be utilized in the classroom effectively introducing new books to students and engaging the interest of those reluctant readers.

Technology for reluctant readers doesn’t stop with these two devices. An equally exciting electronic solution is the website Storybird - Collaborative storytelling. This site allows the students to create their own books to share with others and it is free. Illustrations enhance the stories and the print capabilities grant the ownership of having a published product. This site works with any age. Universities have also employed this technology for students presenting projects.

Of course a tool that is available to many schools is Smart technology. Smart tools are visual and hands on. Students enjoy the graphics of these tools. As the people from Smart say, “Kids learn better when learning is interactive” (SmartBoard, 2006). Reluctant readers are just that-reluctant. By making the reading more interactive, the success rate of the student completing the reading is higher. Textbooks are also available online which appeals to many students as well because they are able to use technology to do their reading.

To close my thoughts on reluctant readers and technology is this. We have the technology. Isn’t it to our advantage to take advantage of these tools to change our reluctant readers into enthusiastic ones? The only question we should have is which electronic tool will we use.

Key words:  reluctant readers, technology

References

Basten, A. (2011, March 9). Kindles go to school in a big way this month.

     Retrieved from

     http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/kindles-go-to-school-in-a-big-way-this-month/

Gunter, G. and Kennedy, R. (2010, Aug. 8). Digital Book Talks: Book Trailers for

     K-12. Retrieved from http://ilearntechnology.com/?tag=reluctant-readers

Smart Technologies Inc. (2006). Interactive Educator. New Technology Trends

     for Education. Retrieved from

     http://downloads01.smarttech.com/media/education/pdf/ieautumn06.pdf

Is Texting Ruining the English language?

     The other day at church I had a parent who asked me if I taught spelling anymore. I asked why and he said because when he received a text message from his niece he couldn’t believe all of the misspellings that he saw. So is the English language suffering because of texting?

     According to one of England’s linguist, only 10% of the words used in texting are misspelled Linguist. Some of the most typical words misspelled are you (u), are (r), see (c) and to (2). Why are the words misspelled? Cell phones have a limited number of characters per message that you may use. Abbreviating words helps keep the message short Abbreviations.

     However, this still does not answer the question of whether or not texting is ruining the English language. This debate is being pursued heavily. One recent poll shows that 62% of the people feel that yes texting is destroying the English language Poll. The claim is there will be a direct transfer into the written language of the academic and business worlds. Also because of the abbreviated style of texting, understanding pieces of literature will suffer as well as there will not be the context of standard English in a person’s repertoire to use. The opposition has some words in rebuttal. Texting language makes it possible to write more in a text than fully spelled out words. This language also allows messages and answers to be received and returned quickly. Does this mean that the English language is suffering because of the shortening of words and phrases? The debate continues.

     From an educator’s viewpoint, texting offers some strategies for students such as phonemic awareness Aide. What is really interesting about this study done on 11 year olds is that in text messaging these students were using their skills of phonemes for the abbreviations. These students were better spellers because of their texting skills.

     In broadening the educator’s viewpoint, I had an epiphany the other day during my freshman English class. The students were taking notes on literary genres. A student asked if she could use texting language for her notes. I paused and asked if she would understand the notes later. She replied in the affirmative and I agreed. For her the note taking process in class just became doable and something less mundane. I know I use shorthand in my note taking and I figured that as long as she and the other students who use the texting on their notes can understand them for later use, so be it!

     Is texting destroying the English language? The question is still being studied. I believe that as a community we need to emphasize when texting is appropriate language to use.

Key words: ruin, English language, texting, phonemes

References:

Al-Homaidi, Colby. (2009). Is text messaging causing the destruction of the

English language? Retrieved from

http://www.helium.com/debates/187960-is-text-messaging-causing-the-destruction-of-

the-english-language/side_by_side?page=4

E-How contributor. (2011, Sept. 1). How to Abbreviate Words in Text Messages.

Retrieved from

http://www.ehow.com/how_2319839_abbreviate-words-text-messages.html

Masnick, M. (2008, Sept. 17). Linguist Explains that Txting Isn't Ruining Spelling

or the English Language. Retrieved from

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080916/1957542289.shtml

Smith, A. (2006, Sept. 11). Education Guardian. Texting slang aiding children's

language skill. Retrieved from

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/sep/11/schools.uk1

Twitter-What's the Tweet all about?

Do you tweet?  When my rural electric company turned off my power for repairs this summer, I called complaining about not having notice given about the outage.  I had four sump pumps pumping water out of my basement and new baby chicks that needed their heat lamp.  I needed to know that the power was going out!  They, my power company, informed me that the outage was tweeted on Twitter Mountrail Williams Electric Company.  So hearing these words from the power company, as well as on the radio and tv, I decided I needed to investigate what Twitter and tweeting were all about in this social networking society of ours.

Twitter is a new sensation in social media that is gaining popularity although it was developed in 2006 Twitter created.  According to Pew Internet and American Life Project, "13% of online adults use Twitter" (2011, June 1).   So what is Twitter?  Twitter is a social networking device that allows you to send small quick messages Twitter.  These messages are called tweets.  There are also retweets that you can use when you copy and paste tweets received to send to others Retweet.  People use Twitter for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes it is used for information; sometimes it is for business and other times for personal reasons Uses. 

So why Twitter?  Twitter allows you to obtain links to individuals, businesses and other pieces of information Why Twitter?  What is amazing is the networking capabilities.  Family and friends can sign up for your Twitter page.  In return you can sign up for theirs.  All of the tweets and retweets from family, friends, businesses and so forth are now part of your networking system.  The network that you started with one small tweet keeps growing.  The other incredible part to this system is the messages are limited to 140 characters.  Through researching Twitter, the common theme that was clear is to keep the message concise as you only have 140 characters.  Of course you want to make sure that your tweets are useful Tweets.   People that tweet just to tweet may be filtered as irrelevant information Noise. 

Is this all there is to Twitter?  Absolutely not.  This is just a brief overview of this social networking system.  I have begun following two organizations on Twitter and yes one of them is the power company!  I hope to keep developing my Twitter capabilities.  I encourage you to tweet if you have not.  Just remember to tweet appropriately and succinctly.  You only have 140 characters and you don't want to be filtered!  Good luck tweeting.
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Key words:  Twitter, tweet, retweet



References:

Cromie, J.  (2009, Jan. 9).  8 Sure-Fire Ways to Tick Off the Twitterverse.  Retrieved from
    http://www.twitip.com/8-sure-fire-ways-to-tick-off-the-twitterverse/#more-973

Lasic, T.  (2009).  Why Twitter?  Retrieved from
    http://www.slideshare.net/moodlefan/why-twitter

Minz, T.  (n.d.).  Power Tweeting:  101 Everyday Uses for Twitter.  Retrieved from
     http://www.insidecrm.com/features/101-twitter-uses-052008/

Newsblaze LLC.  (2011).  What is Twitter?  Retrieved from
    http://tweeternet.com/

Parr, B.  (2009, April 16).  How to:  Retweet on Twitter.  Retrieved from
    http://mashable.com/2009/04/16/retweet-guide/

Pew Internet and American Life Project.  (2011, June 1).  Twitter Use.  Retrieved from
    http://www.pewinternet.org/Static-Pages/Series/Twitter.aspx

Sagolla, T.  (2009, Jan. 30).  How Twitter was Born.  Retrieved from
    http://www.140characters.com/2009/01/30/how-twitter-was-born/

Wauters, R.  (2009, Jan. 29).  Too Much Noise on Twitter?  Filttr Will Tell You What's Worth Reading.
    Retrieved from
    http://techcrunch.com/2009/01/28/too-much-noise-on-twitter-filttr-will-tell-you-whats-%20worth-reading/

YouTube-Is it for the classroom?

YouTube-Is it for the classroom?

     YouTube is a media tool that permits people to view videos on just about any topic. This device also allows you to upload videos that you create. So this new media poses several questions for me: What are the benefits in the classroom and why is it denied access at some schools?

     One benefit of YouTube is its engagement factor. The videos are entertaining. Teachers may use them to begin class with to stimulate their students’ writing Bell ringers. In presenting new material to a class, videos are one way to capture the students’ attention. The sound and graphics are appealing to the viewer. YouTube provides videos with these qualities Top 10 Videos. Engaging the students in the lesson through videos is one benefit of YouTube.

     Another benefit from YouTube is its informational aspect. Seeing how new machinery runs Informational or how to create a blog, these videos provide visual information. The best part of this visual information is the ability to stop and replay a segment if needed. What a great tool to use in the classroom when illustrating key points with your students about the Periodic table as an example. The videos are generally short and can be worked in as part of your lesson easily.

     So why do schools deny access to this media if there are many benefits for the classroom? One answer is because some of the videos are inappropriate. If schools did not have filters on to block this site, students could access videos that may contain explicit language and content. YouTube also has many useless videos for the classroom. Teaching standards is part of an educator’s job. Some of these videos do not provide educational material and are not appropriate for the classroom. The other concern for YouTube is previewing the material before it is shown in class. Schools do have the power to override the block on YouTube, but if the teacher does not plan accordingly, what looks like an appropriate video with the content the teacher desires to show may in fact backfire on her. An example of this was when an Ag teacher wanted to show information concerning mammary glands and the video displayed a woman’s breast. The link was appropriate as women do have mammary glands, but it was not the desired outcome the teacher wanted.

     YouTube is a viable option for the classroom. Planning and preparation on the teacher’s part would make this a terrific media tool to use for engaging students in the lesson and providing information in an appealing way. Filters at schools can be overridden, but the educator needs to be prepared with the content of the video shown. Check out YouTube to see what it offers for your classroom.

Key words:  YouTube, classroom use, benefits, school access

References:

John Deere Round Baler 990-960. (n.d.).  Retrieved from
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBj7Z2PlXLk

MacManus, R. (2011).  Top 10 YouTube Videos of All Time.  Retrived from
     http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_youtube_videos_of_all_time.php

Piper, J. (2011).  Writing is Immortality-YouTube Videos as Writing Prompts.  Retrieved from
     http://msjessicareeves.edublogs.org/2011/08/04/youtube-videos-as-writing-prompts/

The Element Song. (n.d.).  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFIvXVMbII0

Blogging in the Classroom

As an educator, making connections with students is key in ensuring their success in school.  New media is one way to do this. Students are constantly texting, checking Facebook, and using new media to keep in contact with others and their world.  Utilizing these new media devices would increase this idea of connectedness with students.
One example of new media is blogging.  According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary (2001), a blog is "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer".  Fostering interchanges among the students in the classroom is a curriculum standard that may be taught through blogs. An example of this is having the students read an article, post a blog, and then comment on other students' blogs. The possibilities do not end there Classroom Ideas.  Andy Carvin (2006) also shared other uses for blogging in education that focused on colleagues and parents Communication with blogs.
Classroom blogging offers many benefits to the students. Blogging is motivational. Students are using tools they know and can manipulate well. They are also building skills through the blogs. The growth of their writing skills is encouraged. The blogs do need to be reviewed by the teacher and mini units on writing may be developed upon seeing the responses. Blogging also gives the opportunity of using critical thinking skills because the student must read and understand the material blogged and write an appropriate response. This new media device will employ their technology skills. Technology surrounds us and students need to be competent in using it. Education is about learning and preparing students for the real world. Having students employ these skills through blogs is very appropriate in education today.
However, as an educator, knowing what the new media is and having ideas on how to use this device presented, is not enough. Teachers need to be aware of the dangers of blogging. Because blogs are web based and may be accessed by anyone, teaching students about safeguarding their information as well as using appropriate language is imperative Dangers.


In conclusion, blogging is a terrific new media tool that educators can employ to motivate students and enhance their curriculum. It may be used as a communication device as well. Dangers are present, with blogging, but educating the students about those concerns would be part of the teaching process.


Key Words: blogging, dangers, educational, motivational


Resources:


Carver, A. (2006). What Exactly is a Blog, Anyway? Retrieved from  http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2006/05/what_exactly_is_a_blog_anyway.html

Education Tech Team, Education World, (2011). The Education World Tech Team Discusses Social Networking and Blogging Sites-Should Schools Ban Them or Teach Kids to Use Them? Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech232.shtml

Group of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2006. Using Blogs to Integrate Technology into the Classroom.

Retrieved from http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47

Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blog