Social Media in the Elementary Classroom

As quoted by Godin, "In the connected age, reading and writing remain the two skills that are most likely to pay off with exponential results. Reading leads to more reading. Writing leads to better writing.  Better writing leads to a bigger audience and more value creation. And the process repeats" (Hicks, 2013). In my opinion, not only does more writing lead to better writing, but more authentic, engaging writing leads to better writing. When students are enjoying what they write, I find they do a better job than if they are writing about something that does not interest them. The use of social media tools in the classroom is a great way to encourage students to create authentic writing pieces. Above is a video about using social media, specifically blogs, in the classrooms.

There are three ways students can engage in online activities: hanging out, messing around, and geeking out. "Hanging out is participating in social media, watching videos, and casual web surfing. Messing around is playing games informally and designing websites or other online materials. Geeking out is creating high-quality remixes, full participating in online gaming" (Hicks, 2013). I use examples of each of these in my classroom.

Hanging Out:

I use this method when engaging my students when we are about to start a new topic, mainly in science and social studies. They use the site Discovery Education to search and view videos on specific topics. I like Discovery Ed because the videos are appropriate for my students, I can assign specific videos for them to view, and a lot of the videos are accompanied by digital quizzes students can complete after watching the video.

Messing Around:

One way I encourage authentic writing in my classroom is by using KidBlog. This is an online blogging site that is both safe and suitable for students of all ages. I incorporate KidBlog into my morning work weekly. On Wednesdays my students work on writing; so they log in to their KidBlog account and write a post about the topic I have posted for that day. They love being able to express their thoughts and ideas with their peers. Since this does not feel like an educational writing activity (because it's actually fun), the students thoroughly enjoy this and take pride in their work. These blogs are some of the best writing pieces my students create. This site, Assessment the Web 2.0 Way, provides a detailed description of KidBlog, as well as a video describing what blogs are and how they can be beneficial in the classroom.
Below is an image of an example of a KidBlog post. I could not post a picture of my personal blog or link to it because it is password protected. I liked this example because it shows the title, the student's writing, and other student's comment (which is exactly how my KidBlog is set up.)

 

Geeking Out:

My students enjoy playing and creating their own games using the site Zondle. Zondle is free for teachers and students, and they can create, play and share games to support teaching, learning and assessment. My students LOVE creating games and sharing them with their peers; and I love that fact that they are implementing new ways to learn new material, and they don't even know it. I was always told that the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else. Using Zondle, my students create games about topics we are studying and use these games to help classmates learn the material that they have already mastered. It's a great way to get students actively engaged in the learning process!



Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Digital Videos in the Classroom

I was so excited to read this section in the book, because I use videos in my classroom on a regular basis in numerous ways. 

One way I use these daily is to kick-off a new lesson in math. The digital curriculum our system uses is Pearson. Pearson's enVision math provides teachers and students with daily videos that help introduce the mathematical concept of the day. An example of one of these introductory videos can be found here. 3rd Grade Pearson Introduction Video

Another way I use videos in my classroom is by having students create videos. They LOVE these projects!! I was so worried that I would have to take a lot of time to teach my students how to create and edit videos, but I was wrong. Since they are digital natives, they practically know all the basics in creating and editing videos. I was impressed. A majority of them knew even more than I did! They really enjoy being able to use their creativity for a classroom project. As stated in the book, though, "The most difficult part f crafting a video/multimedia text is knowing not only what to put in but what to leave out...Digital writers should ask themselves whether the media they are choosing are being used simply because they can or whether there is a rhetorical purpose for that use. You can put in transitions, sound effects, and captions, for instance, but are these the best media elements to help tell your story?" (Hicks, 2013). This is always the biggest issue I have when my students are creating videos. They want to use all of the special effects they can possibly include in one video. They sometimes go overload and it takes away from the content of the video. That is why I always include an editing process into video making before I allow my students to publish their projects.

A few projects I have done using video making are student-taught math lessons and a "Collaborate Alabama" project. 

"The CCSS require students to 'use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others'" (Hicks, 2013).  In order to accomplish this, my students contacted teachers and students from every county in the state. Using the digital programs Padlet and Today's Meet, students shared files and "talked" with other students about various characteristics of that students' home county. My students then used video creators and editors to create informational videos about the counties in Alabama. 

With the student-taught math lessons, students filmed themselves teaching a math lesson that they were struggling the most with. (This project was done at the end of the year once all of the lessons had been taught.) The best way to learn something is to teach someone else! After they videoed themselves, they were able to replay the video, see what they were confusing (if there was anything), and then edit the video to make any necessary adjustments. An example of an unedited student-taught lesson can be found below.  

In my original video, I included narration and transitions. I did not want to stare into a video camera for 2-3 minutes talking about myself, so I used PowerPoint to create a slideshow, instead. Then I added voice to each of the slides in the PowerPoint. This can be done within PowerPoint itself. After the narration was complete, I used the QuickTime software installed on my Mac to record a screenshot of my computer. This program recorded the PowerPoint as it played through. Finally, I uploaded the video onto YouTube!

When editing my introduction video, I simply used the editing tools available on YouTube since that is where my video was originally uploaded. I edited the film affects by adjusting the coloring of the video. Also, I added captions and text throughout the video. This could be beneficial to highlight important words and information in a video. The edited version of my video can be found here. I hope you enjoy! Edited Introduction Video of Jessica Williams

From "Tech Comfy" to "Tech Savvy"

The incorporation of technology into the school curriculum is a new focus in many systems, including the one in which I teach.  Our students nowadays are digital natives, and they should be provided with the tools they need in order to be successful in the future. We cannot accurately prepare our students for the challenges and lives they will face in the future by using old practices. I, personally, love the fact that I am able to incorporate so much technology into my everyday lessons. My district has implemented a Digital 1:1 Curriculum in which all students are provided access to either and iPad or laptop.  This has definitely changed the way in which teachers present lessons, as well as changed the way in which students receive and learn material. I am now able to be a facilitator of education, rather than a lecturer. Below you will find a video regarding Huntsville City School’s 1:1 Digital Curriculum and the benefits it has provided to our district as a whole. (I will say, I am partial to this video because it was filmed mostly at my school!) 

The incorporation of laptops into my lessons has been a fun and exciting challenge. I have found that a majority of my students are more comfortable learning when technology is used because they are simply comfortable with technology. However, Hicks (2013) raises an interesting perception on technology when quoting Sara Kadjer: “[S]tudents may be ‘tech comfy,’ but they are not necessarily ‘tech savvy.’” This raises a new issue teachers implementing technology must address when teaching. My students are extremely comfortable using their laptops because they play on them so often at home. However, I have to teach my students how to use the technology as an educational tool. (There are even technology standards teachers must abide by, now.)

AL Technology Standards

 Some assume students will automatically know how to proficiently use laptops because they use them at home. This is a false assumption, though. 

One of the biggest struggles my students have when it comes to using their laptops for work is having to write electronically, aka typing. Educators must remember that students do not come to us with the ability to write; that is something they have to be taught. Likewise, students have to be taught the proper way to type. “Clearly, we can teach craft in writing. And we can teach cat in digital writing, too, even though the struggles are perhaps more confounding” (Hicks, 2013). I make a point to type in front of my students daily. They need to see the proper way to sit in a chair and stroke the keys on the keyboard. I also provide ample opportunities and resources to help my students learn the basics of typing. Every Tuesday morning, they’re morning work is to practice typing. They log in to my Padlet page and access any of the typing websites provided there. My favorite website is Typing Tutor, because it shows them how to properly rest their hands on the keyboard, and which fingers should be used to press each key.

In order for students to become digital writing composers, they must perfect the act of typing and keyboarding. Once a child has mastered the ability to type properly, the ease of composing and publishing digital pieces will be much simpler!

References:

[Huntsville AL Chamber]. (2013, May 20). Huntsville City Schools Digital 1:1 Curriculum. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/my0KnWhTDTQ

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.