Social Media

1. What group did you join in diigo and why?

The diigo group I am following is idea garden where yearbook design comes to life!  This is my first year as the yearbook advisor and I am looking for any resources that will help me with the syllabus,grading, page design, the ladder, and any new ideas.  It has really good, up to date trends, photo ideas, an inspiration gallery, checklists, and organization tips.  All things I need as a newbee!

2. What is the appeal for the young and old to network in online places like the ones you examined this week?

Being able to network in online places allow people, both young and old, to stay in touch with friends and family and share pictures and videos.  I know many grandparents who are unable to visit with their grandchildren, but use Facebook to stay in touch with them and literally watch them grow up.  No longer do they feel like they are missing out!  The appeal for the younger generation, in my opinion, may not be as positive as it is for older people.  I see a lot of younger people using it in more of a negative context than a positive one.  I have seen it used as a showcase for them to hide behind a computer screen and be rude and disrespectful. It seems like more than often it is used to tell trivial aspects of a person’s daily life and not used for the right reasons.  Some people use it as a gossip place, a place to slander others, and many other negative reasons.  I know there are many positive aspects to networking especially for businesses and people who do want to make a difference for positive reasons, but regardless I think Facebook and Twitter time should be earned!  For example, an hour of volunteer time at a homeless shelter or humane society earns you an hour on Facebook and Twitter ;)   A crazy idea, I know, but it would eliminate a lot of foolish choices some people make by putting harmful comments out there! 

3. If used in a classroom, how might networking websites positively and negatively affect teaching and learning?

Networking websites positively affect teaching in many ways.  Teachers can connect and learn vicariously through other teachers work.  They can collaborate with each other and make connections with other educators.  I teach in a very small rural district where everybody knows each other.  In larger school districts this can be impossible, but through social media teachers in different buildings can work together to enhance learning.  Students can also benefit from incorporation networking websites into the classroom.  They can participate in chats and use screencasts to demonstrate learning.  Social websites might also provide an opportunity for students to work on collaborative projects outside of class as well as work with students completely outside of their classroom walls.  A classroom can be opened to the world for both teachers and students with social media.  

The one negative aspect I see is social media sites in many schools are blocked because of the negativity associated with them.  I am not sure teenagers are mature enough to have access to these during school time because they would be so distracted by them.  Possibly through the correct training and follow through, students could use this type of media. 

4. In what kind of site might you tend to spend most of your time networking and for what purpose?

The site that I have found I am already spending a lot of time in is Edutopia.  It’s founder and chairman is George Lucas (yes, the Star Wars guy!)  He states on the site, “Education is the foundation of our democracy -- the stepping-stones for our youth to reach their full potential. My own experience in public school was quite frustrating. I was often bored. Occasionally, I had a teacher who engaged my curiosity and motivated me to learn. Those were the teachers I really loved. I wondered, "Why can't school be engaging all of the time?" As a father, I've felt the imperative to transform schooling even more urgently.” 

The main goals of Edutopia is to inspire positive changes in schools by using evidence-based strategies and best practices to improve learning and to engage students.  One of their main focuses is project based learning. 

Just searching the word “Algebra” brought up so many great links, I think two hours went by before I realized where the time had gone.  I was reading about 9 strategies for motivating students in mathematics, how to improve the flipped classroom, best resources for teaching the common core, and even tidbits on how to answer the question “when am I ever going to need this?”  It is a great site to network with other teachers who are trying to answer the question of how we can effectively motivate secondary students and how to engage them to learn math. 

5. In what ways will this benefit you and what do you think might be the drawbacks?

There are many benefits to being a part of social media websites.  It can bring professional development right into your classroom.  This is very beneficial to our school district. Last year there was no funding for teachers to take part in professional development!  You can collaborate with teachers that teach the same subject areas that you teach.  This is also an advantage to a school district like ours where I am the only Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 teacher!  The one drawback is that it’s almost information overload.  There is so much out there to look at and take in, you have to remember to not get caught up in every idea that teachers are using in their classrooms. 

Feb 2, 2014A Word from George Lucas: Edutopia's Role in Education retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/word-from-george-lucas-edutopias-role-in-education

Gaming

Prensky (2014) states, “after all, the short attention spans that teachers often lament in their students somehow disappear when the kids get in front of their games -- that is, in front of learning that is more their style”  (para. 7).  This was the most profound statement for me in this week’s readings and videos.  I have been teaching for twenty years and have seen the difference in the way my students learn.  They do NOT learn the same way I learned, or the way kids learned 10 years ago.  They are the iGeneration.  Students today are used to getting information in their hands with a click of a button.  According to Johnson, Adams, and Haywood (2011), “the most recent kids to enter schools, those born since the early 2000s, have never known a world in which that global network was not accessible from the palm of your hand” (p. 18).

The problem with gaming in the classroom is that it is difficult to design games.  I have seen a lot of games that work for elementary students when they are learning basic skills, but not as many for secondary students.  This is especially true for games that will help with Algebra and Geometry.  One suggestion to increase this area is to have students contribute to making games.  The National STEM Video Game Challenge targeted middle school students to design their own games.  Allowing students to have a part in creating games increases their collaboration with each other, and increases their problem solving, communication, and critical thinking skills (Johnson et al., 2011). For all of these reasons, I would love to see more gaming in the classroom. Even if they are not actually designing the games, there are also advantages to playing them.  They can quickly master and apply new skills and information, think strategically, and persist and solve difficult problems.  These are all skills that are difficult to teach with the traditional textbook. 

As I read through all of these incredible ways gaming in used in the classroom, I am thinking why isn’t our educational system  jumping on this? Ferenstein (2010), described a way middle school students are learning science. They are exploring a “fully-interactive 3D world of an ill patient and assist the immune system in fighting back a bacterial infection” (Ferenstein, para. 6).  Kids are getting excited about science and are engaged in classrooms with these initiatives.  And what teacher doesn’t want to excite and engage their students? 

The first site I visited was There, a virtual world where you create your own avatar.  You can make them look like you are feeling.  You can even use Voice and actually talk using, well . .. your voice!  It is a nonviolent 3D world where you can hang out and make friends, play games, and have fun.  Just like you do in real life, but in a virtual world.  It is like a 3D Facebook account!  There was launched in 2003 and has nearly 2 million members.  In 2008, ThereConnect was developed allowing people to showcase their skills, profiles, and groups on their Facebook page.  You must be 18 years or older to join and the cost is $10 per month.  There strictly maintains a PG-13 atmosphere.  It filters all inappropriate language and even the clothing chosen for your avatar must go through a submissions process to ensure it is suitable for the site. 

StopDisasters is truly an incredible way for children to learn how to better educate themselves about safety through a simulation.  The ISDR (International  Strategy for Disaster Reduction) created this simulation to reduce the number of people injured by natural disasters.  Children are the most vulnerable during disasters and the ISDR wants to teach them, through this virtual simulation, about the risks posed by natural hazards.  It teaches children how to build safer buildings and cities.  They learn how to create a safer world by learning about warning systems and evacuation plans.  An example is when the tsunami in the Indian Ocean struck and the people of the Semilieu Island survived because they knew they had to get to higher grounds.  A scenario can take between 10 – 20 minutes to play and the suggested audience is between the ages of 9 and 16.

The Problem Site is a list of flash games that are free to use and geared towards first grade through eighth grade.  There were a variety of games that included reading, science, literature, and math.  The two specific math games I looked at were Math Scramble and Quadratic Rush.  Math Scramble involves addition and multiplication problems where numbers have been replaced by questions marks.  A row of numbers is given for you to determine where to place them to get the correct problem and solution.  If you make a mistake you can move the number away and try again.  Quadratic Rush helps Algebra and Pre-Algebra students gain skills to make factoring quadratics easier. A players score is based on how few mistakes were made and how quickly the questions are answered.   

According to Johnson et al. (2011), “64% of parents believe games are a positive force in their children’s lives” (p. 18). There is good reason why they feel this way.  Games, like the few mentioned above, engage learners and get them excited like no textbook or traditional learning can do.  Students are engaged because they are excited to get to the next level.  They can be successful because students are willing to play the games more and longer than they would be willing to with traditional methods (Johnson et al., 2011).  Prensky (2014) adds that games are beneficial because they motivate students and offer the opportunity for them to practice, make decisions, and reflect on these decisions.  All of the things you want your for your students to be twenty first century learners.  Virtual reality allows students to experience environments and encounter abstract concepts which again, may not be possible in the traditional classroom.  Computer simulations and virtual environments, like gaming, are very engaging to students.  In a Geometry classroom, for example, students were more successful with problem solving when 3-D solids were explored visually instead of with a verbal explanation (Strangman & Hall, 2003).

Ferenstein, G. (2010). How Social Gaming is Improving Education.  Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/02/07/soial-gaming-education/

Johnson, L., Adams, S., & Haywood, K. (2011). The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., & Haywood, K. (2011). The 2011 Horizon Report.  Austin, Texas:  The New Media Consortium.  

Prensky, M. (2014). Sims vs. Games:  The Difference Defined Ever wondered? Here’s your answer.  Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/sims-vs-games

Strangman, N., & Hall, T. (2003). Virtual reality/simulations. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved [insert date] from http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/virtual_simulations