Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Social Networking

http://tinyurl.com/cpjhoyo
After reading the chapter in our web 2.0 book I liked reading about some of the different ways to use social networking in the classroom.  My favorite part was the section where the talked a student that wrote an essay on a Jane Austen book.  After the student located a fan fiction resource she posted her essay and within 24 hours had 5 people peer review her article.  That right there shows me how useful a social network could be.  I signed up for pinterest a little while ago after my wife showed me all of the educational resources that you could use on it.  They have so many different things that you can use.  One of the first websites I found on pinterest was about the top 200 apps for special education. (http://edudemic.com/2012/02/special-ed-apps/)  I always love using apps with my students when I get  a chance.  Unfortunately our schools don't have Ipads so most of the time I have to let my students use my iPhone.  Pinterest had links to apps on social skills that you can use with your students have trouble in that area.  This would be something great to have when your working in a larger group and some of your students lack social skills.  There are just so many resources available to use.  My favorite thing is that if you come up with something that works you can share it with everyone else.



www.facebook.com
I already have a facebook account.  I found this website http://www.facebook.com/SpecialEducationResourcesForKids that had lots of resources for special education.  Within this facebook page was another website that has a list of resources for a wide range of ages and abilities of students with special needs.  All of the resources they have on the page could be used when working with students with special needs.  Again another benefit of the facebook page is being able to bounce different ideas with other teachers who work with students with special needs.  By joining this social network it gives me the opportunity to talk with other teachers who will understand what I am going through and what I deal with on a typical day.



www.ning.com
I have also signed up the elementary tech teachers ning but I am awaiting approval to the site.  I look forward to using this one as it will help give me ideas on how to integrate all kinds of different technology with my students.  I now see the great benefits of using social networking.  I used to think they were just used to keep up with friends that live far away.  But now I see that it can be used to get perspectives of a large number of colleagues that go through the same things you do on a daily basis.  You can get great ideas from these people and bounce ideas off of them.  Using as many resources as possible and getting input from others in your area is what makes an exceptional teacher in my opinion.

7 comments:

  1. I'm glad to hear you understanding the importance of having a PLN and using social networking sites. The connections and resources are amazing for educators!

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  2. Eric - When you use images on your blog you really should list the sources for your images. Make sure you are aware of copyright laws. Look at this blog post -- http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/2012/03/creativecommons.html

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  3. Thanks for the heads up. I went back and put the website I found and got the pictures from. I'm not a 100% sure if that is the way you cite pictures though. Thanks again.

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  4. On Pinterest you can also search by specific special needs. There are tons of pins for ADHD, Dyslexia and so on. This site: http://bit.ly/Iau7db has a really good article about creating individual technology plans for students with autism.

    I think you're right about the power of the PLN.

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  5. Pinterest sounds like it has some great resources but just can't bring myself to asking my wife how it works. I want to start Manterest for guys to start using but not sure what kind of content would show up on there.

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  6. Thanks for sharing all of these great resources. I had not seen the 200 apps for SPED, what a great list! I am not a SPED teacher, but obviously in every classroom you have your strugglers that can still benefit from these types of resources. I also like the Ning for elementary tech teachers, I must have missed that one. I just requested approval. It amazes me how much is out there for teachers and that I haven't even heard of before! I wish my district would compile a database of these for us!

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  7. "Oh the Places You'll Go" is my all time fav. Dr Seuss book. I love VOKI. I'm going to sign up now and see what else it has to offer. I think I'll be trying this with my students. Thanks for the information.

    ~Hope~

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