Social Media and the 21st Century Learner: Artifacts & Reflections
Course: 5303G Technology & the Curriculum
Professor: Robyn Kay
Artifact #1: Through a written and video component we were asked to chose a technology that we felt was meaningful. Explain in a video how to use it, how it can be used in a classroom, and defend it using theories taught in class.
I have decided to reflect on this assignment as a whole and have provided all of the different components of this project.
Professor: Robyn Kay
Artifact #1: Through a written and video component we were asked to chose a technology that we felt was meaningful. Explain in a video how to use it, how it can be used in a classroom, and defend it using theories taught in class.
I have decided to reflect on this assignment as a whole and have provided all of the different components of this project.
3_effective_uses_for_twitter_in_the_classroom.pdf | |
File Size: | 401 kb |
File Type: |
Reflection:
This assignment has many different parts that culminate to display an understanding of how a specific technology can function usefully in both the educational and in the public sphere. For this assignment I chose Twitter. I had used this medium in other courses and found that it had a lot of potential to reach 21st Century Learners.
It is interesting to note that I do not use twitter in my personal life. Everything I tweet about is related to a course. I find that the majority of the people who I know do not tweet and are either on Facebook or they text. I do see the potential for the use of twitter or the concept of twitter as a viable learning tool. Twitter can be used to teach the concept of brevity and reflection. It's 140 character limit is difficult to master especially when you have a lot to say, so it forces the user to get their point across in a succinct way. As well, it can allow for individuals to respond to others tweets in order to create a meaningful dialogue.
As a social networking tool, Twitter has proven time and again it's ability to reach a wide audience. One just has to look at the Entertainment industry to see the impact of Twitter. However, like most social media use in a classroom, Twitter has to be monitored by the teacher in order to scan for inappropriate comments.Overall, twitter is a social media tool that can be used effectively in the classroom. The main premise of short and concise informational messages can be translated easily to educational lessons. It appeals to students who already tweet and brings the use of technology into the classroom.
This assignment has many different parts that culminate to display an understanding of how a specific technology can function usefully in both the educational and in the public sphere. For this assignment I chose Twitter. I had used this medium in other courses and found that it had a lot of potential to reach 21st Century Learners.
It is interesting to note that I do not use twitter in my personal life. Everything I tweet about is related to a course. I find that the majority of the people who I know do not tweet and are either on Facebook or they text. I do see the potential for the use of twitter or the concept of twitter as a viable learning tool. Twitter can be used to teach the concept of brevity and reflection. It's 140 character limit is difficult to master especially when you have a lot to say, so it forces the user to get their point across in a succinct way. As well, it can allow for individuals to respond to others tweets in order to create a meaningful dialogue.
As a social networking tool, Twitter has proven time and again it's ability to reach a wide audience. One just has to look at the Entertainment industry to see the impact of Twitter. However, like most social media use in a classroom, Twitter has to be monitored by the teacher in order to scan for inappropriate comments.Overall, twitter is a social media tool that can be used effectively in the classroom. The main premise of short and concise informational messages can be translated easily to educational lessons. It appeals to students who already tweet and brings the use of technology into the classroom.
Course: EDUC 5199G Special Topic in Education & Digital Technology: Computer Assisted Language Learning
Professor: Allyson Eamer
Artifact #2: Scoop it-- Curation assignment
For this assignment we were asked to collect online articles relevant to a particular theme within CALL using a program such as Curate, ScoopIt, Evernote, or Educlipper. A minimum of 20 articles with one-paragraph annotations was expected.
Review:
For this assignment I chose the site ScoopIt to display my articles. The theme that I chose was that: erosion of language through the use of social media and technology. I chose this as one of my artifacts because I found that this site lends itself well to the creation of community. Within two Scoop's I was already apart of a wider community. Based on the topic of your scoops the site finds members that have similar interests and connects you with others. It is your choice whether or not to make that connection a reality, but it is interesting to see what others are doing.
As well, it allows you to be able to view other articles that individuals have found and to add it to your site. This in turn creates a link between you and another person through a similar interest. Unlike other social media where you can connect through personal messages, this is a site that is purely designed to connect to others through your interests. I found that to be an interesting way to connect to others. It takes away the personal aspect and focuses purely on the interest itself. Although you can comment on articles, the initial contact is made through the article. For the 21st Century Learner this would be an interesting way for them to learn. In that it would force them to focus on a particular topic and be able to find information pertaining to that topic. Creating a type of online repository for information.
This site allows for collaboration through curation and in fact creates communities based purely on interest. This appeals to me especially for security reasons. Given the security concerns that social media can create, this site allows for anonymity through posting. What I mean is that the article which is not written by you, can be curated by you and reflects your interest in a topic. Admittedly, individuals might use this interest as way to contact you, but in general from what I have seen contact has only be made by re-scooping articles and through comments.
I think that this idea can be used in the 21st Century classroom with or without the internet. It is definitely adaptable to off line use and could create a really interesting in class assignment. While doing it I had to consistently refocus myself on what my topic was. It is very easy to be sidetracked by interesting articles that have nothing to do with your topic. This refocusing was admittedly difficult but useful, and given how wide open search engines can be it is important to be able to teach critical awareness and specificity.
Professor: Allyson Eamer
Artifact #2: Scoop it-- Curation assignment
For this assignment we were asked to collect online articles relevant to a particular theme within CALL using a program such as Curate, ScoopIt, Evernote, or Educlipper. A minimum of 20 articles with one-paragraph annotations was expected.
Review:
For this assignment I chose the site ScoopIt to display my articles. The theme that I chose was that: erosion of language through the use of social media and technology. I chose this as one of my artifacts because I found that this site lends itself well to the creation of community. Within two Scoop's I was already apart of a wider community. Based on the topic of your scoops the site finds members that have similar interests and connects you with others. It is your choice whether or not to make that connection a reality, but it is interesting to see what others are doing.
As well, it allows you to be able to view other articles that individuals have found and to add it to your site. This in turn creates a link between you and another person through a similar interest. Unlike other social media where you can connect through personal messages, this is a site that is purely designed to connect to others through your interests. I found that to be an interesting way to connect to others. It takes away the personal aspect and focuses purely on the interest itself. Although you can comment on articles, the initial contact is made through the article. For the 21st Century Learner this would be an interesting way for them to learn. In that it would force them to focus on a particular topic and be able to find information pertaining to that topic. Creating a type of online repository for information.
This site allows for collaboration through curation and in fact creates communities based purely on interest. This appeals to me especially for security reasons. Given the security concerns that social media can create, this site allows for anonymity through posting. What I mean is that the article which is not written by you, can be curated by you and reflects your interest in a topic. Admittedly, individuals might use this interest as way to contact you, but in general from what I have seen contact has only be made by re-scooping articles and through comments.
I think that this idea can be used in the 21st Century classroom with or without the internet. It is definitely adaptable to off line use and could create a really interesting in class assignment. While doing it I had to consistently refocus myself on what my topic was. It is very easy to be sidetracked by interesting articles that have nothing to do with your topic. This refocusing was admittedly difficult but useful, and given how wide open search engines can be it is important to be able to teach critical awareness and specificity.