Twitter for Teachers
Interactive Electronic Storybooks
Social media has become a norm in people's lives around the world, so why not incorporate it into necessary parts of life such as education. Educational Networking, or Social Networking for Educators, is described by the authors as utilizing social media to assist education, and, rather than use it as a tool for entertainment, use it as an educational, supplementary tool (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 1188-189). This could assist teachers exceptionally well. Teachers can connect with students through Facebook or Instagram and post pictures of lab set-up, assignment pages, books to read, documentaries to watch, and much more. I have actually participated in this in college, once in a Comp. I class where I connected with my Professor's Facebook page that was used solely for her class. Another time I participated Educational Networking was not exactly a direct connection between myself and a teacher or professor, but instead an indirect connection on Tumblr for the Florida SouthWestern Writing Center. I say indirect because I never actually message them, but I always check up on their page, where they make posts to encourage deeper and more professional levels of vocabulary, MLA and APA help, and more. I really like this idea of Educational Networking because it creates a more personal and less professional level of interaction, and sometimes professional interaction can sometimes be intimidating for students.
Further supplying ideas about why Educational Networking could work is a section called Twitter for Teachers by the authors (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 199). This section speaks about why incorporating Twitter into education could be beneficial for students, teachers, and even parents, and I further discussed this in an infographic I made with Piktochart:
Like stated previously, I believe fusing education with social media is a great idea. I haven't personally used Twitter; however, I have used the hashtag elements on both Instagram and Tumblr, and I know the basics of how the site functions. Therefore, I believe that it would be incredibly beneficial to incorporate Twitter into education.
According to the authors, interactive electronic storybooks blend the use of sound effects and digital media with books and stories by technologies, such as apps, e-books, websites, and other medias. Different interactions can be made on each page of the book, such as hidden spots or responsive text. These types of storybooks can assist all students, including those with special needs, tremendously. The books are engaging and fun to read. However, some problems may arise with the technological aspects; they may eliminate the learning process by being "too fun," or they could allow for the students rely on the technology too much in order to figure out a problem (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 263). I think this idea, used in certain cases with topics to be learned from the student, is wonderful. I say in certain cases because it might not be appropriate for some grade levels and subjects. Electronic storybooks seem like they would work most effectively in a elementary school environment. Additionally, I say that there need to be required learning outcomes of topics from students to ensure that the student is actually learning. However, all in all, I do like this method of teaching. I remember my teachers allowing us to use either LeapPads or something similar in elementary school, and it was always so much fun. I do not remember much, but I do remember being able to listen to the story and read it at the same time, which helped me as an unrealized auditory (and hands-on) thinker. Therefore, I believe interactive electronic storybooks could be an effective piece of technology in certain classroom conditions, as long as students are regulated to meet certain requirements for learning outcomes.
Resources
Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Steuber, S. (2016, March 5). Twitter for Teachers! Created with http://piktochart.com/
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