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901 Activity 6.2: Using Social Media to Find and Curate Resources for the Classroom
Although I feel I am still a bit new to this Web 2.0 scene, I am a HUGE fan of Twitter and Pinterest. This Module was exciting for me because it allowed me to explore both of these platforms in new ways; a view of my Pinterest board may be seen below:
PINTEREST:
I enjoyed browsing the other cohort members' boards, noticing things that I hadn't found and ended up "saving" to my board. I really liked Allison McMath's Pinterest board; she had some cool "virtual field trip" sites there that would really lend itself to a Social Studies class. She seemed to be very intentional on the tools she chose to pin. I especially like the 30 Creative Ways to Use Padlet for Teachers and Students, this is one tool I've really wanted to start using in my classroom; my goal is to be using Padlet sometime during this final Trimester. Others sites I will be using more is Digital BreakoutEdu found on this Board; more HyperDocs for Math found on this board; and, Digital Scoot on Slides found on this board.
TWITTER:
I am really very new to Twitter, but I'm getting to like and use it more and more. I love being able to follow people that I've seen at conferences or from sites I've stumbled upon in the Technology/Education community; I feel like a fan, getting all excited when I see my Math and Tech "Rock Stars" in person! I really enjoy hearing their ideas and seeing their uses of technology and Web 2.0 tools posted on Twitter. Although as of this Module, I started following a couple new groups and people like: @FlippedLearning, @IWBNet, and #FlipCon, I am still completely hooked on these folks: @JMattMiller who's coined "Ditch that Textbook"; @OpenMiddle that offers great open-ended math-talk type problems; @JoBoaler from the site YouCubed from Stanford University, offering insights and resources to inspire thinkers and learners; and, @Alicekeeler who's posts open up so many access points into Google docs, apps, and extensions. Ideas fro Twitter in the classroom? Well, I'm not too sure at this point, especially since Twitter is even blocked on Teacher computers. However, "Twitter-esque" type activities could be to teach students how to narrow searches on the web; and, how to be concise and express their thoughts within a precise and limited amount of character. It is easy to lose track of time when browsing around on Twitter; it has a tendency to ignite my brain and cause heightened inspiration!
REFLECTION
Through this module, I have been exposed to new ways that Twitter and Pinterest may be used in the classroom with my students. As with all of the Modules in this course, it was packed full of surprises and insight. I gained so much more understanding about how these applications may be used to infuse technology as well as innovation into my lessons and activities. Just as students' needs and abilities and interests are different, so are the multitude of uses Web 2.0 tools have to offer. Time and possibly school policy are really the only limitations that stand between an awesome lesson and an amazing learning experience.
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