Blogging & Twittering

Thoughts on Blogging

I find myself reading blogs several times a week but rarely responding to them. I read them for personal and professional interests. Until I had to create this blog I had no idea how they were actually created. I now understand what a “professional blogger” does. There are a lot television shows with people who are fashion bloggers, celebrity bloggers and every kind of blogger there is but they always complain about not making any money. Now I know why! Blogging takes a lot of time. Responding to blog and keeping them updated is a full time job.

Blogging & the Educator

Creating a blog is a great way to share ideas and collaborate with other educators and related professionals. From lessons, ideas about assessments, upcoming workshops, specific issues or topics can all be found in blogs for educators written by educators or related professionals. Years ago educators would have to wait for professional development opportunities to come around during the school year and often travel out of town to a workshop or conference to meet with other educators and learn about new innovative ideas and how to become “better” educators. Videos, articles, documents and links to additional websites can be found on the blog pages, which is an excellent tool. The Horizon Reports and other research studies have embraced online communication as an efficient tool that provides an easier way for people to collaborate.

Not only can blogs help professional communicate with one another but blogs can assist teachers in communicating with students and parents. Individual blog pages can be linked to school web pages or set up by the teacher. Teachers can use the blogs as a means to communicate with parents, students and supporters of the school. Due to the time restraints for maintaining an efficient blog, teachers can decide whether or not they would use it to post weekly, monthly or quarterly information and respond at will. With technology evolving and more people having access to mobile devices and Internet accessibility, teachers have to exercise all means of communication with families to better serve students.

Blogging in the School

Blogs can not only be developed by teachers in the educational environment but I see developing a blog as a great opportunity for students. Many high school computer classes require students to develop a webpage and related tasks. Developing blogs can now be added to that list. Several schools have clubs such as newspaper, journalism, student government and councils that can incorporate ideas, latest events, collaborate with one another in provide blogs and feedback while learning how to effectively use social media. Even though many of our students have mobile devices it can be very costly for schools to provide the technologies for all students and educators to utilize effectively, but the results are priceless. Incorporating different forms of technology, especially social media into the classroom will give American students the advantages they need to be better prepared for college and foreign competitors. The Huffington Post periodically provides information on the top ranked countries n education. In 2012 it was reported that countries such as Brazil and Chile make 3 times as many gains as American students. Poland and Hong Kong are among several countries that make twice as many gains as American students. Shanghai was never included in international exams until a few years ago and they outscored every school system. America ranked 25^th. For American students to be successful the school systems need to incorporate technology to prepare for the future. Schools like Walter Payton College Prep High School in Chicago, Illinois, Math and Science classrooms interacting with classes in Switzerland through live video chats are on the right track. The technology is here for us to utilize and it would be a disservice to our students not to step outside of the box with them. Our students Tweet, Blog, communicate on Facebook, Instagram and utilize the Internet to its maximum extent outside of the classroom. Educators need to consider what is needed for the future and help one another in using technology.

 

 

Is Twitter for Everyone??

Opening up a twitter account was new for me. I have friends, family, classmates and of course students who tweet all of the time. Where was Twitter and social media 20 years ago when I was growing up an only child going through tween and teen phases looking like a poster child for Proactive? If twitter was around then or even 10 years ago I would have been its number one fan but as of today I am far from it. As a working mother, wife, and student I often forget to text friends for their birthdays before midnight. After watching Common Craft’s YouTube lessons on twittering and blogging I thought sure I could give the “Twitter thing” a try since it was required for class. Even after following the recommended articles and watching video clips I had to turn to my reliable sources that consisted of teenagers and undergraduate college students to walk me through the rules of tweeting, following, followers and trends. I went into technology overload. If I want to see what is going on with someone I will call or text them. If I’m curious about a global issue, celebrity or news I will simple go “old school” and Google it.

Considering it was required that I had to follow someone on Twitter I decided to go with someone of personal interest rather than professional. I wanted to have fun while learning the rules of social media. After watching one of my favorite shows before going to sleep with this assignment on my mind I chose to follow my favorite Biggest Loser contestants. I finally became a part of the new world of social media until someone informed me that my favorite contestant will probably not reply to me directly because she was not going to become MY “follower”, such a letdown. I was able to rely on my niece to again walk me through the Twitter lingo and become a follower of me so I could visually see the difference between direct tweets, tweets to everyone who is following that same person and so on. One day I may have the time to catch on to the world that revolves around the little blue bird but I’m not ready to fly or tweet at this time but I will definitely take the time to see how I can incorporate different forms of social media into my classroom with the help of my students and co-workers.

 

Tweeting and the Classroom

Even though I could not navigate though the rules of tweeting and felt like a true groupie trying to follow people I really had interest in I know that Twitter does have a lot of benefits. Teachers today utilize school web pages to post schedules, class work, homework and communicate with parents. Using Twitter can be used in the same manner. Teachers can tweet reminders of assignments and activities for their students and parents to see. Often parents forget passwords to school related accounts or do not have access to them through applications on mobile devices and/or smart phones. Using Twitter will allow them to see the reminders just as they see all other tweets from their followers. Students who have questions can simply tweet the teacher rather than send long emails and wait for a response. Sending a question on Twitter can allow the student a chance to get a response from other classmates or followers who can help also. Nothing tickles a teacher more than students collaborating and communicating effectively about meaningful topics! We love listening to students ask each other questions, develop hypothesizes and challenge one another. Twitter is a new way to facilitate active learning and encourage learning outside of the classroom. It was good to watch the Interview with David Perry and listen to other educators utilized Twitter in their earning environments to generate a sense of community and expand their collaboration techniques. My journey on in the world of technology is just beginning and I feel more confident now than I did a week ago!