Benefits of a Networked Classroom
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Education today is really undergoing some revolutionary changes. I heard someone once say that the problem is that we are often so close to what is changing that we don't actually see whats taking place. When I think about the classroom today and the tools that my students have available to them it is dramatically different to what students had when I firststarted teaching. Compared to what I had available to me when I was a student it almost seems like I was learning in the dark ages of edtech (I can't imagine what the schoolhouse teacher of the 1800's would have thought). Students today are connected and engaged globally through social networking on a scale that would have been impossible only a decade ago and what really is upsetting is that my educational practices had not really changed since I first begun teaching despite the options available. At times I feel that I owe my former students an apology for my complacency.
Students today are developing in an interconnected and collaborative environment and as educators we have a responsibility to prepare them to be able to safely interact in this environment. Students utilize social media in their daily lives to such an extent that they often seem (and are) distracted from what is going on all around them. Students are so used to be interconnected that many of them have trouble functioning without that connection. I wonder how many students may actually benefit from having a classroom that takes that "distraction" and utilize it in order to drive instruction. I know that I have often found myself looking through other educators websites as well as checking the various people I follow on Twitter searching for ideas or advice. This is essentially no different to what students would do in a networked classroom. How many of us have even picked up a skill by learning from someone who posted a video on YouTube? To me developing a networked classroom means pulling all of those resources that are available outside of my classroom and making them work for my students. In a networked classroom the learning is available to students 24 hours a day 7 days a week and students have excellent access to their educator. In many ways it is like learning on demand.
Luckily for our students there are many tools that aid them in collaboration and networking but today I am going to focus specifically on the benefits of students and teachers using Twitter in the classroom. When I first began to read about students using Twitter in the classroom my first thought is that this was a ridiculous idea. Many of my students have a difficult time focusing as it is and adding social media to the classroom just seemed like begging for trouble. What I didn't realize is that there were already many teachers out there having great success doing just that and using social media as a way to drive instruction as well as engagement in the classroom.
My favorite and most obvious use of Twitter in the classroom is the ability to connect with students and the community (ie. parents and guardians) and keep them all up to date about what is taking place in the classroom. By publishing the daily agenda on your Twitter page that parents can simply follow the age old problem of parents asking what their child did that day in school and getting "oh nothing" as a response instantly vanishes. All of a sudden when little Timmy says "oh nothing" the parent can look back at Timmy and say well that's funny because your social studies teacher said you have a quiz coming up the review has been posted and you should be studying. Add this simple little piece to the fact that many teachers are using an LMS (learning management system) and the students classroom literally follows them home. I also like how it gives educators the opportunity to promote their students accomplishments and share what they are doing with the Twitterverse. My only concern here is that I'm currently unsure about what my districts policies are concerning the use of social media in the classroom and district policies around the country vary so it is essential that you educate yourself before on your districts policy before jumping in so that you avoid any unintended discipline (If you're my boss and reading this please feel free to comment below).
One of the biggest draws to Twitter is the ability to network with experts in a variety of fields. Currently on Twitter I'm following a variety of distinguished educators and historians that I can access for advice or ideas and this can easily be brought to use into the classroom. If your students are studying a topic it is easy for you to have them tweet various pre-selected experts about what they are learning or questions they might have and this simple activity can be used to really get students excited about a project. Not long ago the daughter of a friend of mine drew a comic character called Sandman and posted it on social media. Neil Gaiman (the author of Sandman) himself commented on what a great picture it was and retweeted it. Imagine what that moment did for that girls confidence regarding her artwork.
In addition to the benefit of being able to communicate with experts in a field Twitter can be used to engage students who may be struggling or too shy to speak up in class. Teachers can use Twitter as a classroom tool by posting questions to students and having their students reply. 140 characters is enough for most people to briefly convey their idea without the pressure of writing a book to answer the question and by giving students time to tweet teachers are also giving students time to consider their answer. I have often told people the key to knowing if you truly understand an idea is if you can put it into language that a 10 year old can understand. 140 characters will force students to be very concise in their answer because they simply don't have room to talk around in circles. An additional benefit to this type of activity goes back to my first point. Parents can see what their children are doing and discussing in the classroom. Parents can be involved. Twitter has many applications in the classroom as a supplementary tool.
Twitter can serve as a classroom summary, a discussion tool, a polling tool, etc. The limits are really going to be set and determined by the creativity of educator and the policies of the school district. This is a tool that I truly got excited about as a tool for extending my own professional development but in the process have learned that it can help to contribute to my students own academic development. Our students live in an age of global interconnection and contrary to what some may hope this is not a passing fad but a new reality. Educators must be prepared to use these new technologies to drive instruction and engagement in our classrooms while also preparing our students to be active participants in this environment. Teaching the way we were taught in today's age is simply inexcusable and our students deserve better. As we prepare to begin utilizing the vast resources available to us through the internet it is important that we always remember the importance of educating our students in proper internet safety and netiquette and Twitter is an excellent tool that will allow students to practice essential netiquette skills.
Here are some additional resources that I found useful as well as inspirational.
CNN: Twitter has a Place in the Classroom
Twitter in the Classroom
Luckily for our students there are many tools that aid them in collaboration and networking but today I am going to focus specifically on the benefits of students and teachers using Twitter in the classroom. When I first began to read about students using Twitter in the classroom my first thought is that this was a ridiculous idea. Many of my students have a difficult time focusing as it is and adding social media to the classroom just seemed like begging for trouble. What I didn't realize is that there were already many teachers out there having great success doing just that and using social media as a way to drive instruction as well as engagement in the classroom.
My favorite and most obvious use of Twitter in the classroom is the ability to connect with students and the community (ie. parents and guardians) and keep them all up to date about what is taking place in the classroom. By publishing the daily agenda on your Twitter page that parents can simply follow the age old problem of parents asking what their child did that day in school and getting "oh nothing" as a response instantly vanishes. All of a sudden when little Timmy says "oh nothing" the parent can look back at Timmy and say well that's funny because your social studies teacher said you have a quiz coming up the review has been posted and you should be studying. Add this simple little piece to the fact that many teachers are using an LMS (learning management system) and the students classroom literally follows them home. I also like how it gives educators the opportunity to promote their students accomplishments and share what they are doing with the Twitterverse. My only concern here is that I'm currently unsure about what my districts policies are concerning the use of social media in the classroom and district policies around the country vary so it is essential that you educate yourself before on your districts policy before jumping in so that you avoid any unintended discipline (If you're my boss and reading this please feel free to comment below).
One of the biggest draws to Twitter is the ability to network with experts in a variety of fields. Currently on Twitter I'm following a variety of distinguished educators and historians that I can access for advice or ideas and this can easily be brought to use into the classroom. If your students are studying a topic it is easy for you to have them tweet various pre-selected experts about what they are learning or questions they might have and this simple activity can be used to really get students excited about a project. Not long ago the daughter of a friend of mine drew a comic character called Sandman and posted it on social media. Neil Gaiman (the author of Sandman) himself commented on what a great picture it was and retweeted it. Imagine what that moment did for that girls confidence regarding her artwork.
In addition to the benefit of being able to communicate with experts in a field Twitter can be used to engage students who may be struggling or too shy to speak up in class. Teachers can use Twitter as a classroom tool by posting questions to students and having their students reply. 140 characters is enough for most people to briefly convey their idea without the pressure of writing a book to answer the question and by giving students time to tweet teachers are also giving students time to consider their answer. I have often told people the key to knowing if you truly understand an idea is if you can put it into language that a 10 year old can understand. 140 characters will force students to be very concise in their answer because they simply don't have room to talk around in circles. An additional benefit to this type of activity goes back to my first point. Parents can see what their children are doing and discussing in the classroom. Parents can be involved. Twitter has many applications in the classroom as a supplementary tool.
Twitter can serve as a classroom summary, a discussion tool, a polling tool, etc. The limits are really going to be set and determined by the creativity of educator and the policies of the school district. This is a tool that I truly got excited about as a tool for extending my own professional development but in the process have learned that it can help to contribute to my students own academic development. Our students live in an age of global interconnection and contrary to what some may hope this is not a passing fad but a new reality. Educators must be prepared to use these new technologies to drive instruction and engagement in our classrooms while also preparing our students to be active participants in this environment. Teaching the way we were taught in today's age is simply inexcusable and our students deserve better. As we prepare to begin utilizing the vast resources available to us through the internet it is important that we always remember the importance of educating our students in proper internet safety and netiquette and Twitter is an excellent tool that will allow students to practice essential netiquette skills.
Here are some additional resources that I found useful as well as inspirational.
CNN: Twitter has a Place in the Classroom
Again, amazed as usual to your post. You need to write a book. I love how you were able to put into words how Twitter can transform a classroom into becoming networked and connected to home and the world. Students are going to benefit from you so much as you become used to using these new platforms and ideas in your classroom. Don't worry about your past classes, I am confident they still learned what they needed to. We all learn in due time and I am sure you have found where you need to be in this masters program. Sounds like you know exactly what you need to become better and you will transform into and even better educator!
ReplyDeleteScott,
ReplyDeleteRE: "Students are so used to be interconnected that many of them have trouble functioning without that connection."
This is very true. I know that I experience a sense of uneasiness when I am cut off from my connections. If my phone dies, you can be certain that I will purchase a new one immediately. There is a learning theory that may be new to you called connectivism that explains your observation. You can read about it here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectivism
As someone who has been a networked learner for many years, I agree 100% with the statement:
"learning (defined as actionable knowledge) can reside outside of ourselves (within an organization or a database), is focused on connecting specialized information sets, and the connections that enable us to learn more are more important than our current state of knowing"
Dr. Dell