Integrate in my classroom?

I have to say that I have actually thought alot about integrating a social networking site into my classroom. I want to use what my students use. To connect learning with the present and make them engage even more with learning.

But honestly Facebook is losing its appeal with my students. That is an interesting discussion - where will Facebook be in 5 years? Will it still be around? There was that rumor that Facebook was ending in March......but honestly, it does seem that some users have migrated away. I like it strictly for the ease it is to communicate with those far away.....also you can easily share media like a funny video or a news report. In the past year I remember sharing a video about body image and young girls.....my teacher friends instantly picked up on it and shared with their classrooms.

and my 8th graders are not really interested in Twitter. I think that they see Twitter as more serious, less fun. You see Twitter in the news as educating the world about the unrest in Egypt or people commenting on who will win the Super Bowl.

What part of social networking do I want to add to the classroom?

I want a class to be a class, online (aka have an online space) and to share what each student is learning. I want it to be easy to use written text, embed a video, and post pictures. I want students to comment on each other's work. I want students to learn to use a social network, the same way they would use it for personal use.

But Facebook and Twitter are not what I want to add to my classroom, yet.

Social Networking

Sigh! I am just reading now that for our assignment that we need 3 blog posts on social media (ideally over a 3 day period)....but sigh, again! I have only two days....so let's get to it.

What value do social networking sites have in education?
How might you included them?

Well, social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter) are excellent for communication from far away. As stated before, I live in Hawaii, but my family and friends are in Boston and other places. I can keep in contact with everybody from far away. Most of my high school class is on Facebook, so it is nice to see pictures of little ones and know what everybody is up to without a reunion. I am "friends" with my cousin's wife, a woman I have never met. But I get to "know" her through her funny status updates. As I was telling my mom's friend (a non-facebook user), it is a just different kind of communication.

Twitter also adds a bonus, lots of cool educators out there tweeting away. I feel current with education policy but checking on those that I follow. You should check out "Cool Cat Teacher" and "Larry Ferlazzo"

However, I am still thinking about how to integrate it to my classroom. Next post!