Retweet This: Social Networking is Playing Tag in the 21st Century Classroom

Social Networking

According to AASL's findings, elementary, middle, and high schools are all using technology in the classroom and support it as a way to keep students in step with the needs of the 21st century classroom.  AASL reports that of the nearly 7,000 people interviewed, half use podcasts, one third use blogs, and about a quarter use online instruction.  Social networking definitely has a class in the classroom and is here to stay.

Saftey

Best Use in the Classroom

Since most schools block the use of such common sites as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr I will suggest alternatives that still get the job done by engaging students in the classroom. 




Delcious

 

Delcious is a bookmarking site that allows students to store commonly used sites and their favorites.  A pratical use is for students to save reference and resource sites specific the the class's content for continous use.  They can also save links to study sites and share favorites with each other during the process. 





Since all Google images don't show up on filtered networks, students can store their own images for projects, use the public photos available on the site, and even make galleries for narratives and other projects using Flickr.

Students can use Pinterest to 'blog' to each other using quotes, images, and ideas related to the text or lesson content.  They can also add comments and bill boards with common items in order to process information and analyze their content.



My Fake Wall

My Fake Wall acts as a Facebook page and allows students to complete character analyses and close readings of a text.  Though it doesn't allow the students to actually comment back and forth, they can have discussion about the content using graphic organizers or other means of communication.

As students read biographies, novels, and other pieces of literature, they can write reviews, rate what they read, and see what others have to say about what they have read or will read for class.

OPAC provides ways to use social networking in the classroom.

• Auto Graphics- review, comment, tag, and offer peer input from fellow media specialists
• Fish4Info- student reviews
• Destiny- share books and reviews, students can also store eBooks
• SirsiDynixis Enterprise- school approved search engines

Increasing Motivation

When students can see themselves in their work, they preform better.  Allowing access to technology can be both engaging and intellectual if approached in the right manner.



Media Center Web Pages

It wasn't that long ago that web pages were never heard of.  Now, a business that doesn't have a user friendly web page is at a huge disadvantage.  Consumers expect to be able to find just about any information they might need with just a few key strokes.  The same type of expectations are in place for media centers.  Our "consumers" are even more entrenched in technology.  Today's students are texting in elementary school, using their IPads and tablets to play games and read books, and connecting with others in milliseconds. If we don't have webpages for our media centers that interest and excite our users, there is a good chance we will lose their "business". 

While surfing the net, a person can interact with hundreds of web pages.  Some of them are more memorable than others.  Some of them provide useful services.  Some of them offfer entertainment.  A website that makes you want to come back to it is one that is doing it's job.

There are many media center web pages to visit on the web.  The thing to remember when designing a good web page is you want it to help you do your job.  The more things that your site can provide for your students and staff, the less things they will need you to find for them. 

Good websites need to be well organized, and visually attractive.  They need to have easily scannable text and clear, working  links. One of the biggest pet peeves of people is to click on a link after link only to see that they are no longer working. These are all important things to keep in mind when designing a web page, but I am even more interested in what makes good content for a media center website.

Some of the best ideas I found on strong websites were things like:

• Identify a problem and use the website to help you solve it
• Pictures really are worth a million words
• Having links to sites that really interest students like Book Flix, Brain Pop, etc
• Having a "wish list"  type of corner to let people know what your dream media center would be
• Using social media to promote your media center, (if you haven't checked out "The Unquiet Library", definately do so!)
• Have a section for teachers with all media resources to support each grade level's standards (This will be very helpful as new standards are put into place)

There are so many ways to make a website that will make people excited about your media center.  The most important things to remember are to make your web page reflect your media center, think about your audience and address their needs, and let your web page do as much for you as possible.

Take Me to Your Readers: Media Center Web Pages

Media Center web pages come in a variety of formats and levels of function.  The image above is a screen shot of the media center where I work.  The most valuable information on the page is the access to online resources.  While the information on my school's page is limited, others have many resources for students, teachers, parents, and even the community.  

The video below gives a clear overview of the information that would be beneficial to include a school library's web page.

Important Information:

• Hours
• Checkout procedures and policies
• Fines information
• Media personnel contact information
• Terms of Use 

School Resources:

•  School forms
• Library catalog
  

Academic Resources:

•  Research databases
• Acceptable search engines
• Citation guides
• Reading lists
• SAT/ACT links
• AP testing information
• Public library access
• Teacher specific resources

Technology How Tos:

• Blogs
• Wikis
• Movies
• Presentation platforms
• Multi-media information
• Social networks in the classroom
• iPads in the classroom

Modern school libraries should function as a source of information that is both functional and practical while meeting the needs of its patrons.  In order for that to happen, the program must have a web page.  In addition, the mission statement as well as the school improvement plan, should include a statement about the vitality of the media center and the hub of its existence should include a web page accessible to the students, staff, parents, and community stakeholders.  In this age of technology, students need to be able to access information outside of class or at school that will enhance their educational experience.  The media center web page can be this bridge. 

Wiki...What...Wiki...When?

Wiki...What? Is exactly what I was wondering the first time I was introduced to the term. It actually was not that long ago. Considering I had just been introduced to Weebly, I felt a little overwhelmed with all the new weird and wacky words used to describe new methods of instructional technology. After I goggled the term and discovered what exactly this “Wiki” thing is, I felt my brain sigh and say, “I think this could be a winner”. The next question, I asked myself was, Wiki…When?  

I quickly began to use the Wiki, with my first initial assignment being a group pathfinder collaboration. I found the Wiki to be very easy to create and add to over the course of our assignments. Considering that both of my classmates were working adults with various demanding schedules, the Wiki allowed for us to work on it whenever and from wherever. I found the ease of use and its mobility to be very beneficial to all members. All you need to use or create a Wiki is a computer and an Internet connection.

In my opinion, a Wiki works best for team/group collaboration or projects because it allows for all members to contribute and post fundamental information and questions remotely. In real time, other members can view or respond to information within seconds of posting new information. I also believe that a Wiki can serve as an excellent e-portfolio tool. Perhaps instead of paying $100.00 for a portfolio through the university we could have just created and used a Wiki instead to display our projects and research papers that we have created over the course of our masters program and professional career. Once your page is created you can easily share your URL or invite others to access your Wiki.

There are very few drawbacks to using the Wiki. One must be conscious to perhaps only make the page editable by group members only. It is possible that if everyone has access and edit capabilities that your Wiki page could become susceptible to erased work on unwanted solicitations and comments.

In the end, a Wiki is a great tool that can be used by teachers, students, and media specialist to create a platform for collaboration or a display of viable information. It can be used by the technological advanced or newcomers to instructional technology with ease. If you are still wondering when to use a Wiki, I say anytime! It is great for ongoing collaborations, projects or even sharing recipes or your favorite videos with friends.

The Wonderful World of Wiki

The term “wiki” is probably most prominent in our minds from websites like Wikipedia and Wikileaks.   Wikileaks has been all over the news for various reasons and often leads to a negative connotation associated with the term wiki.  Teachers often tend to have a negative association with the term also because of the over excessive use of Wikipedia by students.  The term wiki has garnered an undeserved negative reputation.  Through exploration and study, we can learn that wiki is not negative at all, but in fact it is a useful tool that can change the way teachers and media specialist work.  Wiki in its origin is “a Hawaiian word used as an alliterative substitute for quick, to avoid naming this software quick-Web.”  By definition, it has become a webpage that can be quickly adapted by anyone who has access to the internet and access to the website.

The ability to change a wiki page is both a positive and a negative.  The positive aspect of this allows anyone to basically log their thoughts and ideas.  By clicking edit, a user can add any thoughts or ideas that they may have at the time.  They can then adapt or edit their thoughts if they wish.  The accessibility and ease of editing promotes the use of the wiki by more people.  Whereas creating a webpage can take time and needs to be published, by its nature, a wiki is a fast pace fluid document. 

The negative aspect of this is that anyone can edit the page.  This is the main concern teachers have with Wikipedia is that the information can be unreliable.  Wikipedia has since started controlling the information allowed; however, most wiki pages are susceptible to false information.  As a user of a wiki page, I may choose to edit the page with false information.  I can also eliminate information submitted by another user. 

In education wikis promote collaboration in all aspects.  If a wiki is used by a class, students can easily share their thoughts and ideas on a given subject.  The teacher can also comment.  The wiki, itself, becomes the work.  The students at the end of the discussion could even choose to finalize their discussion and eventually turn it into a teacher for a grade. 

A wiki can also be used by teachers to brainstorm ideas for the classroom or a school.  You can have numerous contributors including regular education teachers, special education teachers, and administrators.  With the numerous amount of responsibilities placed on teachers, a wiki could be a quick easy way for teachers to collaborate from their own desk. 

Some people have criticized wikis as being nothing more than “storage cabinets.”  In order for this to not be the case, there must be an active participation by all users involved in the wiki.  In a classroom environment, this can be combated by making sure that posting to the wiki is part of the student’s grade. 

For a media specialist, it may be more difficult to get regular contributors to the wiki.  A media specialist must be active themselves on the wiki and encourage students and teachers on a regular basis to share information. 

Most of us in this class are familiar with wiki because we use wikispaces as a part of this class.  Below is a link to a wide variety of educational wikis.  The links for the wikis are actually part of a wiki itself. 

http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+educational+wikis

Podcasting Panorama!

I am all in for the use of Podcast in education. A podcast is a popular tool used to incorporate technology in the classroom. It is an audio file that can incorporate music and pictures that can be easily downloaded and easily shared like a music file that most students use on a daily basis. Podcasting is an excellent tool to excite and engage students in learning while incorporating the use of “cool” manipulatives such as an mp3 player, IPOD and IPAD.

Wikipedia defines a Podcast as the following “A Podcast (or non-streamed webcast) is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication. The word replaced webcast in common use with the success of the iPod and its role in the rising popularity and innovation of web feeds. The mode of delivery differentiates podcasting from other means of accessing media files over the Internet, such as direct download link, or streamed webcasting. A list of all the audio or video files currently associated with a given series is maintained centrally on the distributor's server as a web feed, and the listener or viewer employs special client application software known as a podcatcher that can access this web feed, check it for updates, and download any new files in the series. This process can be automated so that new files are downloaded automatically. Files are stored locally on the user's computer or other device ready for offline use, giving simple and convenient access to episodic content. Commonly used audio file formats are Ogg Vorbis and MP3.”(Wikipedia, 2011)

Podcasting can be used my media specialist to create tutorials for students on how to conduct proper research in the media center. Podcast can also be created and made available on all computers to teach mini lessons on how to use other material in the media center, as well as how navigate through the most popular search engines. There are numerous ways that a media specialist can create fun opportunities to incorporate the use of a Podcast. Podcasting is a great tool to introduce teachers to information literacy and technology standards.

Not only can a Podcast be used to instruct students, they work just as well on teachers, faculty and parents. Media specialist can create mini in-services on how teachers can incorporate various types and forms of technology in their classroom. The Podcast allows for teachers that are truly busy and sometimes exhausted at the end of the day; to learn at a pace and time that is convenient for them. If made available on the school website or media center page, teachers can easily watch the podcast at home.

This works just as well for parents seeking weekly or monthly updates on the latest news at school. Students as well as teachers can create Podcast to inform parents on what’s going on in the classroom alike. We all know that pictures are worth a thousand words so a Podcast is a great tool to demonstrate that!

Podcasting for the Media Center

By definition, a podcast is a multimedia digital file made available for downloading to a portable media player or computer. This technology has many applications in school media settings as well.  In any level school media center, the daily news can be made into a podcast that is made available on the school's website.  Upper elementary grade students can create podcasts from reports they write, or research they have found.  There is also a potential for schools across the country, or even the world, to buddy up and share podcasts of these reports to help each group of students learn more.  Even as young as kindergarten and first grade, students can create podcasts while reading to help them understand and practice fluency.  These podcasts could be stored on a safe, secure website where their parents could listen at home, to support the learning going on in school.  One of my favorite possibilities for podcasts is for students to create book talks about their favorite book.  These could be listened to by other students to help them decide if they want to read the book.  The power in this is that a child does not need to be a proficient writer to create a strong book talk.  As is often the case with the youngest students in school, they can not yet write a clear, understandable sentence, but they can articulate it. In middle and high schools, many of the same applications are possible, but they can be edited and sounds added as needed to enhance the podcast.  The older students could create listening centers for elementary students out of picture books, complete with thrilling music and appropriate sound effects.  The older students would learn and develop voice that could carry over to their own writing.  The younger students would have another resource to help them become fluent readers.  Media specialists could partner up and create a wonderful resource that could be accessed from the media center, classrooms and even from home.  This could also be used for tutorials.  Students could create a podcast intended to help struggling students understand how to do a math problem, for example. The student who created the tutorial  is making their knowledge stronger by being able to explain it to someone else. The student that uses the tutorial to help learn a skill is able to listen to the explanation as many times as needed, without feeling like the tutor is getting frustrated.  These are only some of the many, many ways to use podcasts for education.  As media specialists we will make a much bigger impact on our students if we find ways to meet the students where they already are. Using podcasts is one way to do just that.