January 31st, 2016 Dear Parent/Guardian, I am contacting you about the use of technology and social media as a part of our learning practice in the classroom. As you know we live in an ever progressing world of technology, and although technology’s use is not necessary in all instances, it is now a large part of most professions, as well as daily life. Therefore, it is my goal as an educator to use these technologies in the classroom as a way of not only enriching my teaching practices and student learning, but also to help students prepare for the future by teaching them how to use technology and social media appropriately and productively. Over the course of this semester students will asked to use various sites as to develop, edit, and submit class work and assignments. These sites may include, but are not limited to: Google Documents, Google Classroom, Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest, Circles, D2L, eLearning, vLearning, bLearning, Tumblr and other blogging sites. Within the classroom the use of technology will be monitored, however, students may need to complete some assignments on their own time and this is where I ask for your support and assistance in the guidance of your son or daughter’s technology use at home. All assignments and detailed instructions can be found on my educational website [INCLUDE LINK], along with a link to school policies and guidelines regarding the appropriate use of technology and social media in the classroom. If you have any questions or concerns, or just want to know how your son or daughter is doing, please feel free to email me at [email protected] anytime, or contact me via the school phone line [INCLUDE SCHOOL # and Extension] . Sincerely, Intermediate/Senior Teacher - Visual Arts and Mathematics
District School Board of Niagara 191 Carlton Street St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 7P4
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As a 21st century teacher, I believe that I am holding true to my new responsibilities. While I still see value in using the “chalk and talk” style, I understand that this method of teaching is not effective or desirable for all learning styles, and thus see the necessity in incorporating a variety of strategies, lessons and technologies in the classroom. I know that currently my technological confidence and knowledge are lacking, and so I have enrolled myself in Brock University’s “Integrated Technology Additional Qualification” in order to expand my technology knowledge and learn how to effectively incorporate technology into my daily classes. I also spend two days a week volunteering in other teachers classroom, observing and learning from their daily routines and lessons, and discussing ideas about other lessons or strategies that could be used. With these experiences, I can see myself growing as an educator. Each day I absorb more tools to use in my role as an educational leader; guiding students to discover and learn on their own, and meld their lessons into an enjoyable experience that they will remember for far longer than any lecture.
Image by Mia MacMeekin from https://anethicalisland.wordpress.com/ Social media plays a huge role in the everyday lives of our students, and thus has become something that needs to be addressed in their education. Social media has the ability to be a very effective tool, if used wrong can do a lot of damage. So we ask ourselves as teachers; how can we teach safe and appropriate use of the sites?
so·cial me·di·a noun
Examples of popular social media include: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Tumblr, Google+, Pintrest, Linkedin, Flickr, Reddit, Vine, Snapchat, D2L, dropbox, and school websites. How can teachers use Social Media in the classroom as both, part of the instructional approach in teaching as well as helping students understand the online web 2.0 environment?
The diversity in social media currently available makes the possibilities for it’s application in the classroom extensive. Some of the educational benefits of Social media platforms include the ability to:
Do you remember back in high school when you reached grade 11 or 12 and your teachers, friends and family started to ask: "What do you want to do when you grow up? What's your plan after high school?" Did any of us really have a definite answer at that point? I know I didn't. I was afraid I would disappoint my family if my response was "I don't know", but I didn't want to rush into anything and waste time and money I didn't have, so I found the courage and admitted I needed a little more time to figure it out.
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Candace BlackA story of my transition into teaching, and the educational tools and life lessons collected along the way. Archives
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