Using Flickr in the Classroom?

Flickr offers teachers the great opportunity of using visual images to teach students. Visuals allow students to understand information in a different kind of way, and could lead to more engagement and better comprehension. What is so exciting about Flickr is there are so many subsidary sites that offer tools and applications for using images to create things like puzzles, visual books, comic strips, posters, etc. Big Huge Labs is one site that allows users to create magazine covers, maps, movie posters, puzzles, and much more. I used this site to create an "inspirational poster" of an image from a cathedral in Siena, Italy.

                                                                                Photo by: Philipp Klinger

In the classroom, I could have students create posters for many different assignments. Advertising specific cities we learn about, or as "propaganda" about a specific historical event. I think having students write headlines, tag lines, and find visual images to connect helps them understand the information on a different level. I am really excited to put this activity to use in my own classroom!

Do Twits have a place in the classroom?

Twitter is a hugely popular blogging site that has exploded onto the social scene. In my own personal life, I have used Twitter for some months to stalk celebrities and update "friends" on the mundane life of a graduate student. Is Twitter just for Justin Bieber though? Can Twitter be used in an educational context? According to some, the answer is yes. Many argue that social learning is most effective for students of this day and age. According to Social Learning: An Explanation Using Twitter, "social learning is about sharing thoughts, experiences, ideas, and more." Twitter makes this sharing very accessible and easy. One can tweet reactions, ideas, responses, links to media, and do all this while staying connected to friends, colleagues, and others who share the same interests. And the best feature of Twitter, according to some, it DOES NOT require a response from those using it. According to Claire Caine Miller, "The truth is, you don't have to post a message to get the most out of Twitter" (Getting the most out of Twitter, No Posting Necessary). By this, the author means that Twitter offers users a way of engaging with a literacy of their interest and the discussions of the moment from their virtual space. Twitter for some can be a seperate RSS feed to follow and "listen" to those who share the same interests and/or hobbies as you. A user can also create personal lists that represent his or her personal interests, whether personal or professional. Twitter offers a limitless amount of opportunities to get in touch and engage with those around you.

So what does this all mean for teachers? It's increasinly likely that the students who sit in our classrooms daily have a Twitter account. Can these be tools for teaching, alongside their tweets of "I <3 U, RPattz?". This user says yes, but with caveats. To quote a fellow educator and Twitter enthusiast, "Adopting a situated learning perspective, I have come to believe that the true power of Twitter and other social networking tools lies in their potential to extend learning beyond the boundaries of the classroom community" (Twitter, Social Networking, and Communities of Practice). I think the power of Twitter is reflected in it's ability to cut across boundaries and give students opportunities to interact and engage with information and people they might not otherwise have had access to. Another feature I am particularly fond of is this idea of 140 characters or less. Students are forced to summarize and reflect on only the most important points. This is a skill that will prove priceless in years to come.

As for my own teaching, I could see Twitter as a part of my daily routine. Students could post brief summaries of the class discussion or reactions to an article posted for homework. These summaries and reactions could be assessments or checkpoints of learning. Students can also interact with eachother and others in the community. They could create "Historical Twitters" and tweet as if they were George Washington or a student in the midst of 1960's protests. As with many other technological resources, there are security and privacy risks. Teachers must always be aware of this in creating assignments. Explicitly explaining classroom and district wide internet policies is a must, and making sure teachers have access to passwords and accounts is another useful precaution.

I think Twitter definitely has a place in the classroom, if it's meaningful. In my experiences with students thus far, if they are bombarded with technology or are forced to use it without a meaningful connection, the engagement is as low as it would be in a traditional lecture. Students need to have reasons for using such technology, and not just be asked to use it for the sake of using it. If Twitter is used right, I think it could change the way our students think.

Ning!

For all of my interest in technology and it's uses in the classroom, a Ning is something I have never used or consulted in my career thus far. I spent a lot of time looking through various educational Nings and those Nings created specifically for teacher's. The one I have found the most interesting and useful for me as a social studies teacher is The National Council for the Social Studies community page. It offers a space for social studies teachers to connect with other social studies teachers, but also a forum for news, events, resources, and a lot more!  I think the feature I like the most is the forum where members reflect and provide commentary on their current teaching and feelings about the profession. There are several posts that interested me right away, with such topics as  Teaching with Textbooks vs. Primary Sources. There were several others related to literacy, resources, and activity ideas that are really pertinent to me as an educator. There is also a section dedicated to preservice teachers, a chat room, and pages devoted to resources and multimedia.

In continuting my education as a teacher, I think it would be very useful to have such connections to current teachers within the field of social studies. I am also looking for ideas for lesson plans, and this community is designed to provide just that! I also like that it has a forum where teachers can voice their concerns and opinions on current issues within the field of social studies. I have already signed up for the community and am very excited to use it as a resource during the final year of my preservice training and in the future as a teacher!