EDIM 508 Unit 5 Summary Posting

Student Publishers
Ive enjoyed reading your discussions this week. I hope that the readings have better
opened your mind to the way students connect outside of the classroom and to the
content they create and share.
Id like to highlight some thoughts from this weeks discussion.

Aimee- I wholeheartedly agree with you that we need to harness this power for good. I've tried to
incorporate social media in projects in the past and it didn't really go over well. I feel like we were trying to
force it in order to engage them, but it was having the opposite effect. By trying to force projects that didn't
really make sense, it just turned them off to the project.

Amy- Students do really value the opinion of others, and Google makes it nice that there is an
option for anonymity, although I'm not sure how that works with peer feedback. On one hand it allows students
to be very honest, on the other, if something inappropriate is posted, it can't be traced back to an individual.

Catherine- In the elementary grades, we use a controlled

social media environment like Edmodo. Teachers can assign
projects. The students discuss a question that the teacher asks about a
book or chapter in a novel. They can also work on a collaborative
project. The teacher is able to see the progress of assigned work and
observe the conversations to make sure the young students are
practicing good digital citizenship skills.

Emily- As far as teaching interenet/web skills goes, I

believe that it is important to start with basic skills so students have a
foundation that they can build on. I recently taught a Web Etiquette lesson to my students, focusing on the
importance of having etiquette when leaving comments on the internet. I think students need to be aware of the
basics before they can dive deeper into digital media. As we learned from our readings this week, most students
are using the internet for many different purposes. More reason for teachers to embrace this and teach our
students the fundamental skills they will need to get the most out of their technology use.

Genevieve- Classroom management is the key for integrating student technology. Students have to
know they cannot do whatever they want on their phones, that it should be used for educational goals. For
instance students are allowed to check their powerschool (online grades), as we talk about animals or
organisms that students are unfamiliar with they can look at images online to get the idea, using translation
apps during class, etc.
 Jesse- With the huge impact social media has
on the lives of our students it is increasingly important to
develop projects that students want to share. For
students to share their academic accomplishments via
social media platforms would be an innovative goal to
have. My goal is to create something that students would
like to share, and to have them understand that social
media can be used for not only for entertainment
purposes but educational ones as well.

Kaitlin- As teachers I do think we should

embrace the internet, but also teach the basic skills prior. Teaching some basic skills I definitely feel is
important because students do need to understand rules and boundaries before taking full advantage of internet
capabilities. If not, that seems to be when they run into trouble and/or using it inappropriately. I do teach my
kindergarteners some basic skills and slowly introduce them to some digital technology, just not so much social
media at this age.

Kelly- We as teachers need to take this into consideration. Facebook allows people to update their
statuses, privately message others, comment on others' pictures, and connect with interests, friends, and
favorite places. As new social networking apps are created, the emphasis on writing is becoming less and less.
Students are more worried about creating a perfect caption for a picture or the most unique hashtag to share
with their followers.

Megan- I think that while students should have valuable

skills that don't include the internet however the Internet and
technology is their future. Soon some of the things we are showing
them will be obsolete. We need to remember this fact and remember
we are teaching 21st century learners and that we need to help them
be global citizens ready to compete in a competitive workforce. I don't
have social media sites that I use for school only.

Therese- I am completely against using any social

networking sites with my students. I have received friend requests
from students but I have never accepted them. I do not believe a
teacher should be following a student or vice-versa. There has to be a
line drawn between teacher and student. We should never be friends. My feelings on this include recent
graduates. I would reconsider this situation when the students become adults, working in adult careers, and
over 21 years of age.
 Vanessa- To help students learn about the world happening around them, I feel that we should
encourage our students to watch the daily news or read the news paper. Current events are important because
some of what is happening now affects their future as well. I know they will not understand everything, but just
to have the students be aware of a few things. The students could then use the internet such as youtube to learn
more about a certain event.