Take-a-Ways

I have enjoyed the exposure to multiple tools and ideas about blending online instruction with my current old school classroom.  I have known that there are endless resources out there for teachers to use but finding the time on my own has always proven to be a daunting task.  Other things always get in the way.  So the exposure is one of my favorite parts of this course.

I also loved reading and responding to other classmates comments.  It is comforting to see that many teachers are in the same situation that I am in.  Trying to perform better in their rooms with 21st century skills.  Some are ahead of where I am and where my school is but many are at the same spot as I.  The blog has been a fun way to share some thoughts and archive many ideas that I have had.  I found the Symbaloo project to be much the same.  When this course is all said and done I will still have my blog and Symbaloo webmix which will provide a starting point for me this summer as I prepare for next school year.

I think that blending some online instructional tools with my traditional classroom is very doable.  I have always thought that.  I do think I walk away from this course with a bit more confidence that it can work and work well.  Some of the concerns I still possess will probably always be there....how much screen time is too much for a kid on a given day?  And digital citizenship is a concern.  But overall, the power of engagement with the curriculum is what all teachers want and I think the digital world is making that arena better even with the fundamental shift on what education is becoming.

Social Media in the Classroom

As a teacher in a high school I have already developed an opinion about social media in the classroom.  Overall, I see an ability to harness the power and engagement that social media can bring to the classroom.  However, I am not convinced that the positives outweigh the negatives.  I already fight the distraction that social media brings to the room.  I run a fairly open classroom where the use of technology is the norm.  I allow students to access information via their smartphones.  I allow them to use some of the applications that are available to them.  Those are the positives....the negatives come down to one main idea....distraction!!

Students struggle when given permission to use their phones to stay on task. A tweet, a Facebook post, an Instagram photo, or a Vine video all take a level of importance over the work that is supposed to be done.  The students that struggle with ADD or ADHD now have a device in their hands that encourages them to multi-task, to have a short attention span, to seamlessly move from one social media to the next.

I do believe Social Media has a positive side.  However, at this point I am not convinced that the positives outweigh the negative.