Wavii

Wavii (currently in BETA) is a website that allows users to select news that is important to them and as news happens related to that topic it will appear in a "news" feed.  If you are teaching current events, this would be a great software to use to follow what is going on with that topic.  Any subject matter that is being taught can be added as a topic to your feed and then as news happens related to it, you can be updated on the topic.  The main goal of Wavii to take Google searches and put them into a Facebook type feed of information and news.  The only negative that I have found so far is that it requires a Facebook log-in to use the site.  You cannot create an account separately.

You could follow any item of content you are teaching and get the latest news on those topics and then share those topics with your students.  The focus in education today is on Rigor and Relevance.  If you can find current news and information related to what you are teaching, it will help to make the topic relevant to students.

For more information, see the video below.

uWhisp

Something a little different.  For those of you that keep a Facebook page for your classroom or a Twitter feed, uWhisp is a site currently in Beta that allows you to record audio of yourself that can then be played back within the web browser.  It currently requires Google Chrome for plug-in that needs to be installed in your browser.  The plug-in also places a button in the text boxes of the social networks that you use.

uWhisp is really new that some of the links on the main page are not up and running yet, but I wanted to share what could be a look into the future of how we use Social Media to actually be vocally social.

You can watch the short video below to see how it works.

Putting Ed Tech Into Practice - Social Media on Paper

I teach Government for the next 12 weeks.  We were starting our investigation into the Constitution and for one of the assignments I had my students take the Preamble of the Constitution and transform it into a SMS, Tweet, and Facebook Status.

For the SMS, students were required to change the text as if they were to text it to friends and texting existed during the Constitutional Conventions.

For the Tweet students had to try and shrink the text to 140 characters.  Surprisingly students struggled trying to do this and keep it in the 140 characters limit.  I also explained and had them include hashtags that would have been used if Twitter existed. 

For the Facebook status, students had to act as if they were participating in the Constitutional Convention and update their friends on what was happening with the Constitution and their thoughts on how it would impact/change the United States.

I found an image of a SMS bubble that you normally see on an iPhone, created my own Twitter update box, and also cut and pasted a Facebook status update.  Some students got really creative with their Facebook statuses and even included the "location" for where they were.

Surprisingly, the buy in to the assignment was not as I expected.  I am coming to the realization that students I teach have not been exposed completely to using technology outside of the classroom and it is a tough adjustment for them.  The interaction online with the blog and Facebook is not nearly the percentage that I thought it would be, and I think a lot of that has to do with students not being comfortable with it and not having exposure to it.  I think it also has to do with the fact that I teacher freshman.  I feel that upperclassmen would probably have more experience and be more open to using it in and outside the classroom.

I am using the Remind101 website for SMS reminders for students, and I do have 5 times as many students signed up during this 12 weeks.

I think I am coming to the realization that the concept of "Digital Natives" might not be as broad as some people might say.  I also know that it is on me as well to figure out how to adjust and encourage use by my students.  Something that I know I need to work on and will figure out as time goes on.

Anyone else integrating technology for the first time, more specifically social media, experiencing struggles?  Anyone having great success, if so, what are you doing that is working for you?

Start the New School Year Using Social Media

Finally back to the blog after a month long vacation during the month of July.  I needed the break to be with family and friends and take a break from anything work related for a while.  Since I am going back into the classroom this coming school year, allow me to share how I am going to be using Social Media with my students to start off the posts for the month of August.

The 2011-2012 school year is just around the corner.  My school year will be very different.  It will be tough adjusting to life back in the classroom after being out of it for two years.  There are several things that will take getting re-used to: Duty schedule, lesson plans, grading papers, discipline, etc.  But they are all expectations of being a teacher.

Over the past two years I have learned a lot about integrating technology in the classroom, but I have also learned about my personal teaching philosophy and what it means to be a teacher.  I recognized so many flaws in my teaching strategies when provided the opportunity to be on the outside looking in.  I noticed damaging characteristics of my personality that interfered with my ability to enjoy being a teacher.  Hopefully this coming school year will allow me to put in to practice all that I have learned and reflected on.

One of the new strategies I learned about was utilizing social media in the classroom.  My last year in the classroom, all these social media tools existed.  They were there for me to use with students and parents, but no one was telling me how to use them.  Through personal professional development, collaborating online with other teachers, and attending conferences, I learned so much about how to use these social media tools.  This coming school year, I will be working at integrating a classroom Blog, Facebook Page, and Twitter Feed.

Why all three?  Because not every parent has a Twitter or Facebook account.  Not every student has, or is permitted to have a Facebook Account.  The blog allows me to easily share the same information with those students and parents who do not utilize social networking.  You are probably thinking to yourself: "That sure is a lot of repeating information."  Yeah, it is, but I can use a site like Twitterfeed, and have my blog posts automatically posted to the classroom Facebook and Twitter pages.  Therefore I am really only updating one site, and if necessary I can post separately.

Setting this up is fairly easy.  All I needed was my RSS feed for my blog, my Twitter Username, and my Facebook Page Address.  You can learn more about linking your blog to Facebook using Twitterfeed here and linking your blog to Twitter using Twitterfeed here.  This process really will help to synchronize the communication with students and parents.

Another great feature of Twitter is the ability to create a hashtag; which is typing a "#" before text that is used in your tweet.  For example, I use #MrZimHCCHS for my classroom Twitter feed.  The hashtag categorizes tweets.  If a parent or student does not have a Twitter account, they can still visit the Twitter homepage and type in the hashtag for the classroom Twitter feed in the search bar.  This is great because students can still use the service without having to join the site.  The other great thing about Twitterfeed is that you can include the hashtag in the automated tweets of the posts from the classroom blog, therefore students who don't have an account don't miss out on information if they prefer to check Twitter.

When it comes to the Facebook page, I created a separate profile where I only show "My Info" and include in the information that the page will not be used to connect with friends, parents, and students, only to create my Classroom Facebook Page.  In the settings for my Facebook page I made it to where I am the only one who can post statuses, links, pictures, notes, and videos on the wall.  Students and parents will be able to comment, but that is it.  If desired, notifications can be setup to receive emails when comments are made.

So when it comes to "policing" the social media, what do I do?  I require the students to sign a set of rules related to social media, and that bad behavior on the page is just like bad behavior in the classroom.  I also will show students how to make their own Facebook pages private so that I (and questionable people) don't have access to their page, therefore protecting myself from communicating with students outside of the Classroom Facebook page. 

With the growth of mobile technology, students can download a Twitter app and the Facebook app and easily follow our social media classroom and not miss out on anything I share.  Students interested in RSS can download a Reader app to get blog updates as well.  I am sure that I will run into some issues in my move towards using social media, but I am expecting them to happen and am preparing myself for ways to handle them. 

My Classroom blog is just getting going, so not much is on it.  Same goes for my Classroom Twitter and Classroom Facebook Page.  You might not want to use all three like me, but I highly encourage you to embrace one method and utilize it in your classroom.  Using social media is not specific to high school either.  Parents of all grades would like some form of alternate communication to connect with their child's classroom.  You might even survey parents at an open house to see which they would prefer.

Need further assistance?  Contact me on Twitter and lets work together!

Proud of My Ole Kentucky Home Moving Towards Social Media

An article/blog post came across my Twitter stream this afternoon and noticed it mentioned an article about how Kentucky was moving forward and Texas moving backwards.

The article discusses how Kentucky is embracing Social Media and that the Department of Education has created a Facebook Page and a Twitter Page.  The Commissioner of Education is also on Twitter.  In regards to Texas, a district is closing its Facebook page because of "negative comments" and moderating those comments has become to time consuming.

I am part of a group that monitors the Facebook page for Hopkins County Schools in Kentucky, the district I am employed by.  Negative or rude comments happen, and the majority of the time it is people venting frustration.  I can only think of a handful of times that we have had to remove comments that were negative and it took all of 2 seconds to do that.  Sounds to me like the district in Texas doesn't like hearing that people in the community disagree with their decisions.

I am proud that we have a commissioner that sees the importance of technology in education.  I remember him at the KySTE conference a few years ago talking about how he would love to get a mobile device in every students hand.  Great to have those goals....wish the Capitol agreed with him.

Welcome to the 21st Century of Communication Kentucky Department of Education and Commissioner Terry Holliday. 

Oh, and if by chance Mr. Holliday or anyone from the Kentucky Department of Education reads this and needs a regional employee interested in Social Media...find me on Twitter! :)

It Isn't Going Anywhere - My 400th Post

Fad, by dictionary definition, is "a temporary fashion, notion, manner of conduct, etc., especially one followed enthusiastically by a group."  There is and always will be fads in education.  Sometimes those fads just take on different names.  When I was in college, it was called "Team Teaching."  Now it is called "Collaboration."  In the 21st Century, collaboration is taking on a whole new meaning.  The idea of being able to collaborate with educators outside your building/district is the newest fad.  Most people will tell you that fads come and go in education.


This fad though; it isn't going anywhere.  Social Networking is here to stay.  Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Diigo, Skype, Mobile Technology, RSS/Blogging, and other forms of collaboration, in my opinion, are here for the long haul.  It is not just a fad.  So, how do we as educators who have embraced this fad, get others to join in and be a part of the "group who enthusiastically follows" this fad?


Recently there was an infographic shared about the number of people who are on LinkedIn, which is a professional social networking site.  There are over 100 Million registered users.  Of those, 997,000 thousand are teachers who use the site to network with other educators.  I have a LinkedIn Profile, but don't use it as often as I probably should.  Linkedin provides valuable "Professional Collaboration"


I have learned that the best way is to get teachers to understand social networking is to help them see it first hand.  I realized that attending a conference where participants and presenters are using Twitter to show connections was a valuable method.  Every teacher who attended a recent conference with me now actively uses Twitter. Some are collaborating with other educators and some are collaborating with their students/parents.  Following that conference, we had a session of PD's at one of the schools that I work at and one of the teachers shared their use of Twitter.  From that session, a few more teachers have started to use Twitter with their classes.  In the future, those teachers will then be able to share their experiences, thus creating a chain reaction.


Twitter is valuable tool for social networking, but it serves so much more of a purpose.  I learned about Elizabeth Taylor and the Earthquake/Tsunami  in Japan from Twitter before hearing anything about it on the news.  I learn so much about educational reform, educational policy, educational technology, and other important aspects of education.  Twitter is "Informational Collaboration."  


I continually encourage teachers to sign up and use Diigo to manage their web based resources.  3 years ago, such a service was not necessary, but with the growth of Web 2.0, the resources for teachers are abundant.  I have created a group for the teachers in my district so that they can follow other teachers and share links with each other through the Internet.  I encourage them to join other groups in the community so that when new resources become available, they can easily find them.  Diigo provides a valuable method of "Resource Collaboration."

Last year I attended a meeting about creating a Social Media AUP for our district due to the growing use by stakeholders in our community.  I mentioned the need to look at having a District Facebook page.  It was turned down because of all the negative publicity, which I completely understood.  Then this year, in another meeting I mentioned it again and shared examples of other districts (some smaller, some larger) who were using Facebook to connect with parents.  From that meeting, our CIO and other faculty created our Disrict Facebook page.  We also created a Twitter account to share the same stories from Facebook.  In about 5 months, our district Facebook page has reached almost 1500 followers, thus allowing our district to collaborate and inform our parents.  Facebook provides "Stakeholder Collaboration."


More and more students, teachers, and administrators are embracing blogging.  There are several hundred thousand educational related blogs out there.  There are several ways that you can find educational blogs just by doing a simple Blog Search, or using the Edublogs Directory.  Even though the majority of this blog is about sharing resources, it provides me a method of personal reflection, while at the same time providing collaboration with other educators about my own ideas.  Blogging provides "Reflective Collaboration"


Skype in Education is becoming a valuable tool for collaboration.  It provides people from all over the globe the opportunity to meet and talk with each other without being in the same location.  Conferences are using Skype to bring presenters in who are to far away to make the trip in person.  The InnovatED Conference coming up has several presentations via Skype; myself included.  There are tons of Skype Resources available for educators to use making it easier to integrate it into the classroom.  I have come to realize just how valuable Skype is for "Distance Collaboration" 

In the past couple years there has been a drastic increase in mobile technology and websites for using cell phones in the classroom.  I recently wrote 10 Tips for Using SMS in the Classroom and I firmly believe that in the coming years the argument around cell phone use in schools will be a thing of the past; because like social networking, cell phones are not a fad that will be going away.  Cell phones provide "Mobile Collaboration"

My question to you is; how are you going to join this latest fad?  What type of collaboration are you and your fellow educators involved in? "Social Collaboration" isn't going anywhere, so how you are going to get involved in this latest fad?

My Fake Wall

My Fake Wall provides students and teachers the ability to create a Fake Facebook wall.  Not sure how long this site will remain open before Facebook claims copyright infringement or some other lawsuit.  As much as our students are on Facebook, this would be a great website for a student project.  You can find several sample Fake Walls to show students as an example.

My Fake Wall could be used across the curriculum in various ways.  It would be a neat way for students to create a wall over a math problem or formula.  History teachers could easily incorporate it into a project over a person or event.  Same goes for Science Teachers and English teachers.  The possibilities are endless and once again provides an alternate project idea for students.

Using My Fake Wall does require signing up with an email and a password, this will allow you to save and share the walls that you create.  You will want to check with your district to make sure the site is not blocked as well.  You can see a sample below of Franklin Roosevelt.

10 Tips/Ways Blog Posts Recap

I unintentionally intended to write some "10 Tips/Ways" posts and before I knew it, I just kept going.  With that, I ended up writing 11 blog posts that contain "10 tips" related to educational technology and various websites.  So, in case you missed them, here they are:

1.) 10 Ways to use iTunes/Podcast in the Classroom
2.) 10 Specific Ways to Use a Document Camera
3.) 10 Tips for Getting Teachers to Integrate Technology
4.) 10 Tips for Alternative Professional Development
5.) 10 Tips for Using SMS in the Classroom
6.) 10 Tips for Alternatives to PowerPoint
7.) 10 Tips for Using Google Reader in the Classroom
8.) 10 Tips for Using YouTube in the Classroom
9.) 10 Tips for Using Facebook in the Classroom
10.) 10 Tips for Starting an Education Blog
11.) 10 Tips/Ways for Using Twitter in the Classroom

Spend some time reading and thinking about these during the holiday break.  Go back to school inspired to try something different in your classroom and with your students.

As a bonus during a snow day, I wrote the following post, Who Says Having a Snow Means Not Having Class, which contains 10 ideas as well.

Who Says a Snow Day Means Not Having Class??

Just because the weather outside is frightful does not mean that education can't still be delightful.  The age of 21st Century education and learning allows education to continue even when school is closed.  How might you ask?  Well, here are just some ideas to get your mind flowing...especially those teachers who have AP kids and are on a strict schedule.

With it being winter for the majority of the United States and talks of snow days and snow storms, I thought this would be an appropriate post for today.

1.) If you have a Facebook page, you can still "hand-out" assignments to your students via Facebook, and they could still "hand them in" by attaching in a message or providing a link.

2.) If you have a Classroom Twitter account, you could still share assignments and links to readings for students to complete over the snow day.

3.) Want to teach from your computer, use a site like Join.me and share your screen with your students.  Be an easy way to explain math problems in a step by step process or share a document they don't have access to.

4.) Upload a PowerPoint to Slideshare or add the slides to a Prezi so that students have access to notes and a lesson if needed for a quiz or test when they get back to school.

5.) Use TitanPad or TodaysMeet and have a backchannel chat with your students over a topic you are discussing in class.

6.) Use the site JustPaste.it to share a Word document that you want students to use or answer questions.  I always made any worksheets using Word, and with this site you have the ability to upload the Word Document and it will maintain the formatting.  You can then create a URL to share with students.

7.) Use your email and send students a text message to their phones to let them know you have a new assignment/project posted to your website.  See my blog post about sending text messages from email.

8.) Embed a video from YouTube or link to an article and have students use a site like Wallwisher to discuss the video.  Or have them type a response in JustPaste.it and share the URL.  Make sure to approve messages first before posting!

9.) Plan ahead, have students know that they will always have a free writing assignment to do.  Provide them a list and tell them to choose a topic each snow day, or designate numerical order for each snow day.

10.) Math teachers, use Twiddla and plan a time to meet with students online to go over math assignments, problems, homework, etc.

I always hear teachers say that kids think because they have a snow day that work assigned before the snow days is not due when they come back to school.  If you set the expectation that work is to continue over snow days, then the problem will take care of itself.  If students know that they will still have work over snow days, then it will definitely take care of itself.

If you have students that don't have access to the Internet, then you can ignore these.  This is just something for us all to think about.  How is the landscape of education changing?  Because this was never a possibility just FIVE years ago.

10 Tips for Using Facebook in the Classroom

Facebook, the growing social network that receives negative publicity, but offers a great network for teachers to communicate with students and parents.  A while ago I created a Facebook 4 Education Wiki in the hopes of creating a place for teachers to share the positive uses for the Social Network in education because of all the negative press it was receiving.  With a growing group of readers, I thought it would be good to share it again with this post.

1.) First and most obvious use is to create a classroom based page for your students to follow.  Keep the page simple to a place to share news, homework assignments, reminders, etc.  I would limit students to just having the ability to comment and not post their own stuff to the wall, because that will also help reduce spam.  Our kids and parents are on Facebook, so it would be a great idea to go where they are.  This would also be a great way to post events and then students can RSVP their attendance or not as well.

2.) A lot of businesses/programs are on Facebook.  I recommend searching for some and suggesting students add them to their own feed.  For example, The Library of Congress, NASA, a Literature Page, or Khan Academy.  I suggest just doing a search for what you are teaching and see what pages are available. 

3.) Use the Facebook discussion board as a place to discuss books, assignments, movies, articles, etc.  Create a communication place to have a discussion and then share the discussion in class the next day.  You will know if kids are doing their homework because it will time stamp when they reply.

4.) Not really in Facebook, but someone has done a great job of creating a PowerPoint Facebook Page Template.  This would be a great way to create a presentation over historical figures, authors, etc. 

5.) Have students create a Facebook Page for a historical figure, book, movie, time period, event, etc.  Students in the class can then follow that page.  It can then be an ongoing project that students can update with links, videos, pictures, etc. 

6.) Facebook is filled with Apps that students can use related to education.  25 Apps for the Facebook Classroom is a good starting point to share with your students.  I know there are several issues with privacy, so do make students aware of those. 

7.) Create a Poll using the Poll App.  This would be a good way to gather information about the thoughts of your students as well as take polls on current events and popular culture.

8.) Use the new Facebook Groups feature, you can create groups of your students that they can follow and then that can also allow more teacher control.  Here is an article about using Facebook Groups with students.  Although the article is for college students, it does provide information relevant to the K-12 classroom.

9.) Use your classroom Facebook page as a way to teach Digital Safety and Digital Citizenship.  Share resources and information related to privacy and understanding a digital footprint.  Students have little information about that, and using Facebook responsibly can teach kids how to properly use the Internet and social media.

10.) Over the years, Facebook will become a great resource in itself to have former students share experiences from your classroom, in college, or even in their new careers.  You will create your own list of Guest Speakers.

Facebook is a great tool to use in education and I admit there are several learning curves that teachers and students will have to adjust too when it comes to "friending" each other.  I suggest you start calling yourself a mentor on Facebook as well.  Good Luck!

Best Practices - ProjectPLN Post

So if you have not heard of the ProjectPLN Magazine (This link will take you to the first issue), now is a great time to learn about it.  The idea was started by Nick Provenzano and he collaborated with Kelly Tenkely to get it off the ground.  You can learn more about ProjectPLN from their blogs: iLearn Technology and The Nerdy Teacher.  The first issue really helps explain the idea behind a PLN (Professional Learning Network) and provides resources on how to start your own.  With the inclusion of PLC (Professional Learning Communities) it is important to develop one outside your school and help turn your community into a network.

For the next issue of ProjectPLN the discussion is on Best Practices for the start of school.  I don't currently teach, but several ideas do come to mind to help with classroom management and "getting to know" your students.  Below are several ideas for the start of the school year.  

1.) Have students create a Word Cloud of words that express their personality, values, and beliefs.  If using Wordle, have them put the most important words in their more then once so that they appear larger.  Then hang them up or keep to yourself...that will depend on the personality of your class!

2.) Many classroom management books suggest putting kids in alphabetical order, and I agree.  Makes it easy to learn names.  For a teacher at my school he made it into a competition.  He drew the class layout on the board and told the kids to find their seat according to their last name.  The class that did it the fastset won a prize.  He also did not allow them to talk.  Talk about a interesting first day.

3.) I would give my kids a challenge of building the tallest tower out of straws and only provide a certain length of tape.  They would work in groups.  The could not talk so they had to communicate in other ways.  It really helps develop team work in the first week of school and shows that talking does not necessarily help with an assignment. :)

4.) Bellringers are a huge deal.  Our school recently purchased large TV's for the classrooms and hooked those to the computer.  Several teachers have created PowerPoint's to display their bellringer.  Therefore they can save them for future use and it is easy for the kids to always know where to look when they come to the classroom to have something to work on.

5.) Use a clicker system the first day and gather information about your students.  Things you would like to know.  Computer access at home, clubs/athletics they are involved in, community involvement, etc.  Very easy to organize the data you get back in return.  You could do the same with index cards, but the clickers will help with data organization.

6.) Provide students access to computers and have students use Glogster to create a poster that tells about themselves.  Favorite movies, TV shows, music, etc.  It can be a fun activity that also allows you to introduce Glogster to your students.

7.) Have students from the previous class year share their favorite things about your class.  Or have your students write an open letter about what future students need to do in order to succeed in your classroom.  This might be a great way to use a site like Wallwisher with students at the end of a school year.

8.) Ask students to provide you with their cell phone number and their cell carrier.  You can send a text message to your students using your email.  Up to 160 characters is the limit for one text message.  This would be a great way to keep in touch with students about projects, test, etc.  Plus, you have documentation of the messages you send and their replies, because their replies will come back to your email.  It also keeps your cell phone number private as well.

9.) Show students videos from music, television, video games, commercials, current events, movies, and sports from the year they were born and discuss how much things have changed.  Be a great introduction to any unit of study and to find funny older videos to share with the class.

10.) Have an easily accessible teacher webpage.  Students need an area where they can access assignments, due dates, lecture notes, etc.  Have a website that allows for discussion through blogs or message boards.

11.) Use various social media tools such as Twitter to create a classroom account for students to get quick reminders for your class.  Nings make great social networks for your classroom as well that allows students to join and follow various aspects of your classroom.  It is also great for personalization.  You might also look at creating a Facebook page as well; although controversial, it can be a useful communication tool.  Anyway that you can increase communcation with parents and students will be beneficial.

Wiki Wednesday #9 - THREE!!

Normally I try and stick to just one Wiki for my Wednesday post, but I have come across three really good ones that I thought I should share, and the great thing about them is that they all center around Web 2.0.  Each of these will offer lessons, links, resources, etc.  I am really impressed with all these.

Here is a Wiki dedicated to Digital Story Telling.  There are links to free images and audio and information about copyright.  There are also links to Story Starters, Lesson Plans, and Projects using Digital Story Telling Tools.  I realized visiting this site that there are a lot more options out there than Photo Peach, Animoto, Flixtime, and Photo Story.  There is also a section that offers links to examples of Digital Stories.  Looking for articles discussing the use of Digital Stories?  There are tons of those as well.  Take some time to visit this site, especially if planning on creating a Digital Story.  It is a great starting point and a great resource for teachers hesitant about creating a Digital Story.

A combination of Web 2.0 tools and 21st Century education.  The front page of the wiki has all the resources linked by category in alphabetical order.  There are direct links to tons of Web 2.0 tools and software as well as links to reviews that people have done on their blogs.  A great idea to organize and promote your blog..  The author of the Wiki has also authored six volumes of digital books that contain information about the Web 2.0 tools and 21st Century Education.  Definitely worth checking out and sharing with colleagues.

Another great Web 2.0 Wiki.  What I like about this Wiki is the organization and images on the front page that organize Web 2.0 tools to Cognitive Level, Learning Style, Stage of Inquiry, and Categories.  Resources are also organized by what you are wanting to do and then it links to possible resources.  The contributors to this Wiki have done an excellent job.  It has a lot of wonderful aspects of a Wiki.  There is even a quiz and crossword puzzle to test your knowledge on using Web 2.0 Tools that could be very useful for teachers.  In the end all of the resources are broken down by category.  And the homepage is a Glog!

Take a minute to visit and contribute your own thoughts and resources.  This is the greatest aspect of a Wiki.  With the growth of the Internet and Web 2.0 tools, a Wiki is going to be the main way to obtain and organize information.

And don't forget to add ways that you have used Facebook in Education to the following Wiki

Twitter Tuesday #9 - To Follow or Not to Follow...That is the Question.

In a recent article in the Louisville, KY Newspaper, The Courier-Journal, they reported on the increasing use of Social Networking in schools around the city.  There were a couple of things that caught me eye in the article.  First, 2nd graders were using Twitter to Tweet about what was going on in their classroom...utterly amazing.  Makes me wonder what my 3 year old will be doing in 4 years (considering he already uses my iPhone better than me).

Second was the number of school districts blocking access to Facebook, while allowing access to Twitter.  It shows me that school districts across that state see the value of Twitter as an educational tool, but are still completely terrified about Facebook, which is understandable considering the negative media attention Facebook has been getting in the media.  I have a wiki that is still a work in progress for gathering positive uses of Facebook in Education.  I am a firm believer that if you can't get parents to come to you, you got to go where they are, and parents are on Facebook...more parents than you will see at Parent Teacher Conferences.

Third, and the main point of this post, was that I discovered that the Kentucky Education Commissioner is on Twitter.  I proceeded to Tweet that he had a Twitter Account (which I think needs to be linked from the Department of Education website so people can find him on Twitter).  I did not have a chance to check his profile.  Nancy Blair did, and she tweeted up an interesting point.  Was the Commissioner of Education in Kentucky really buying into the idea of Twitter??

Communcation on Twitter can go both ways.  Mr. Holliday, the Commissioner, was only following 10 people, while being followed by over 375.  He has over 250 Tweets, so his account is still young, and it is a great starting point.  The point Mrs. Blair was trying to make was that communication in his position should and needs to goes both ways.  In order to get the most out of Twitter Mr. Holliday should be following more people, especially educators, classrooms, and schools within his own state that are using Twitter.  In order to see the value of Twitter in a position such as his, it would be beneficial for him to be able to see what educators around Kentucky are Tweeting about.

I am all for him sharing what he is experiencing as Education Commissioner.  It helps me keep up to date with what is going on at the state level in regards to edcuation in Kentucky.  At the same time I would hope that he would want to hear about what is going on in "his" schools that he might not always hear about in the newspapers, on the news. or in meetings.  Schools around Kentucky are doing great things, and not just the schools in the big cities.  Many are using Twitter to share these things.

I really did not think anything of the fact that he was only following 10 people.  I am glad that Nancy Blair brought it to my attention.  So, the question then becomes, should Kentucky's Education Commissioner, or for that matter, any state Education leader, be EXPECTED to follow?  Or for a person in his position is it more about being followed than following others? 

So many teachers talk about not feeling like they are heard by politicians and educational leaders when it comes to issues in education.  By following educators on Twitter, would this solve, or help to solve, the problem of communication?  Would more educators join Twitter knowing that they would get a better chance to be heard by politicians and educational leaders in their state?

What are your thoughts?  Would appreciate opinions, thoughts, and ideas.

Thursday-Friday Combo Post - Facebook 4 Education

I was extremely busy yesterday, so I did not get a chance to post a Think Twice Thursday Post.  Since today is normally my Friday Focus post time, I thought I would combine the two. 

It has been a busy month in the area of Facebook and education and not in a positive light.  Story after story of students using Facebook to slander and defame a teacher's character.  Stories of a teacher using Facebook to rant about the behavior of students in class.  You can view these articles on my Articles Page.

Let's "face" it, Facebook is a Social Networking site.  That is its main intention.  That is not the issue though.  The issue is educating students, teachers, schools, and districts about using Facebook in a manner that promotes positive relationships between students and teachers, students and their school, schools and their community, and districts and their community.  The image of Facebook as it relates to education must be changed for Facebook to be a successful tool in education.

Several school districts, if not all, have school web pages.  Every school has parent-teacher conferences.  Every school offers meetings for parents and students to attend.  Every school has athletic, band, drama, and other events at their school.  Every school has fundraisers, important announcements and information that parents need.  The problem sometimes is getting that information to parents in a timely manner, and ensuring that it gets to every parent.  The problem is providing an easily accessible area for such communication and relationship building outside of the school building.

Facebook can provide AN answer, not THE answer to improving those relationships.  I was always told that if you can't get someone to come to where you are, then you got to go where they are.  And where are our students, parents, and community members?  Facebook.  Ask the average student the first website they go to when they get online: Facebook.  In 5-10 years (and probably today or sooner) ask the average parent the first website they visit when they log on the Internet: Facebook.

With all the negative press about Facebook though, it is hard to get districts, schools, administrators, teachers, and parents to buy into the idea of using Facebook for Education.  There has to be a way to promote the positive aspects of using Facebook in Education.  I know that Facebook is being used in Education, but those can be tough to find.  Well, hopefully I have created a possible solution or way to do that. 

All the negative press got me thinking about a way to promote the use of Facebook in education around the world.  So I created a Wiki.  A Wiki for educators, parents, administrators, schools, and districts to share how they are positively using Facebook.  Facebook 4 Education provides a website to post links, stories, articles, videos, examples of Facebook use, and Fan Pages related to education.

Think Twice about how you can or are using Facebook in education and share that information on the Facebook 4 Education Wiki.  Focus on sharing your successes of using Facebook.  Focus on helping improve the image of Facebook in education.  Help curtail the image that the media is portraying of Facebook in education.