Reflect on Social News Sharing

I picked Digg as news sharing media site to use.

Pros

• Able to see “what’s hot”

•   Some are from credible resources like Washington Post, TIME, etc.

•  Seems pretty user friendly

• The Daily Digg is offered which is nice because they will send you the top stories

• Visually appealing

Cons

• Lots of news to filter through

•  Some inappropriate material for elementary level

• No search

I’m not quite sure how Social News Sharing will fit into my classroom.  As I come across valuable educational resources, I will share with colleagues or students as I see fit.  

A more appropriate Social News Sharing for elementary students could be Newsela.  Most of these articles can fit into the classroom and are appropriate for students.  You are also able to change the Lexile so that every student is getting what they need.

Social Media Sharing

I get more excited each day learning about social media and how I can use it in the classroom.  I definitely want to start using my blog to communicate with parents and students.  I have been using Haiku more and more as a means to communicate but a lot of parents have not accessed Haiku.  Would they be more inclined to access a blog?  What if there child were writing the blog?  

The article 10 ideas for Instagram definitely sparked my interest.  I would love to use Instagram in the classroom.  I don't know a lot about Instagram or the privacy settings and what not but I am willing to explore.  I liked the idea of using photos to teach grammar, metaphors, or math.  I also like the idea of sharing student artwork.  Still a little leery of the idea but ready to jump in and see how it works.