Dom's Digest

Should We Or Shouldn't We? Image source - BookWidgets Most people would agree that social media is a major part of our students' lives.  Where there may be some dissent is on whether teachers should incorporate social media in the classroom, and if so, to what extent?  In light of the recent high-profile news story of the Parkland student who had his Harvard admission revoked due to racist comments made online, I decided to take a look an an article on not only using social media in the classroom as a tool, but teaching  social media use as well. The Article Image source - TeachersWithoutBorders The article I read was "A Guidebook for Social Media in the Classroom" by Vicki Davis.  Here is a link to the article  on Edutopia.org .  The opening of the article was very effective in drawing me in to the writer's point of view that social media should be used as another tool in the classroom; it is aligned very closely with my belief that it is unreal

Digital Tattoos Image source - Campgorundsigns.com If you are fond of travelling and experiences in nature as I am, odds are you have encountered something like this sign.  And while it is good advice in natural settings, it's basically impossible in digital ones.  Outside, the idea is that footprints will fade, become covered up or wash away over time.  Online, however, we need to consider our footprints more like being placed in wet cement.  This is the idea of our digital tattoo:  what we post online never truly leaves. Data Mining Myself This week I explored my own digital tattoo by performing some data mining.  I used several resources to try to dig up as much information on myself as I could, paying special attention to look for photos or things I didn't think should be in the public record.  My feeling going in was that I would not have much in the way of a digital tattoo.  While my feeling was basically confirmed, there were some interesting discoveries alo

Building a Professional Learning  Network Image source - Twitter.com About a month ago, I set out to develop a professional learning network (or PLN) via Twitter.  I have long had a personal Twitter account, but that is mostly about following sports, news and my hobbies.  So I started a brand new professional Twitter handle with the same name as this blog: @DomsEdTech .   Who To Follow?   Image source - PostPlanner.com Twitter is a social network, so just making an account is sort of like just walking around your block talking and hoping the right person will engage you in a conversation.  I needed to find the right accounts to follow in order to develop those professional learning resources I was after.  I began by identifying 15 accounts -- some were people, some publications and some professional organizations -- to follow.  I monitored these accounts for "news I could use" and retweeted out particularly poignant links.  It wasn't all perfect on the f

Connecting to Students and Parents Special education is always a joint effort between teachers, students, parents and related service providers.  This week, I decided to take a first look at Remind , a tool designed for educators to contact parents and students securely on their phones.  Many of my colleagues have mentioned its utility and ease of use, but I had not had the opportunity to use it myself.  The narrated screencast I created and attached will walk you through the first steps of exploring the tool along with me. So Will I Use It? After speaking with two colleagues in preparation for this little app exploration and then "noodling around" with it myself, I am impressed.  I already use Google Classroom quite a bit to provide students with links and resources, and while parents can be invited there it doesn't really connect with them like a text message, which is what Remind really seems to do.  In short, I definitely see myself using this tool moving f

Teens & Social Media Image source - FreeStockPhotos.biz This week I had the opportunity to read 2 articles from the Pew Research Center  related to teen attitudes on and use of social media.  According to their website, "Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world". The first was titled Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018 , published May 31, 2018.  While this article has a truly impressive amount of interesting statistics on teen social media use, one in particular really jumped off the page: 45% of teens use the internet almost constantly. Image source - Pxhere.com Not only did the sheer number of teens identifying their use as almost constant surprise me, but also the rate of growth from the last data point -- in 2014-2015, only 24% reported that level of use.  From my own practice, I can see the students' use of 1:1 technology in the classroom as a contributing fa

Padlet brainstorm of an active learning lesson - Image source: personal screenshot  Making Student Stakeholders Image source: Forbes.com If you are my age, there's a good chance your school experiences were very  teacher-directed.  Teachers taught and students learned.  That meant that the teacher stood in front of the class and lectured while writing on the board or an overhead while students listened, took notes and completed lots of drill and practice at their own seats.  In case I've accidentally made this sound engaging, I've included a look at students going through a typical lesson this way.   Active learning involves the student in the learning process as an active participant instead of as an audience member.  Students get engaged by connecting with the information as stakeholders.  They reflect, discuss, and act on in formation.  They may self-assess.  Teachers become facilitators for active learning.   Supporting Active Learners This week, tw