Social Media is a term used all the time in everyday life and it's growing bigger than the normal 15 year old's weekly zit. When I watch my favorite TV shows I see a hashtag on the bottom of the screen so that I could connect with people all over the world who are watching the same show at the exact same time as me. So when Glenn died in The Walking Dead, not only did I gasp but everyone on social media gasped with me at the same exact moment. Social media is important for all of these political candidates right now for the race for the White House. Thanks to social media it has taken this political race into an "awkward" direction.
What I really appreciate about social media is the speed. I am not around a TV constantly so my ears for the news is not constant. But thanks to social media I can find out if there is a protest that is going to delay my way home from work, or an accident blocking the freeways and that explains the sudden traffic at 8pm. Of course, social media is a great way to connect to friends and family who are all over the world and it makes us all connected in such a different way than we used to be. I can see my "friends" children grow without asking for pictures or the feelings they feel after eating that meal they couldn't stop posting pictures of. However, how can social media be useful in the classroom and at the same time be appropriate with the common core standards and standards teachers need to abide by daily. Well, I have found a very "entry level" way to bring social media into the classroom. I think it helps with topics such as current events, science, history and literature. In my classroom, I am a science only teacher but common core asks for content related conversations, whether its a whole class discussion, small group or even partner talks. I will use Instagram and post a picture onto the screen and have my students look at the picture and do "I notice..." and "I wonder...." statements. I have seen such great images from Instagram especially from NASA, JPL, The USGS, National Geographic, and other notable organizations. The pictures are authentic and real. My students enjoy these talks and get very excited that I am using Instagram as a tool to help them learn. They are engaged in the conversation. I have brought social media into the classroom under a controlled environment. If you want some engaging conversation from your students use the "I noticed and I wonder" statements in a discussion, or what I have done is use that discussion over a padlet as a reflection. - Serina Hello World,
So, a tool I have been using since the beginning of the year. This was a tool I wanted to use during my interview of this school site. The principal asked me if I would be comfortable with a ratio of 1 to 1 devices. I jumped out of my seat and started talking about how that would be exciting and she asked me on details and I completely went to town talking about how much I love Kahoot. She heard what I was saying but I know this lady so well that I know she was only half listening. Now, lets speed ahead to the first week of school. One of my students happen to be my principals' daughter, she happened to go home and non-stop talk about her first Kahoot experience in my class. The aspect of Kahoot is to use this as either a Quiz, Discussion, or Survey. I really enjoy the Quizzes of Kahoot and I can see that my students enjoy them too. The reason they absolutely love doing Kahoot Quizzes is because it is very engaging. The program itself plays music that is engaging and has a beat where my students can bob their head back and forth before starting the quiz. For 4th and 5th graders, this is something they definitely look forward to doing. Another great cool thing about Kahoot is that I get the results IMMEDIATELY! All I have to do is click and print and I have my students data right away. It makes grading so easy for a teacher of 85 students throughout the day. To send data home I have made small cute little sheets of paper that have the Kahoot logo on it and write the students score of that week and send it home to the parents. As a homework assignment, I required students to have their parents sign and bring the score back. I have pictures of my students using this tool to come stand by..... If you or someone you know is interested in making Quizzes, Discussions or Surveys fun have them try Kahoot.it It's free! -Serina |
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