It’s been a few days since I promised to bring another set of tools that I suggest you try in your classrooms, so let’s go ahead and get started, shall we?
A quick FYI
There has of late been many stories in the news of school districts that are limiting the use of social interaction between educators and their students by defining the dos and dont’s of their districts.
It is my belief that this is happening because school districts have yet to fully understand the capacity that these new tools being educators to deliver content in a new and exciting fashion that taps into the energy and enthusiasm that our youth have for social media.
So a couple of words of advice…
- Join committees and work with your school district to craft reasonable policies that allow these powerful content delivery systems to be used in a prudent way to raise the bar for all students.
- Don’t allow these committees to be formed by people that truly do not understand how these tools can be used inside and outside of the classroom to keep students connected to the curriculum in a much more dynamic fashion.
- Use your common sense. Just like you would not invite a student to your home, talk to them on the phone, or tell them about your personal problems, keep them out of your private social media accounts. Your personal facebook page is no place to allow your students. If you can’t keep it professional, go to your board of education, no make that run, and surrender your teaching license.
So with all of that being said, time for some new tools.
A few tools to help you deliver content in a new format
Let’s face it. Kids are connected to their cell phones, twitter, and facebook. Why not harness that energy to be used to deliver your content in a new and interesting format?
- EDU 2.0 - For those of us that have taken courses lately, having recently graduated or for licensure renewal purposes, are likely to be familiar with content management systems like Blackboard. EDU 2.0, released in 2006, is something similar to that, but dedicated to help educators, students, and parents. It is a platform that helps take the classroom learning into the home. This site can hold lesson plans, documents and worksheets, and students can submit assignments online. There are grade-books, PowerPoints, you name it. Give it a try!
- Edublogs – If you are reading this article, you are on a blog. Blogs are a great way to foster interest in a topic and gauge the amount of learning that your students are achieving. On Edubogs, you as the teacher could post a question to the class and ask students to respond to the question at home for homework. You might also have them interact with one another in the comments section to further measure what they have learned. This site brings you a safe platform with many safety features that will make you feel comfortable using it in the classroom
My takeaway…
Twitter is still my favorite. It allows so many different functions that could be harnessed in the classroom. I’ll leave you with this article from the New York Times entitled Students Speaking Up In Class, Using Social Media.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Thanks!
