Social Media
My perspective on using social media in my classroom is a blend of both positive and cautious viewpoints. Working with younger students makes me wary of the unpredictability that comes with social media platforms and the potential challenges in maintaining appropriateness. Nonetheless, I recognize the value of providing students with a real-world context for communication and collaboration, enabling them to channel their existing interests. However, it's essential to address the concerns tied to privacy and misuse.
The integration of digital tools, including social media, into the teaching and learning process will necessitate adjustments in classroom management. Prioritizing lessons on digital citizenship becomes vital, equipping students with skills to navigate online platforms responsibly. Implementing a monitoring system is crucial for ensuring student safety. I find the idea of staggered device access appealing, as it aids monitoring efforts. While my school is yet to invest in security programs like GoGuardian, the prospect of such tools is promising.
Collaborative productivity tools hold great potential for classroom enhancement. My thoughts are drawn to how these tools could benefit third-grade students. Take Google Docs, for instance, which could be employed for group projects. This platform facilitates collaborative writing, editing, and formatting, encouraging task division, idea sharing, and collective project creation. Classroom blogging emerges as another innovative approach. By setting up a blog via platforms like Kidblog or Edublogs, students can compose articles, express thoughts, and offer feedback. This approach hones writing skills while promoting collaborative and communicative abilities.
This course has changed my thinking when it comes to new literacies. Before, I thought of students as more of an expert on technology than me. I hadn't considered the benefits and necessity of teaching students how to specifically use technology on a wider scale. I am definitely more comfortable with integrating more digital tools into my classroom. I am looking forward to implementing some of the ideas I got this semester. I am most excited to experiment with podcasts for students.
I love using Google technologies in my classroom. Allowing the students to work collaboratively along with individually allows them to look at others thoughts without letting it cloud their opinions. I love the idea of classroom blogging however I do not know if I'll personally keep up with it very well. However like you said, using platforms such as Kidblog allows students to take over that responsibility.
ReplyDeleteHi Katelyn! I can't agree with you more on the topic of being safe on social media! It always makes me worry when I or my school shares a class photo publicly on a social media site.
ReplyDeleteHi Katelyn, I absolutely agree in the positive and negative sides. I believe age restrictions for social media is important to take note of as well. Most social medias require a minimum age of 13. I think this is still probably too young based off of content I've seen just scrolling. I think finding kid friendly sites that lets them engage and interact is a far better course of action. I have not looked into Kidblog, so I am curious to check it out. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
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