Image source the lastdragontribute.com
“I’m taking Social Networking in the classroom!” This phrase caused some odd looks from my colleagues and friends. Social networking in the classroom, at least in my current teaching situation is something our school has not embraced. It seems we are working more toward students NOT social networking in class. This paradigm though is going to shift, as more training and strategies come. In moments of frustration or misunderstanding as I am trying to help teachers understand the value of using online tools or social networking apps in class I share a simple quote, “Be Water, my friend”. Bruce Lee’s wisdom of life fits so well into integrating technology in the classroom, and in some cases, the opportunities of integrating social networks.
What I Learned
As I reflect on this course, I have found a great value in the use of Social Networking. I believe that I have gained the most information using these tools as Professional Development. The live twitter chats and the webinars were by far my favorite part of the course. Being connected and able to share ideas and learn new strategies was very exciting. The second most valuable piece that I can take from this course is curation. I had seen Storify cross my twitter feed, but I had never experimented with the app. Using Storify (and the other curation tools) opened a new door for collecting and storing information online. Finally, the mini unit opened new doors simply from working with my PLN. Alice and Jeff each taught me new ideas about the units we worked together on, specifically the platform Udemy as well as some new Google Drive shortcuts and ideas.
My Professional Practice
Twitter has been the biggest addition to my professional practice. I still participate in a few of the weekly Twitter chats that I was connected with during the Live Pro-D activities. I also plan on creating some Udemy courses in the future. As a volunteer technology coach, I have already talked with our faculty about curation and using Storify both professionally and in class. The importance of a positive digital footprint is on the forefront of our 1:1 integration plans, we are constantly working to notify and train students to be good digital citizens, especially on social networking.
Self-Assessment
For this this blog I feel I have done what the objectives and requirements have asked. Each of my posts have included the required information and been updated when required. For that I would give myself a 75/75. I appreciate this aspect of the course because it allows me to build on the experiences I have had as well as having a record of what I have done in the past. Thank you Dr. Gerstien for another great semester!
EdTech Thoughts 