Social media platforms have been transforming how people communicate on a daily basis. I think educators may benefit from using twitter as a tool. In fact, I believe that Twitter is an excellent communication tool for parents and teachers.
Twitter might be utilized in my classroom for a variety of purposes, including making announcements and providing updates. It can be crucial to share announcements with the parents so they can remain active in their child's educational journey.
It is also a place where students can be involved as well. Students can stay involved and use it as a tool to check for homework or upcoming due dates. Almost like a digital agenda, where all of their upcoming assignments, due dates, and homework is being posted.
With a simple click from the button students can be engaged as well with the posts. I would use twitter as a resource if used appropriately. Students could be asked to have a friendly debate there as well using a certain hashtag so the instructor could see their posts. It also allows students to see the news which they can discuss in class. Almost like what we have done in class.
Another way that I would use twitter is by showcasing students' work. As I was exploring through twitter I noticed that a lot of students' projects were being shown. I think that is awesome because that allows students to feel a sense of encouragement and achievement. That way it can also be a motivational factor as well as a mini celebration for the student.
I would also use twitter as a place where students can collect their resources from when they will be doing inquiry based learning. Students should be exposed to the world and understand different organizations, look out for some articles, participate in debates and collaborate and do some big fun projects!
I am not certain what they do in my field placement as I imagine students in grade 1/2 will not be needing twitter as much as the older grades. I feel like that although twitter is a very resourceful place it is also a very frightening one.Twitter in my opinion is something that should be managed by an older student, preferably 15 or older. I think that some students are not there yet; in the mature sense where they can be given a device during school hours.
However, that does not mean that twitter is a negative place. I think twitter is an incredible source with great resources. I simply believe that it should be used responsibly and caution as it would be very dangerous if student information was leaked.
Twitter Account Link: https://twitter.com/Prabh__Grewal
Prabh,
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of using twitter as a digital portfolio of student work. That is an incredible idea, and something that I think could be really beneficial for students who tend to lose the physical copies of their work.
I share your opinion on being careful with how information is shared online, and think that while X is a valuable tool, it needs to be approached with caution.
I also have yet to see how the students in my practicum utilize social media, if at all, as they are so young, but the kindergarten team does have an instagram in which they communicate with parents, which I believe is a great way to stay in touch, especially as it is not the only way in which they communicate with parents.
All in all, I think you have some really great ideas and points here, and like you have mentioned, I wonder if there is an appropriate way to integrate social media into the classroom for younger students, or if we should, at all.
Chantelle
Hey Chantelle, thanks for your comment. (:
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