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Social Media in the Classroom: Do I, or Don't I?

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Social Media in the Classroom: Do I, or Don't I?

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How to implement Social Media in Education

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How to implement Social Media in Education

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This is two modules on Using Social Media in Schools and Bullying & Cyber Safety Interactive Modules. They can help assist you with your teaching to ensure you're staying professional and appropriate with your Social Media use in the Classroom

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Using Social Media: Guide for DET Employees

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Using Social Media: Guide for DET Employees

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Cybersafety is a major concern facing schools. Again, this does not only affect children and young people. Department employees in schools are also at risk of misusing social media or being targeted by a disgruntled young person or member of the school community. This is not a new concept. As with all forms of inappropriate behaviours the digital world has simply opened up a new platform for it to occur.

In the context of this Guide, social media is the term used for internet based tools for sharing and discussing information among people. Additional social media tools may include (although are not limited to):

Social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace)

Video and photo sharing websites (e.g. Flickr, Youtube)

Blogs, including corporate blogs and personal blogsMicro-blogs (e.g. Twitter)

Forums, discussion boards and groups (e.g. Google groups, Whirlpool)
Wikis (e.g. Wikipedia)

Video conferences and web conferences

Email and instant messaging

All other emerging electronic/digital communication applications.

For more information, see: Cybersafety, Bullying and Cyberbullying

Purpose

Teachers, students and parents are increasingly using digital technologies for professional purposes (i.e. teaching and learning) and personal purposes (i.e. communicating, creating and socialising) thus challenging the traditional concept of learning in a school setting.

The Using Social Media Tools: Guide for Department Employees in Schools (Guide) has been developed as a practical resource to support Department employees in schools to understand and meet the obligations and behaviours set out within existing instruments, policies and guidelines outlined within the Scope of this Guide.

Department employees in schools who are interested in using social media tools to engage children and young people must have a clear educational context to support the teaching and learning.

This Guide will address standards of behaviour in the context of social media tools, rather than detailed policies and procedures. It is not designed to cover every conceivable situation; therefore emphasis is placed on guiding principles of behaviour that are applicable under the existing policies and guidelines.

Understanding what is within each of the above policies and resources and how they apply to social media tools is an important part of being a professional. The following advice and workshop questions are designed to engage employees both as individuals and as a group in furthering their learning.

It is recognised that schools will need to develop and/or update school-based policies, guidelines and programs to reflect this Guide and meet the needs of their local community.

For more information on the existing instruments, policies and guidelines, see: Scope

Professional learning

Interactive Learning Modules - a social media module was developed as a support resource for the Department's, Using Social Media: Guide for DET employees.

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Using Social Media: Guide for DET Employees

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Cybersafety is a major concern facing schools. Again, this does not only affect children and young people. Department employees in schools are also at risk of misusing social media or being targeted by a disgruntled young person or member of the school community. This is not a new concept.

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Schools & Cyber safety Policy

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If you are an teacher, student, parent, or administrator, you should be following education blogs. Why? Simply because blogs are an ever-increasing way to spark ideas, creativity, and innovation. The following list is a compilation of blogs for those interested in education.

Written by parents, administrators, businessmen, teachers, and administrators, these blogs stand out with their unique style and excellent content.

Take a look.

Traditional Elementary Education

1. Cathy Nelson

Cathy Nelson's blog is for educators and library media specialists who are interested in technology integration in the classroom. She offers help, resources, and ideas from her own personal experience. She won the EduBlog award in 2007 and 2008.

2. Cool Cat Teacher

Cool Cat is a local teacher, author, and non-profit initiator, dedicated to inspiring fellow teachers with innovative and fresh ideas for reaching students in the classroom. Be sure to check out The Captivating Teacher Manifesto.

3. Principals Page

A blog centered on school administration issues. In addition to personal anecdotes, tips, and education philosophy, he writes various articles for other websites that you can find on his site. Examples of his work include The Connection Between Teachers and Smartphones, and how Social Media Connects Educators.

4. Teaching Blog Addict

A blog dedicated to educators who want a one-stop shop for all the best education blogs and resources on the Web. They arrange posts by categories, so teachers looking for ideas in a certain subject can find content quickly and easily.

5. Learning Is Messy

Brian Crosby is the author of this blog and a teacher who specializes in "at risk" students. He shares his ideas for learning in a personal style and encourages other teachers to understand that sometimes learning isn't linear.

6. The Curricullum Corner

This blog is run by two teachers (who happen to also be neighbors), and gives instructional tips for teaching lessons that meet the common core standards.

7. The Organized Classroom Blog

The Organized Classroom is a blog primarily for teachers who need help making their classroom functional and efficient. The website offers free resources, tips, and ideas from local teachers.

8. Polka Dotted Teacher

A fun and whimsical education site for teachers who need to add some color and creativity into their classroom. Her site is in the style of Dr. Seuss.

9. Educational Advancement

This blog is part of a larger website that is dedicated to helping gifted youth. It focuses on news, information, and other resources for parents and teachers of talented children.

Traditional College

10. Omniac Education

The Omniac blog is for high school students who are planning to go to college. The site gives tips for taking college entrance exams, as well as ideas for maximizing the success rate of college applications.

11. Study Hacks

A computer scientist and published author writes this blog about what makes students successful. He chronicles some of his controversial thoughts on why pursuing your passion is a bad idea and gives tips and hints found in his numerous books.

12. Parents Countdown To College Coach

This blog is mainly for parents who might need some extra help in getting their child off to school. Expect to find advice on how to help your child succeed in college, tips about transitioning to a dorm room, as well as financial aid and application resources.

13. ProfHacker

A blog dedicated to helping educators with their productivity, technology integration, as well as teaching. The latest post is an interesting entry about professionalism on social media, an increasing problem that has only been introduced since the explosion of sites like Facebook and Twitter.

14. Thesis Whisperer

The Thesis Whisperer is a collaboration of writers and students who talk about the process of writing a dissertation. Everything from planning your writing process, tips, presentation ideas, and dealing with your supervisor, is covered in this group-authored blog.

15. Teen College Education

A blog written by both students and educators! Topics include admissions to college, high school tips for maximizing college potential, and how to score well on college entrance exams. It even gives practical advice about how to survive on a student budget and what to do after graduation.

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16. University of Venus

The Inside Higher Ed blog is a large site written by numerous authors. It covers everything from technology, to education philosophy, strategies for admissions, and career advice.

17. NextStepU

This blog is associated with the NextStepU magazine. It offers advice about various colleges and degrees, and offers giveaways from time to time. It also has tools like scholarship search and college match.

This blog is attached to the Chegg website; a student services site for planning and study help. The blog gives advice about finding inexpensive textbooks, study habits, and scholarships. Be sure to check out the post, What Does Your Major Say About You?

19. The Ivy Coach

The author of this blog is Bev Taylor, a well-known counselor who is frequently seen on media sites, giving tips about getting into Ivy League schools. Her blog centers on helping students gain entrance into the school of their dream. She also offers herself for hire!

20. Stratedgy

The Stratedgy blog is meant for educators who want to discuss ways to compete in an ever-expanding world of education options.

E-Learning and Edtech

21. Tic Tac Interactive

Tic Tac interactive is Scandinavia's "leader in digital education" - and their blog features some pretty interesting conversations about education.

22. The Daily Riff

From their "About Us" page: As provocateur, muse, catalyst and game changer, The Daily Riff will "sniff and sift" through our edu-culture, "curating" news and opinion in quick, digest-sized take-aways for you to use and share. I think that says it all.

23. ElearnSpace

This site is full of solid information regarding open courseware, technology, education philosophy, and networking. There are slide presentations to go with some of the posts as well.

24. Speed of Creativity

Wesley Fryer is a keynote speaker and author who owns this blog. He explores topics like digital storytelling, creativity and technology integration in education. Many of his presentations, handouts, and other materials are available to read and download.

25. Beth Knittle

Beth Knittle is a technology integration specialist for a K-12 district and blogs about her learning experiences. She has presented at several major education conferences like MassCUE and EduCon. She has an attached Wiki and a scrupulously organized archive page.

26. Edcomp Blog

A lecturer in Scotland at the University of Strathclyde authors this blog. Check out his blog post on creating memorable passwords for middle school students, or his review of text online adventure games. He writes in short post form, making it an easy blog to read when you are short on time.

27. The Tech Savvy Educator

This blog is a practical guide to technology integration. There are posts about using the iPad in the classroom, how to make an inexpensive green screen, as well as starting up an online book club. The owner and author is Ben Rimes, a K-12 technology specialist in Michigan.

28. Will Richardson

Will Richardson is a published author, TED talk presenter, and parent who blogs about technology and its educational potential. His book about web tools for the classroom has sold over 80,000 copies.

29. The Thinking Stick

This blog covers all things technology and education. The author is Jeff Utecht, an educator, consultant, and author. Some of his top tweeted posts are 10 Reasons to Trash Word and Use Google Docs, Gmail Tips for Teachers, and Lecture as Content Delivery is Dead.

30. The Rapid E-Learning Blog

This is a blog all about e-learning. It tackles topics such as how to design e-courses, web applications for e-learning, PowerPoint, graphic design, and interactive e-learning.

31. Life in Perpetual Beta

Harold Jarche's blog is called Life in Perpetual Beta. His topics center on practical tips for leadership, social networking in business, and collaboration. He tackles ideologies of learning and knowledge from a philosophical perspective, adding technological aspects to his writing.

32. The Online Learning Update

The Online Learning Update is a blog about online education news and research. The editor is Ray Schroeder, a University of Illinois professor, and he gathers headlines about university open courseware.

33. E-Learning Queen

Stop at the E-Learning Queen blog and meet the Queen's assistant, Susan Smith Nash. She humorously names her reader the "queen" of e-learning, since you are reading her site. She focuses on distance learning, e-course design, and social/psychological issues surrounding the online education process.

34. Funny Monkey

Funny Monkey blog is highlights all the news and information related to Funny Monkey, a business dedicated to making educational materials free. In addition to news, the blog also covers major educational issues, technology, and classroom solutions.

35. Cammy Bean's Learning Visions

Cammy Bean's Learning Visions blog is about e-learning design. She hosts webinars about the best ways to effectively design e-courses, tools to use, and how to get started.

36. Dangerously Irrelevant

A blog written by Dr. Scott Mcleod that focuses on the problem between exploding technology and the educational system that cannot keep up. Rather than integrating technology into a classroom that is outdated and behind, he offers solutions to these incongruities.

37. The Innovative Educator

This blog focuses on strategies and technology solutions for education that are "way out of the box". Lisa Nielson is the owner and author, having appeared in many well-known publications such as The New York Times and Huffington Post.

Education Policies

38. Best of Education Blog

This Best of Education Blog, hosted by the National Education Policy Center, pulls recent posts from various education bloggers. It covers all education issues including teacher unions, curriculum, technology, policy, and even teacher evaluations.

Sponsored by Bethwether Education Partners, this blog is about education policy and politics. The primary author, Andrew J. Rotherham, served as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton, and currently writes the weekly School of Thought column for Time magazine.

40. Thoughts On Education Policy

This blog primarily focuses on urban poverty as it relates to educational policy. The author Corey Bower became frustrated with the education system after trying to teach in an inner city New York school for two years. Now, he is a professor of leadership at Niagara University. Expect to read posts about frustrating classroom conditions, the differences in high and low performing schools, and why everyone should have a liberal arts education.

Edwize is a blog for education news and opinion. It focuses on New York schools, teachers, and issues. Be sure to check out the section called New Teacher Diaries- real life stories from New York's new public school teachers.

42. Education Experts Blog

This blog's tagline is, "Debating the future of American education." Expect to read posts about politics, testing problems, and other issues plaguing the current educational system.

43. Edspresso

Edspresso's clever name highlights the focus of this blog- a daily morning shot of the latest education news and reform. It covers headlines and politics as it relates to education and is updated frequently.

44. Successful Schools

Scott Taylor is an assistant superintendent and professor at the University level. His blog is listed on Edudemic's website as one of the top education blogs that you should follow. His casual conversational style is easy to read and still packs a powerful and profound punch.

45. Joanne Jacobs

Joanne Jacobs, writer and educator, writes a blog about education in general. A diverse range of topics are covered.

46. Campaign K-12

A blog focusing on education and politics. Current posts center around the campaign trail leading up to the US election in November, and how it relates to education policy.

47. Stories From School

Stories from School was labeled as one of the best educational blogs of 2010. It focuses on real life examples and stories of teachers and how they are impacted by the latest educational policy changes.

Learning Techniques

48. Thank You Brain

This blog focuses on ways to improve your ability to memorize. Dr. Bill Klemm is a neuroscientist, education consultant, and professor who chronicles some of his research on this personal blog.

49. Cerebral Hacks - Education

Cerebral Hacks is a blog about the brain and how it functions. It has a section dedicated to learning and education that educators should check out.

David Warlick cleverly writes his "2 cents" worth of education strategy, measuring success, and how to learn. He admits that often his posts spark more questions than answers.

Update:

No. 51: Thanks to Jerrilyn who asked, where is https://novemberlearning.com/? It's not a website we've visited, but we'll definitely come back!

Andrianes Pinantoan is InformED's editor and part of the marketing team behind Open Colleges. When not working, he can be found reading about two of his favourite subjects: education and psychology. You can find him on Google+ or @andreispsyched.

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Educational Websites for Teachers: 50 Education Blogs You May Not Know About But Should - InformED

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If you are an teacher, student, parent, or administrator, you should be following education blogs. Why? Simply because blogs are an ever-increasing way to spark ideas, creativity, and innovation. The following list is a compilation of blogs for those interested in education. Written by parents, administrators, businessmen, teachers, and administrators, these blogs stand out with...