11 Underlying Assumptions Of Digital Literacy 11 Underlying Assumptions Of Digital Literacy In understanding the shift from literacy to digital literacy–or rather to understand them both in their own native contexts–it may help to take a look at the underlying assumptions of digital literacy. This means looking at what’s changing, why it’s changing, and what that means for education. 1. Put another way: We should promote the cognitive growth of the kinds of “things” that help people make their lives better. 2. Put another way: Reading and writing are common and critical. 3. Put another way: Literacy isn’t any one thing, but rather represents a person’s ability and tendency to communicate and be communicated to. 4. Put another way: Through practice, media users will, for better or for worse, “get better” at communicating through technology. 5. Put another way: Literacy is crazy important. 6. Put another way: Technology isn’t just about connecting; ideas are like fluid, adapting to the vessels that hold them. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
6 Ways Social Media Will Change In 2014 When the clocks flip and 2013 becomes 2014, some things may change. One that probably won’t is that you’ll still be using social media in your classroom. We know that technology and trends are changing all the time, so what will 2014 hold in store for social media? The handy infographic below takes a look at 6 trends and predictions for social media in the new year. While it is somewhat geared towards businesses, each one has implications in both the classroom and for personal use as well. Do any of these signal changes for your classroom? Social media is not an option – it is a must!
20 Top Pinterest Tips Are you Pinteresting? Well, lots of educators are. The PEW Research Center has found that 28 percent of online users are using Pinterest (compared to only 23 percent using Twitter). Women dominate Pinterest with 42 percent of women online using the site. Pinterest is different from other sites. Tip 1: Follow Boards or People Pinterest has a useful feature that lets you just follow just one board. Tip 2: Find Your Friends One of the fastest ways to build your PLN on a site is to find the friends you already email or follow. Tip 3: Make a Board When You Need It Make boards as you find a reason to use them. Tip 4: Make a Group Board Curate with others when you go to a conference or when you're brainstorming about a topic. Tip 5: Make Private Boards When planning for prom several years ago, my students and I had a private Pinterest board where we shared ideas. You can find a spot for up to three private boards if you scroll down below your other boards. Tip 6: Bulk Move or Copy Pins
The Myth Of Digital Citizenship And Why We Need To Teach It Anyway At one time in the not so distant past there were no cell phones. And then everything changed at a rate faster than the speed of amending a student handbook. I can distinctly remember the first time one of my 8th grade students brought a cell phone to school. We had no specific rule established for cell phone use. “Sam they are texting each other. I didn’t see the problem the same way my peers did. “Um, isn’t this kinda just like passing notes?” “No Sam, it isn’t. “I get that it’s new technology. “Sam, it’s like you didn’t hear us. It made me wonder. We tend to forget is if we teach clear and comprehensive expectations about behavior we have pretty much all our technology bases covered in regard to digital citizenship. Why? Fast forward to my time as Dean of Students at a high school. We already had the appropriate policies and expectations in place. How would a good citizen handle this technology? Is your use respectful, responsible, and safe? That’s it. Image Credit: Flickr
Check Out That Selfie: How to Use Social Media in the Classroom Although many teachers agree using social media in the classroom would be beneficial for students' academic engagement, most avoid using those tools for a fear of conflicts that could arise in confrontations with parents and students. A recent survey from the University of Phoenix College of Education that surveyed more than 1,000 teachers found 47 percent of all K-12 teachers said participation in social media platforms could help enhance their students' education, and about four out of five use social media for personal use. Still, a large majority (80 percent) say they're concerned about separating their personal and professional lives and worry that they haven't been properly trained to use social media in a professional setting. [READ: How Virtual Games Can Help Struggling Students Learn] Controversy has surrounded teachers’ use of social media and whether posts -- both about students and about their personal lives -- can be used as grounds for termination. More News:
How The Best Web Tools Fit Into Bloom's Digital Taxonomy There are some very popular tools and apps out there. We showcase a boatload of them here on Edudemic. But there’s been a growing trend of figuring out how to actually integrate all these together and how to effectively use the best web tools to enhance learning in the classroom. One of the most powerful visualizations to date has been the fabulous Padagogical Wheel (with an ‘a’ instead of an ‘e’) that shows how to integrate iPads into just about everything like SAMR and beyond. Now there’s a new visual guide that you should check out. It’s a pyramid that I spotted on Pinterest here . Creation I really like how you can easily tell which tools and apps work best on each level. Evaluating Next level down is evaluating which showcases one of my favorite learning resources: YouTube. Analyzing In the analyzing level, we see the Google Earth icon. Applying In the applying level, you can’t go wrong trying out Evernote in the classroom . Understanding Remembering
Digital Citizenship We will be focusing on discussing Digital Citizenship over the next two weeks in the library, and how to be safe while on the internet. I created a poster and coordinating bookmarks to give to the students to aid in this discussion, especially with the younger students. I have placed these on my TpT store in case you might be able to use them too. Update: Well, after doing the lesson all day, I've come to realize that I needed a few things to make the lesson go smoother. While the poster is great, I spent time writing and/or drawing the 4 main pieces (the head, the heart, the belly/gut, and the feet) with my younger kids to begin to introduce the topic. So, I updated my unit to include a picture of just the boy, and then larger pictures of the explanation pieces so that you can literally "build" the poster as you talk about the issues. I hope you find them useful!
Top 10 Social Media Competencies for Teachers Infographic Social Learning Infographics Online social networking is a game changer in the learning landscape. The potential of social media in education is huge and we need to capitalize on it to enhance our professional development and consequently improve the quality of our instruction. The Top 10 Social Media Competencies for Teachers Infographic presents ten crucial social learning and educational networking skills for 21st century teachers: Help students use educational networking tools to solve information problems and communicate digitally with experts, peers and instructors.Know the major Web 2.0 categories and tools that are useful in the K-12 setting. Via: www.educatorstechnology.com Embed This Education Infographic on your Site or Blog!
18 Ways iPads Are Being Used In Classrooms Right Now iPads are quickly becoming a popular and powerful educational tool for classrooms. Beyond the immediate benefit of engaging students, iPads can improve education efficiency and standards. However, many teachers are unsure of how to use them effectively. Coupled with concerns over the costs involved, iPad implementation in schools is seen as an unnecessary and expensive risk. As the case studies below demonstrate, iPads are being used in education environments around the world with great success. Teachers can have paperless classrooms, take attendance, share interactive presentations and test their students—all on their iPad. So just what are they doing? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. Similarly, First Words Animals aids with letter and word identification. 18.
Digital Citizenship PSAs from Grade 3 SY 2013-14 | Libraries Impact Learning Third grade students have been learning about being a good digital citizen from the lessons and games played to earn Digital Passport badges from Common Sense Media. At the end, they are inspired to tell everyone the important lessons they’ve learned in a form of a PSA. You can view them by clicking here or click on the images below. To reflect on Digital Citizenship, third grade students published an ebook using Little Bird Tales to provide feedback about the lessons from Digital Passport modules and connecting it to Hawaiian values. Room 301 Belle Brensen Breylin Chancen Charlize Ella Kahala Kala Kamalu Kekai Lauren Micah Miles Pono Puahone RJ Sage Tiana Zayah Zoey Room 302 Aiden Bryson Chasity Dynasty Hailey Ikaika Isaac Jordyn Kash Kahiau Kamanu Kawena Kiaʻi Lynox Makena Maya Mehana Nadia Priya Sydney Room 303 Alohilani Bella Brylan Cyrus Daniel Emma Isis Kahiau Jodi-ann Jamin Jayden Kylie Liam Mason Mia Paige Pono Sean Shaye Taylor Room 304