MYSA - Events - Semester 2 International Travelling Scholars from Canada Alec and George Couros - working together to deliver workshops across Australia 20 July - 10 August Learn more about open learning, social media and critical literacy Anywhere, anytime, anyone: transitioning toward 21st century learning We are currently exiting the age of the personal computer and entering a new mobile reality. Emerging technologies now provide us with the tools to drastically transform our learning environments, and for the first time in history, learners now have the technical ability to learn anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. Major topics discussed will include: social media tools and networks in teaching and learning personal learning networks for always-on professional development digital citizenship & digital identity digital portfolios royalty-free (copyleft) media in presentations and projects digital storytelling open & connected learning. Dr Alec Couros Blog Twitter: George Couros Workshop Locations
Tweeting For Schools Awhile ago, I wrote a post entitled, “What Should A Networked Educational Leader Tweet About?“, which was meant to be a guide to administrators new to Twitter on tweeting and sharing information using this social media tool. It is something that I am hoping all educators can use, but I obviously think that administrators should really understand the important use of social media in schools. As our own school division and schools all over the world are starting to use organizational Twitter accounts to connect, I wanted to write a post on how a school or educational institution can use Twitter effectively. Here are some ideas to start you with the process: School Announcements- This is probably the way Twitter is used most often with school accounts but sometimes it is the only way. With the information above, it is important that you do not take this lightly.
What My PLN Means to Me #whynetworksmatter A PLN isn't a new concept. For years, teachers have had friends, family, and neighbors who helped them grow professionally. Before Twitter, we had stoops and back porches. We had clubs and groups that actually met in person. We had chats that didn't require hash tags. I know that face-to-face networks seem more authentic. It's for this reason that I feel grateful for my online personal learning network. When I yelled at a student and felt like quitting my job, I couldn't share the moment in the staff lounge. Over the years, this network has felt more like a real community. I have Skyped and Hungout with Russ, Matt, Jeremy and others who were once an avatar on my screen And I hung out in person with Patrick, Dean, Angela, Joan and others at the Blogger's Cafe at ISTE - or, in the case of Jeff, hung out with someone local who I never managed to meet in Phoenix. I've joked around with made-up hash tags (#pencilchat #rockstarteacher). On some level, it's been personal.
Free ICT Technology help videos for teachers Video Notes This looks like a superb tool. Allows you to add notes to any YouTube Video and then save them. You can then open your notes, click on any part of the video and it will play that part of the video. I think I am going to love this tool. I have been looking for something like this for ages Take notes from your youTube videos-Superb Tool for studying Pinterest Pinterest is really a visual way of bookmarking your favourite websites, pictures, videos etc. Livebinders Really impressive tool that has lots of potential for e-Portfolios and collaborative work. Scribblemaps Add pictures, text, routes and much more onto an interactive map and then share it. Fotobabble Upload a picture, add your voice and share. Working with the Corpus of Contemporary American English Great trainin from Phil Longwell on using the COCA corpus. A simple way of doing Audio Recordings A really simple way of doing Audio recordings which allows you to add them as links or save as MP3 files.
The A-Z Dictionary of Educational Twitter Hashtags Whether you’re a new or seasoned Twitter user, you likely come across confusing hashtags that probably look like a bunch of nonsense. First, What’s A Hashtag? The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keyword or topic in a Tweet. Any Twitter user can categorize or follow topics with hashtags.Those hashtags (usually) mean something and are a great way to get a tweet to appear in search results or discussion monitoring. For example, the popular #edchat hashtag is used by thousands of users every Tuesday. How To Hide Your Hashtag Chat From Followers When having a Twitter #hashtag chat, if you want to avoid overwhelming your followers, start any tweet you want to “hide” with @HideChat or (one character shorter) @HideTag . You don’t need to do this with all your chat tweets (though you could). Sources That’s why it’s probably helpful for you to check out the following list of popular educational hashtags. The Most Popular Hashtags #edchat – Education, worldwide (lots of US teachers).
Why Social Networks Matter in Teaching The question posed by Dr. Alec Couros is “Why do (social) networks matter in teaching & learning?” The positive benefits of the accumulation of ideas and projects in whatever format--Pinterest, Edmodo, Sharemylesson--do matter to teaching. Perhaps, though, these deserve a different category or title? We can opt to interact or not. Maybe the question would work better as "Why do social networks matter to teachers and learners?" Twitter chats or Google Hangouts, in their synchronous functioning are not unlike just getting together in a F2F group after school or a "teacher happy hour". Finally, what really seems to stand out to me is the joy of finding like-minded educators and thinkers (ASCD, Edutopia). "The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. In my relatively cold online world, I find a warm sense of belonging.
5 Opportunities to Get iPods & iPads Into Your Classroom Educators often question how they can acquire iPods and iPads to use in their own classrooms, especially when so many districts are experiencing serious budget crunches. Many feel that that it just isn’t possible because their districts don’t have the money or don’t believe mobile technology is worth investing in. I know how you feel; I have been there. And here’s my advice: stop waiting for the district, and start taking your own steps to make the change in your classroom on your own. When I first began using iPods and iPads in the classroom, it was long before the touch-screen era. Here are five opportunities I took advantage of in order to start opening the doors to mobile learning in my classroom, and eventually in my district: The first iPod in my classroom was my personal iPod (that I bought off eBay). DonorsChoose’s slogan is “Teachers ask. Let’s face it, iPods and iPads have become incredibly popular consumer devices over the last few years. 3,710 views, 34 today
Ce que vous devez savoir à propos des hashtags sur Twitter Twitter est le réseau social qui se repose le plus sur les hashtags. Bien pratique pour suivre un live tweet ou un sujet qui buzz, le hashtag sur Twitter permet de trouver énormément de news sur un sujet précis, mais aussi aux utilisateurs de trouver votre tweet. Cette infographie réalisée par Social Caffeine nous explique pourquoi il est important d’utiliser les hashtags et dispense quelques statistiques intéressantes. Via
Teachers – The 10 Stages of Twitter Stage 1 Sign up to twitter following persuasion/pestering by colleagues. Follow Stephen Fry, a famous sportsman/popstar and a news channel. Stage 2 Overhear colleagues chatting about twitter and a great article they found. Stage 3 Think about posting first tweet. Stage 4 Upon realising you have no followers ask colleagues how to get them? Stage 5 Have a mini twitter conversation with colleague, even retweet a couple of statements. Stage 6 Practise a couple of tweets that include @names and hashtags. Stage 7 Retweet any link you find interesting as people might read them. Stage 8 Thank colleagues for introducing you to twitter, impressed with the knowledge you have gleaned and your growing number of followers. Stage 9 Reflect that twitter is an incredibly positive place and everyone is full of praise. Stage 10 (the reason for this post) When seeking opinion from a range of people, ask PLN to respond. Stage 10 happened recently with a question: I look forward to the next 10 stages. Like this:
10 Steps to Kick Start Your Twitter Network