So, on Thursday, I gave a presentation to my GRSC7800 class on social media in the classroom. I was super nervous, since I am a newbie to much of this stuff, much less using it for a classroom! Luckily, PF Flyers had already started posting some links, so I read those, then searched on Delicious for more info on that subject, and after several fun hours of reading & watching videos, I had a presentation. I began with a little theory, then some demos of the (few) that I actually know how to use, and then we had some discussion. Of course, there was discussion throughout the demos, some people who used some of the sites/applications had never thought of using them for educational purposes. Particularly the Delicious site. That seemed to be where much of the focus landed, and also on wikis a bit. Though I don't have much experience with either, I think I was at least able to show that social media isn't just Facebook & Twitter. Neither of which I can see myself using in the classroom in the near future, though that could change, if a good enough reason were to present itself.
Glad to hear that what we are talking about is coming up in other classes! It is great to get people thinking about technologies (that they may use every day) in new ways, particularly with regard to teaching. Your last thought is particularly important, though. Using any technology without a good reason is a bad idea!
ReplyDeleteBlazar,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you re: Facebook and Twitter; I can't see myself using those tools in the classroom or to enhance teaching. Perhaps today's class will change my mind!
-Clod
I agree about facebook. I also like this picture. I saw it on facebook a few weeks ago and thought it was a great visual for explaining the different social media platforms.
ReplyDelete