Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), 12-15. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20100607?pg=14&pm=2&fs=1#pg14
The article Join the Flock, by Hadley Furguson, introduces readers to Twitter, a social media tool, and describes its functionality in the context of education and the classroom. In the article, Furguson describes her own experience with getting involved with Twitter, and how it impacted her career as a teacher. Furguson gives the reader step-by-step instruction on how to create a Twitter account, how to best present oneself to the Twitter population, and how to become exposed to specific kinds of information made available by other members of Twitter. She describes the different levels of visibility and exposure, and the benefits of each level. Furguson goes on to explain the various way in which Twitter has benefited her as a teacher and her classroom.
Q - How can Twitter help new teachers be better equipped to effectively teach their students?
A - New teachers are perhaps the best candidates for all of the resources Twitter has to offer. New teachers have neither the experience nor the confidence to know where to seek out useful resources or how to ask questions when they are unsure of themselves. Twitter would allow new and prospective teachers to tap into streams of educational resources without ever having to ask a question or feel embarrassed. New teachers could find ideas for their lesson plans, online resources for their students, and ideas for issues that may arise such as classroom management and student-teacher connections.
McClintock, S. (2010). Enhance your twitter experience. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), 14-17. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20100607?pg=16&pm=2&fs=1#pg16
The article Enhance You Twitter Experience , by Shannon McClintock Miller, discusses how Twitter can enrich an educator's experiences in their career by introducing them to other educators around the world and to many new resources simply through common interests. Miller describes some of the many tools that can help someone who is new to Twitter organize their account and feeds such as TweetDeck and HootSuite. She also defines much of the terminology that has evolved in the Twitter world.
Q - How can Twitter help an educator teacher his or her students about appropriate internet behavior?
A - One concept that has evolved in the Twitter community is "Twittiquette," the idea of appropriate behavior while utilizing Twitter. A teacher who incorporates Twitter into his or her lesson plans and classroom also has the opportunity to teach children what is considered appropriate behavior on Twitter and other social media networks. Using appropriate language, protecting one's identity, and being aware of the information made available to one's online network are all important internet-safety topics that can be addressed with the help of Twitter.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Technology Self-Assessment: School 2.0
NETS-T V: This technology self-assessment gauges ones digital competency as a teacher in the classroom and provides resources for improving deficient areas. This activity engages teachers in professional growth and leadership by asking them to analyze their technological abilities and to research ways in which they can improve themselves.
About this Resource!
In order to improve my performance on the "NETS-T (I) Module: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity," School 2.0 recommended that I check out an article called "Top 10 Web 2.0 Tools for Young Learners." This article provides and describes ten online tools for younger students to engage in in the classroom and at home. Many of them are introduced as game-like, making them very "kid friendly" and easy for students to use on their own. This area was of great interest to me because I feel that a child's desire to learn must be fostered very early on and developed as they get older. The earlier we teach our students that learning can be fun and give them ways to learn that they enjoy, the more likely that this interest in learning will continue into their future grade levels. Personally, I know that the efforts my parents put into finding resources for me that I would use and enjoy had a huge impact on my education as I grew up. My parents forced me to read when I was young, but it did not take long for me to forget that I "hated reading" and to begin getting lost in my book. The same goes for most subject areas. Today, technology can have a huge impact on how children learn. Being aware of resources that are age appropriate and fun for students is very important to me, as I think it will make me an overall better teacher.
About this Resource!
In order to improve my performance on the "NETS-T (I) Module: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity," School 2.0 recommended that I check out an article called "Top 10 Web 2.0 Tools for Young Learners." This article provides and describes ten online tools for younger students to engage in in the classroom and at home. Many of them are introduced as game-like, making them very "kid friendly" and easy for students to use on their own. This area was of great interest to me because I feel that a child's desire to learn must be fostered very early on and developed as they get older. The earlier we teach our students that learning can be fun and give them ways to learn that they enjoy, the more likely that this interest in learning will continue into their future grade levels. Personally, I know that the efforts my parents put into finding resources for me that I would use and enjoy had a huge impact on my education as I grew up. My parents forced me to read when I was young, but it did not take long for me to forget that I "hated reading" and to begin getting lost in my book. The same goes for most subject areas. Today, technology can have a huge impact on how children learn. Being aware of resources that are age appropriate and fun for students is very important to me, as I think it will make me an overall better teacher.
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