teacher tech talk [part 1]

Twitter. 

Gah. 

I posted my very first tweet at the conference.  

So far I have been resistant to this form of social media. I’m lackluster at facebook, try blogging, prowl pinterest, and am avid on instagram. My experience in twitter so far was it was something my students used to stalk Stephen Curry during choice time, and whenever my back was turned. But then I was forced, more like peer-pressured, into twitter and I saw it. There are a lot of people with really good ideas tweeting them. 

Social media, has shifted in my life from knowing everyone’s life details, to bringing images and ideas that inspire good thoughts and ideas. Living in a very small, secluded community finding like-minded individuals is difficult. But here, on social media, I can bring in fresh perspectives and ideas. 

After a long, cold winter spent in the same square mile outside ideas are vital. Knowing this personal value, I have begun to wonder if my students might find value in it as well. If I’m finding inspiration in the work of artists and creatives all over the world, maybe my students could use this same tool to find inspiration in the things they are passionate about. 

I realize this may be the golden boy himself, but did you know he is a strong family man that shares positive thoughts on how much he loves his kids? This is a good influence. 

I would like to see other good influences given voice in my classroom. My students have good ideas and so do their peers.  I would like to follow the advice of Davis (2015) and let “students reflect about learning and classroom happenings,” as well as have the ability to, “connect to other classrooms through social media.” This might take shape through a class twitter feed or even on our class dojo site. 

And for providing that insight I am now following Vicki Davis, as well as: Dr. Lee Graham, Lee Cockett, Kali Root, edutopia, and yes, even Steph Curry. I’ll be on the hunt for more voices to bring into my teaching frame of view. I would love to connect with more teachers on the Yukon especially others teaching 6th grade in the district. I feel that connecting our classroom to other classrooms is a positive step in encouraging community-wide collaboration and inquiry. Seeing what other students are learning and making has huge potential. 

Source:

Davis, V. (2015, February 19). A Guidebook for Social Media in the Classroom. Retrieved June 23, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis