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Pros:
Easy to find content
Easy to navigate
Twitter believes in freedom. Freedom of expression, information, opportunity, and belonging. Freedom is a very valuable thing which is why YouTube is not accessible in all nations. It’s a privilege as Canadians to have access to content this easily
YouTube Kids is an app created by YouTube to promote a safer environment for children to stream
Videos can be reported if they contain inappropriate content
Great way for teachers to show content to students that changes how students receive information
Videos can be unlisted or private, so educators can send videos to their students or receive submissions from their students that are not accessible to the public
Playlists create a place for educators or students to build up a list of videos on a topic
Videos can be saved or set to play next
Simple usage of the site (with advertisements) is free
For students who need another way to hear a concept explained, video content is a great way to teach
Many educators post very engaging content related to math education
Cons:
Unless a parent sets up safety standards, the website does not automatically filter out “adult” content
Auto-play feature could lead a student/teacher to end up watching something that is not in fact relevant
There have been issues in the past of pornographic or triggering content being embedded within videos so a child will be watching a video and suddenly view something completely inappropriate
Unless a user goes premium, advertisements play before most videos. Even if they are not inappropriate, this perpetuates consumerism and may influence students in a way that a teacher did not intend
I think the biggest issue is how much information YouTube can give a user. For younger kids especially, I don’t know if I would feel comfortable allowing them to search without an adult, but there’s no way to put a setting that says “only let an adult search”
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Pros:
users need to have a profile in order to comment on posts, which I think creates a slightly safer environment
lots of ideas for educators as many teachers use the app for showing the creative ways they teach
teachers can save the posts of others to their “collections” and even name those collections and place relatable content within the collections. I have collections for math, literacy, art, etc.
uses can keep their account private and they must approve all follow request
in the 8 years I have used the app, I have never experienced a breakdown (whereas twitter has function errors on a regular basis)
the brand’s main goal is to connect people and promote creativity and simplicity
Incredibly easy to navigate and enjoyable for use
Cons:
anyone can create a profile and can tag others in any post. Though one can report someone, there is no guarantee that the person will have their account deleted
it’s very easy to screen shot an image and reshare it pretending that the content is your own
filters can be added to anything, and there are even some preset filters in some cameras when they connect to Instagram where they automatically filter out imperfections
Is not branded as an app for children – this is not necessarily a con, but a consideration. I don’t think children should have accounts and it seems unsafe to me how many pictures adults will post of their children not thinking about their child’s privacy
Live streaming options could easily violate privacy
No obvious links to mathematics other than for educators to follow one another and gain ideas
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Pros:
Educators have the ability to create classes, send out assignments, give/send feedback, and have everything in one place digitally
GoogleMeet function offers a safe place for students and teachers to meet for “face-to-face" screen connection
Classroom is simple to set up and fairly easy to navigate
Google as a brand in general tends to have less reliability issues given the sheer size of their servers to host all of their many organizations
No cost and ad-free
One login (not multi-step like other classroom apps such as FreshGrade)
Free 24/7 digital support through google
Teachers can host or post lessons which works well for math
Easy for teachers and students to communicate with one another
Cons:
Some families with language barriers can struggle with managing logins and knowing how to connect
Parents cannot sign into the classroom
Young children will need the support of their grown-ups to log-on and navigate the site
No obvious safety concerns
Many districts (such as my own) do not authorize Google Classroom
All users must use a Google login
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Pros:
Students can post a screenshot or video of an education area they are struggling with. Other students can comment on the error the student has made or clarify the questions. Great for collaboration
Lots of collaboration between students and between educators
They mention that they’re a great resource for introverted students who might not raise their hand in class
The website has lots of resources for educators starting out on how to use the site as well as ways to broaden and deepen usage once comfortable
Students are added to the classroom site through a class code
Could work well in an intermediate math class when students are expected to be able to not only do their own work but make commentary on the work of others
Cons:
Some users have posted reviews on review sites that Edmodo has frequent system failures and will not work
Functions more as a social network than a classroom, which could be viewed as a positive or a negative, depending on how that plays out within a particular group of students
Limited integration with 3rd party apps, making the site not always transferable to other sites
Is an American site and links to US Common Core curriculum and not provincial curriculums in Canada
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I currently use YouTube for my own personal use and to show videos to my students when helpful. I also have access to other digital libraries, many of which are created for education (World Encyclopedia Kids, Curio, etc.), and tend to rely on those more because they feel less risky for the classroom. I would not feel comfortable using Facebook for the classroom because there are way easier ways to create a group for people to connect with. My district uses Office 365 so I have access to Teams as well as Fresh Grade for building a digital portfolio for families. I have seen other teachers use Instagram to create a class page where they post pictures everyday for families, but again, unless you have a class filled with kids who all sign a media release, it feels complicated to me. I’d rather use district approved resources or something like Slack that requires login and is easy to manage. Instagram remains my top place to find ideas for teaching in imaginative ways as I follow some incredible educators and use the Explore function to find other ideas. I also use Twitter to find ideas and connect with other educators. Perhaps it is because I teach in primary but I believe that Social Media is more for adults than for kids. If my district used Google Classroom, I would use the site because I think it works well. Typically I find that Google sites are easier to navigate than Office sites, but both Google and Office are tricky to toggle between accounts if a user has more than one account. Edmodo seems like a fun way to interact with students in a safer format than a non-education social media site because it is created for the classroom.