The second new social media site I chose is not new to me, but I need to be a bit more organized while using it. I love Pinterest for lots of reasons, but my biggest reason for even joining was to look for classroom ideas. I tend to just type in a category or subject and scroll through to look for things. I tried to be more conscientious of who I enjoy seeing pins from. I tried to follow certain people so their ideas show up in my feed more often now. I also got the idea from a fellow classmate that I should be adding the blogs I like to my Feedly account. (Thanks, Deb.) One of my favorites is http://www.3rdgradegridiron.com/
With so much information at our fingertips, I think it's important to remember that when we are searching for things to use in our classrooms that we are responsible for knowing what our students need. Just because the ideas out there worked for one teacher and class, doesn't mean it will work for all students and teachers. The social networking is awesome and CAN save us time, but could also be a complete waste of time if we don't stay focused on what we are trying to find for our students. I get distracted by other links and other posts very often. I have to keep myself on task or I find I have wasted an hour reading blogs when I should have been creating or fine tuning my lessons for the next few days.
Amy, thank you for sharing that link with us. I am really looking forward to using google+ and all it's capabilities. I really like google handouts. I love that you can share screens and files while you chat. It's also very easy to use! All of these tools just make collaboration easier and more fun.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up some really great points. Whenever we find lessons or ideas that others have done that work, or at least they claim have worked, we need to be sensitive to the unique classroom-teacher relationships that made that lesson productive. I know that I personally have done many lessons with one period that were awesome, and then the same lesson does not go over as well with a group of students later in the day. For whatever reason, the dynamics of a classroom change with the personalities that are in them therefore effecting how well a lesson is received. There are so many variables that effect our classrooms and our ability to adapt on the fly is what makes this profession an art and not a science. However, I am starting to realize that my role in this process has to change. I know that I need to use more technology and become more of a facilitator in my class. I think that is where PLN's can be effective. I am able to search for the things that I feel I need for my own classroom as opposed to having to filter through traditional PD days often leaving disappointed because nothing productive or practical ever comes from them.
ReplyDeleteAmy I enjoyed reading your post! I enjoy using Pinterest! I have gotten better with Feedly and using Blogger more to follow more classroom chats. I have honestly not done a lot with Google+ but willing to look into the benefits it has to offer.
ReplyDelete