From the beginning of this semester until now I have gained a new appreciation and respect for social media. In fact I have really learned to broaden my understanding of the term social media, thus incorporating so many other collaborative offerings. Before this course my understanding of social media was limited to what I or my friends use on a regular basis; Facebook, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, Twitter. My understanding from a professional standpoint was limited as well; being a private person I learned to keep business and pleasure separate. I think there is still a case to be made for the ethics[1] of educators and their interaction on social media but there are other uses that are professionally enriching. Through this course I have learned the value and power of social media use collaboratively and individually in and out of the classroom as well as its use as a resource for teachers and students. I learned to include different types of sites and programs as well as to find new ways to use the sites I am familiar with using. I learned about a Personal Learning Network, PLN, and its usefulness. I currently follow many pages and groups on Facebook that pertain to education, teacher forums and current events in education. Through learning about a PLN I have learned how to better organize the helpful information I find so that I may be able to access it at a later time. Learning to incorporate other forms of social or collaborative media into my PLN includes sites like Pinterest and Teacher Pay Teacher and a new favorite for creating collaborative web planning, MindMeister.
Now the PLN, social media and technology in general are great tools when used correctly and ethically for teacher and students both in and out of the classroom. There are a set of standards set up for both students and teachers surrounding their use of technology. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has created standards for technology use specifically for students, teachers, administrators, coaches and Computer Science instructors. As a teacher there are 5 standards I must follow[2]; 1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity, 2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments, 3. Model digital age work and learning, 4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility, and 5. Engage in professional growth and leadership. What I take away from the standards for teachers builds on the foundation of ethics I stated previously adding purpose; why are you using technology. When I was taking my undergraduate classes I was taught that you can essentially do anything you want in the classroom as long as you are able to successfully defend the why and display the product or outcome, now this was a time before Common Core but the general consensus is that teachers needs to know why they are teaching whatever material they are teacher in the fashion in which they choose to deliver it. In this case and point we need to be able to defend the use of technology as well as be able to prove its effectiveness for delivery. I soon expect the standards to include specific standards for traditional social media use, for sites like Facebook because of the media coverage of mistakes made by teachers on social media. I think that ethical interaction was something I thought we would talk about in the beginning because of my small view on the world of social media. I imagined a list of rules or suggestions; don’t post pictures of students, using caution when friending parents, administration, students, ect. I look forward to the exposure to more new social media and collaborative outlets through this class.[3]
[1] http://www.11alive.com/story/news/2016/02/02/educators-teachers-social-media-facebook-psc-professional-standards/79721422/
[2] http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards/standards-for-teachers
[3] More opinions/articles on using social media in the classroom..
http://www.edudemic.com/how-to-use-social-media-as-a-learning-tool-in-the-classroom/
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/01/19/pros-and-cons-of-social-media-in-the-classroom.aspx
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/social-media-valuable-tool-teachers/
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis
Now the PLN, social media and technology in general are great tools when used correctly and ethically for teacher and students both in and out of the classroom. There are a set of standards set up for both students and teachers surrounding their use of technology. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has created standards for technology use specifically for students, teachers, administrators, coaches and Computer Science instructors. As a teacher there are 5 standards I must follow[2]; 1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity, 2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments, 3. Model digital age work and learning, 4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility, and 5. Engage in professional growth and leadership. What I take away from the standards for teachers builds on the foundation of ethics I stated previously adding purpose; why are you using technology. When I was taking my undergraduate classes I was taught that you can essentially do anything you want in the classroom as long as you are able to successfully defend the why and display the product or outcome, now this was a time before Common Core but the general consensus is that teachers needs to know why they are teaching whatever material they are teacher in the fashion in which they choose to deliver it. In this case and point we need to be able to defend the use of technology as well as be able to prove its effectiveness for delivery. I soon expect the standards to include specific standards for traditional social media use, for sites like Facebook because of the media coverage of mistakes made by teachers on social media. I think that ethical interaction was something I thought we would talk about in the beginning because of my small view on the world of social media. I imagined a list of rules or suggestions; don’t post pictures of students, using caution when friending parents, administration, students, ect. I look forward to the exposure to more new social media and collaborative outlets through this class.[3]
[1] http://www.11alive.com/story/news/2016/02/02/educators-teachers-social-media-facebook-psc-professional-standards/79721422/
[2] http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards/standards-for-teachers
[3] More opinions/articles on using social media in the classroom..
http://www.edudemic.com/how-to-use-social-media-as-a-learning-tool-in-the-classroom/
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/01/19/pros-and-cons-of-social-media-in-the-classroom.aspx
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/social-media-valuable-tool-teachers/
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis