I used to think I was pretty hip with it. Down with the social media apps and lingo. Then I had class today... and boy was I wrong!
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I was born in 1990. I walk a fine line between being embraced and shunned by the "Millennials" of today's society. Again, I used to think I was pretty rad, but after learning how media centric this upcoming generation is I feel more shunned than embraced. I only just bought my first smartphone just over two years ago! While I feel more tech savvy than some in my social circles (all older than me now that I'm reflecting) I have realized today that I am not a part of the Millennials in this upcoming generation.
While I recognize that social media and smart phones are truly a second skin to teenagers today, I still have trouble understanding the immense difficulty of keeping it away during class. But one thing really struck me in class today: why the initiative to get tablets into schools when these students already HAVE the computer in their pocket. It makes total sense to me now and I want to utilize these computers in my classroom as much as I can.
Creating social media projects, document sharing, class twitters and instagrams, student blogs, are all ways to connect with my students in ways they can be excited about. And will probably teach me a lot about social media in the process. Having material out in the digital world for everyone to google also creates a sense of pride and professionalism. Students might take this more seriously than a research paper they have to print off and hand in. I think this will also help in engaging students through their own choice of presentation. Especially in social studies/history, it can be more exciting when you can engage on your own terms and pick a topic that excites you the most. Then being able to present that in a way you can excel in and be proud of will only make the final product that much better.
The idea of #comments4kids is brilliant. This helps to show that when the students do publish their work out in the digital world that people ARE actually seeing it, reading it, and providing feedback. This only helps to aid the feelings of pride and professionalism in their final work.
Sharing work online, being cognizant of copyright infringement, and being respectful in commenting on others' work, all will lead to a stronger and kinder online community.
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I commented on a super rad science video here: #comments4kids
It comes down to....in my mind anyway....engaging students in their world. I'm not saying we have to live in there world, and they do need to move into our text based world every now and then...but there is a balance of the two that is really powerful. It's that balance that only you a teacher can find. Every class, every kid is different. There's no silver bullet it's about relationships and finding equal ground.
ReplyDeleteI too used to think I was super rad, but alas I must not be. Sad! I agree with you on so many levels. I was thinking that I wasn't going to used the students' phones, but then I realized that I have to adapt to survive and succeed. I am usually afraid of change, but I need to get better at embracing it because change is just going to keep on coming and at a faster and faster pace. I also agree on the #comments4kids. It is a great way to get kids to put more effort into their assignments without micromanaging them.
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