On-line Social Media Tools Project

Vercilya Armstrong, Kaleena Craddock, Angela Gantt, Carrie Nenstiel, Rozanne Patten, Sharmaine Pernell

PROS• Ease of communication•Builds communication skills• Exchange of ideas• Engages students• Prepares students for a world that incorporates technology

CONS• May Limit More Personal Face-to Face

Contact• Social Media allows people to communicate without

physically spending time together. (Limits Actual Meetings)• Too much social media and not enough personal contact

can cause problems with social skills.• Relationships are not as personal.

• Distractions• Time Consuming

CONS• Possibility of Privacy Infringement• Phishing scams•Malware infections• Identity Theft

• Misinterpretation• Written Language can easily be misunderstood• You can’t hear someone’s tone of voice• You can’t see someone’s facial expressions or

body language

CONS• Social Media is constantly changing•Can be difficult to keep up with new rules and regulations•Can be time-consuming to learn new processes

• Technical Difficulties• Internet problems•Difficulty with accessories

Facebook • Do you have a username/password?• How do I post a comment?• Was it easy to use?

Discussion Board• Have you ever used the discussion board?• How is it organized? • What do the new terms mean?• How do I create a thread?• How do I respond to someone else?

Online Social Media Skills

Online Social Media Skills

Blogs• What is a blog?• How do I post?• How do I comment?

Collaborate• What is Java?• How do I launch a session?• What do I do to talk?• How do I fix the problems?

Successes of the Social Media Project

Facebook•Very Familiar• Easy to Navigate•Ability to access from multiple devices•Able to relate to each other on a personal level

Discussion Threads/ Blogs•Able to share what you’ve learn as it relates to your personal experiences

Wimba/Collaborate•Able to share thoughts freely•Able to discuss teaching strategies openly• Required little/no additional technology or devices

Challenges of Online Social Media Tools Project

• Technology is unpredictable.• There was hardly any participation from the international

students.• Not everyone was familiar with Facebook and was weary

about letting others they weren’t familiar with view their information.

• All of the different components of collaborate were not fully utilized.

• Only a few people could talk at a time on collaborate, and those that couldn’t talk were typing comments in the chat box.

• It was difficult to listen to the comments being made by the talkers and try to read the typed comments by others at the same time.

Social Media and Cultural Diversity

• The United States has a rich tradition of racial and cultural diversity that, until recently, was not represented in most textbooks and classrooms.

• Celebrating Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Native American Heritage Month draws attention to the contributions of cultures to U.S. history and contemporary life.

• The study of these American cultures should be part of instruction throughout the year, in all subjects.

Why should you use Social Media to enhance diversity in the classroom?

• In today’s time social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Collaborate, Blogging, and more can be some of the best places to find information on the subjects students are covering in school.

• Teachers have started integrating these tools into their

curriculum with positive results from their students.

• Social Media tools opens up a world of communication for students to take advantage of.

• Students are able to explore and communicate with a number of culturally diverse students.

Social Media Strategies• Edmodo- It is a good way to immerse students into a

controlled social learning network for free. • What’s Edmodo? Social media tools such as Edmodo

help students to collaborate with their group members as if they were using Facebook, Blackboard, Blogging, or participating in a discussion thread. It also has a mobile app.

• Facebook – This is a good place to celebrate students and their successes.

• Twitter- It can be used to send out calendar notices, classroom tips, celebrations, links, polls, and reminders.

It can also be used for quick formative assessments.

References

http://gettingsmart.com/cms/blog/2011/12/developing-a-social-media-strategy-for-your-classroom/

YouTube Video on utilizing social media tool Edmodo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjbKzWCMktE