What applications appeal to you? Now that you know more about Twitter and Facebook, pay attention to where you hear references to them in the every day world. How do you think you might use these tools?
I never thought I would create an account on Facebook. I really thought it was for the young kids and not something I wanted to do. After reading all the reasons to do it, I am now very excited that I have created an account. My account has only been out there for less than 24 hours and I have connected with friends I haven't communicated with in a very long time. In fact I had received an e-mail that a group wanted me to join Facebook because that was the way they were going to start communicating. (A friend even before I became connected!) Does this appeal to me, Yes! I am so glad I read the suggestion to not get carried away with this. I will have to set my limits or will get nothing done. I am trying Twitter but, this is a little more difficult to find other tweeters. I will give this a little more time and see what happens.
I will be using Facebook for family and friends at this time. I'm not sure what I will use Twitter for as I don't know if it can be used at school.
Why do you think MySpace and other social networking sites are so popular with kids today? What safety tips would you share with your students who are talking about using social networks?
Students love to stay connected with each other and the social networks are the ticket. I had my fourth and fifth graders signing up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge and they went wild. It allowed the students to create a profile which included creating an avatar. They could message by selecting a response and there were tons of other games and activities to do. I could not believe the excitement. The site also included safety tips that I discussed with the students.
I really liked the suggestion, only put on your facebook what you would have on your desk for your boss to see. It gave me the idea that all students should be required to have a facebook account and they should be assigned to a teacher who would "walk" by their desk. Wouldn't that be a real world experience. If we are going to instruct students for real world experiences, let's give them one.
Twitter can be accessed by phone so, I can see this as a great learning tool if we allow cell phones in school. I know our high school has been discussing allowing cells phones at school. Someone suggested that students could respond to what books they are reading on Twitter and this sounded like a good idea. My question is, how do you limit the users on your twitter account? As I said before, I need to explore and network the ins and outs of Twitter.
This Thing has been fun and I look forward to doing more.
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It is amazing how quickly you can connect with old friends through the online networks. You have certainly provided evidence of this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the info and kids’ reactions to the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge – very interesting. I completely agree with what you wrote, we need to be working with our young people on online networking sooner rather than later, or worse – never. We know that even our early elementary-aged kids are now using social networks to play games and connect with others virtually ( Webkinz, Club Penguin, etc.)
Side note: People can also browse and post to Facebook through smartphones.