What Makes Education So Pinteresting? String the words “social” and “media” together in a sentence when talking with most educators and the conversation inevitably turns to the Big Three: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. As teachers weigh the value of social networking in classrooms, several emerging tools have also begun to pique educators’ interest — or, dare I say, Pinterest? By now, you’ve no doubt heard about the online bulletin board that lets people post and share notes, pictures, infographics and other media with the network’s base of more than 10 million users.
A recent report on technology news site TechCrunch says the majority of those users are women, many in the coveted 18–34 age bracket, which could explain the massive valuations pinned to the company’s rising fortunes — Forbes recently estimated Pinterest’s value at more than $7 billion. The Teacher’s Quick Guide to Pinterest 16 Ways Educators Can Use Pinterest Got the basics down?
25 Great Educators to Follow on Pinterest Still looking for ideas? Pass It On! Venspired Learning | Teaching, Learning, & Life. Snapshot: Blogger, Wikispaces, Kidblog and iPads. Kia ora! The Virtual Learning Network (VLN), He kōtuinga ako ā-ipurangi, is an interactive resource provided by the Ministry of Education for all New Zealand educators.
The VLN provides access to: The Learning Exchange is a brokerage site that enables connections between teachers and learners; joining clusters, schools, groups and individuals who are learning through online and blended programes. The VLN supports the work of the Māori Medium Kura Network and the VLN Community (VLNC), and promotes the concept of classrooms without walls, where learners and educators have the flexibility to connect with each other 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The learning exchange comprises of five areas of collaboration: Programmes of learning, Projects, Professional learning, Participation, Parents & Whanau. Find out more ... VLN Groups is a social network for teachers, school leaders and facilitators to connect, share experiences, and learn together.
It includes the Enabling e-Learning community groups. iLearn Technology. Virtual Learning Network. QR Codes and TinyURL in Education. We started using QR Codes in our classrooms in the summer of 2011. We began investigating how we could make use of them and found a large amount of information online about the potential for QR Codes being used in the education environment. Some of these can be found here: In addition to these websites there is also much more that can be found on YouTube, in blogs and by searching for 'QR Codes Classroom'. Initially, we only made use of QR Codes and made them using Kaywa. This was good as it allowed easier access to a URL through either an application on a mobile device or a desktop QR Code reader.
We then, after seeing them used on Twitter, started to look at the use of URL shortening services. As a result of using TinyURL we also discovered that if the TinyURL is used to create the QR Code rather than the original URL it makes the QR Code much simpler and therefore easier to read. We hope that adds a little more to the QR Code discussion and is of use to you. Getting a global project started … Where do you begin, and how do you make it meaningful and sustainable? The May #globalclassroom chats are upon us, and this month’s question and discussion post comes to us courtesy of Laurie Renton, a Grade Three teacher working in Alberta, Canada. (@RentonL) In her own words … this is how her global inquiry began: I have been blessed with the opportunity to work closely with a not-for-profit organization working in Peru.
Our Library Project was a global inquiry that essentially “fell into our lap” and took on a life of its own because we allowed our children to wonder, to clarify, and to ask further questions after participating in a Video Conference experience to “enhance” our understanding of the customs and culture in Peru. What we thought would be a “one time only” has grown into an amazing partnership with our Grade Threes and this organization – working to build a library in a small rural weaving village – Q’enqo Peru.
This is our second year in the project. Thoughts: May Chat Details Saturday, May 12 - USA, Europe, Africa (17:00 – 18:00 GMT) Like this: Seriously? This is the conversation? « Continue. Mobile Learning Blogroll. Doing Their Dirty Work. Fiction studio books. Lessons Worth Sharing. The new classroom abandons rules and consequences. If you are a product of Teach for America, you likely have all sorts of rules and consequences posted around your classroom.
Your students may routinely write their names on the board -- branding themselves as troublemakers on the verge of doom. Subscribers of assertive discipline allow their students to think they are part of creating the discipline system -- a subtle manipulation. Teachers in these classrooms may be caught lavishing praise on the do-gooders and giving gentle reminders of punishments to the offenders. In a classroom based on results-only, there are no posted rules, and there is no praise when Sally brings her materials or Johnny comes to class on time. This new classroom disdains these embarrassing methods, completely eliminating rules and consequences.
A rule and its accompanying consequence is nothing more than a crutch for a teacher, who struggles to provide effective guidance within a learning community. So, what do you think? C. M. Rubin: The Global Search for Education: In Search of Professionals - Part 1. "You have to invest in the whole system. " -- Randi Weingarten. Photo courtesy of the American Federation of Teachers.
Here's a powerful challenge to the world of education: Improve the profession of teaching. If you believe that the future of learning depends on the future of teaching, Andy Hargreaves' and Michael Fullan's latest collaboration, Professional Capital, proposes an action plan for teachers, administrators, schools and districts, and state and federal leaders as to how to create a 21st century generation of professional teachers.
Over the next few days in The Global Search for Education series, I discuss with Michael Fullan, Andy Hargreaves and Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, some of the issues as well as some of the strategies necessary to make this a reality. First up, I asked Randi to summarize what she believes the Professional Capital model would mean in terms of changes in policy and practice? Randi explained: C. Preparing for a Different Kind of Middle Grades Classroom - Transforming Learning. How to Make Social Networking Work. I’ve had mixed results using social networking media for class discussions. Because of that I haven’t even tried to have students use it for backchanneling. It’s hard enough to get them to listen as I give instructions and I don’t lecture all that much anyway.
I’ve had this vision of engaging more students in class discussions, especially the quiet ones, by using chats, Twitter, or other social media, so that we didn’t have to call on raised hands or shush kids or talk one at a time. I sure could use some help getting ideas on how to make it work. Two years ago I tried using my moodle to create a chat room to have a class discussion. I thought I gave kids enough time to “play” and get the hi’s and silly typing out of their system. Then last year I tried using Twitter. So this year I went a different route. With Collaborize students get to start discussion topics of their own. I ended up letting the excitement wane and kids stopped posting topics to our network. Be Sociable, Share! How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School. Produced in collaboration with Facebook.
Social media is fast becoming as ubiquitous as the air we breathe. In recent months, many schools and districts around the country have taken steps to create social media policies and guidelines for their students and staff. In my work with several districts to draft these documents, I have seen many approaches that work well, and some that don't. That said, there is no silver bullet for administrators; every school, district, and state has a different set of circumstances. With that in mind, here are some steps that will help you determine the best approach for your own community. 2. This team should include educators who use social media in the classroom and those who do not. This team should be open and transparent in all their conversations and decision making, and be clear about their shared goal. Questions for ReflectionDoes everyone on the team share the same goal?
We Are Learning To: Make a difference « Teaching the Teacher. Late last week I decided to throw my carefully crafted-lessons on cyber-citizenship out the window and floated the idea to my class of making a submission to the Inquiry into 21st century learning environments and digital literacy being run by the Education and Science Select Committee. I taught my class a bit about what a select committee is and why they hold inquiries. I also pointed out that most of the members grew up in an era where learning looked like students sitting in rows listening to the teacher. And then I posed a problem, how to change the committee members’ minds about learning. The kids seemed both excited and a bit worried about the idea of the project. Making a difference sounded great in theory, but that would mean producing work for Members of Parliament rather than their usual teacher audience which was a bit scary and not just for the students.
I still have no idea how this project is going to turn out. My question is how do you come back the next week? Like this: ‘These Are Your Kids on Books’ Poster Goes Viral. Nine disturbing behaviors on social media that people need to stop right now. May 08, 2012|Bridget Doyle Statuses, tweets, pins, check-ins, videos, photos … the insatiable hunger for social media can't be stopped. But as more platforms keep popping up, common sense is becoming lost in a hazy web of bathroom photo shoots and cat memes.
Here are some social media behaviors that should be left to die along with MySpace and AOL profiles. Too much information A log of every morsel of food you put in your mouth, labor-contraction frequency and pictures of ingrown toenails are examples of information that should be kept to yourself. Social media is intended for people to interact with each other — not document their every move, thought or activity. You ate a grilled cheese today? Fake wedding planning Petal pink bridesmaid dresses, champagne-infused cake frosting and a cushion-cut engagement ring? Living too virtually The Facebook timeline promotes logging life as it happens, but don't take it too literally.
Cyberstalking celebrities Incessant complaining The braggart. eLearning 4 Life. I Think…Therefore…MI! - Arlington, VA.