Thing 4: Twitter, Facebook, and Personal Learning Networks

Twitter, Facebook, PLNs OH MY! It is hard to know what to have an account for, who to follow, when to post, how to hashtag, etc.....it often leads to people looking like this

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I am not an expert Twitter user, but consider myself a veteran user. I have been Tweeting since September 2016, when I went to a technology conference and it was suggested that everyone join to expand our Personal Learning Networks. I didn't warm up to Twitter until I created a Hashtag for my Project Lead the Way classroom. I wanted a way to share with families what awesome things was happening in my class, so I turned to Twitter and my new hashtag #CHESlovesPLTW. I was proud to post and loved seeing others post too!

Looking to start using Twitter? Check out this amazing resource called, The Ultimate Guide to Twitter by Sue Waters and Kathleen Morris. Everything from joining Twitter to hashtags to using Twitter with students is on there! It truly is the ultimate guide.

Want suggestions on who to follow? Everyone has their own motive for joining Twitter--their why? I enjoy following people connected to technology, project-based learning, Project Lead the Way, Growth Mindset, and other things that interest me. The people I enjoy following the most are:

Technology

Shawn Beard - The Techy Coach (@SBeard1)

Jake Miller (@JakeMillerTech)

Matt Miller - Ditch That Textbook (@jmattmiller)

Kyle Anderson (@AndersonEdTech)

Eric Curts (@ericcurts) **MY  #1 FAVORITE**

Steve Wick (@WickedEdTech)

PBL

Project Lead the Way (@PLTWorg)

STEMfinity (@STEMfinity)

Growth Mindset

Mindshift (@MindShiftKQED)

Growth Mindset (@growthmindset1)

Of course I follow everything Google, other teachers in my district, and companies that interest me (Harry Potter, America's Got Talent, and of course Disney).

Being a veteran Twitter user does not make me an expert! I Tweet, read Tweets, react to Tweets, and more, but there are other features of Twitter that I did not know about! I didn't know about things called Tweet Deck or Paper.li. Cool tools I can use to enhance being a Twitter user! When I read the article, The Big List of Twitter Tools: 93 Free Twitter Tools and Apps to Fit Any Needs, I must admit my head was spinning! Lots of great resources that go along with being a Twitter user. Learn how to use Twitter for analytics, how to use Twitter as a chat tool, and even how to time your Tweets. Phew! 

The new tool I discovered and LOVE is called Tweet Deck! Tweet Deck is a free online tool that helps manage my Twitter account. I can open Tweet Deck and see all my notifications, my posts, current activity on my home page, and more all on one screen! It's great for conferences when Tweeting is encouraged. Here is a sample from my Tweet Deck:

It may be hard to see, but having Tweet Deck open on my desktop at school can quickly
show me what is being posted by those I follow (Home), all my notifications (I love seeing
who likes or retweets my Tweets), my mentions (@MBishopCHES), and also allows me
to add columns to watch what is being posted by somebody else. In this case I have Project
Lead the Way in my 3rd column (@pltworg). Whenever anyone posts using @pltworg, I will
be able to see it. This is where I get many ideas for my own lessons and build my PLN.
Such a great tool!

Twitter used to be one of those social media sites that I would roll my eyes at or cross my
arms and say I am not doing it. I feel it better suits my needs than Facebook and it helps me
show my school community what I am doing in my classroom. We have to create a digital
portfolio for tenure in my district. I will be adding my hashtag, #CHESlovesPLTW in bold
letters to my portfolio. It shows who I am and what I am doing. I look back and only wish
I had joined the Twitter world sooner! Of course Edna Mode would think differently about
looking back...

                                       
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I have not ventured into Facebook for professional use or posting for families to see. We do have a Facebook page set up for our school and for our PTO, but not for individual classrooms. It's not something our district is doing. Facebook is blocked at our school, but Twitter is not. I will continue to be an active Twitter member - both sharing what I am doing in my classroom and learning from others who inspire me to be a better educator!

Thing 2: Student Blogging and Writing

Blogging......when I think about that word, I always pictured a long, boring rant that somebody was having about a topic I didn't really care to read......that was until I read some blogs on technology tools and how students could blog to show their work!
                                                           
The curriculum I teacher is considered project-based learning. Students work through a module learning about aspects that will help them in the final problem that is posed. Last year was my first year teaching this program called, Project Lead the Way. Students work in engineering notebooks to record their data. I saw the struggle some had, especially those who hated to write. The assignments took certain students a long time and didn't seem to have meaning to them. I worked over the summer to recreate the logs so they were fill in the blank guided notes. So far, the reaction from the students is a positive one. I am still missing something! Students need to reflect on their final project, but some hate writing it! Writing is "boring" they tell me. I was looking for a fun, technology-based, free tool for having students record themselves. I heard about a fun website called Flipgrid and gave it a try with my third graders. The result.......SO MUCH FUN and loads better than writing paragraphs in a log that students didn't seem to enjoy. This new form of reflection is giving students a voice.

Video blogging, or Vlogging, is something I want to include in my curriculum with students as young as Kindergarten. After reading articles about Vlogging, I see the positives in doing so. Wondering whether you should Vlog? Check out these articles that I learned from:

How Vlogging Can Increase Your Speaking Skills (Top 2 things I learned)

• Let's students share their passion! How cool would it be to see the student's expressions in their explanations? Facial expressions can tell a lot about how much the students are enjoying, or not enjoying, the topic they are presenting. I had my third grade students explain their glider designs. The excitement that showed thinking that somebody was listening to them was fun to watch. We watched the Flipgrid as a class. It took the edge off having to present in front of the class, but gave students the chance to explain themselves. 
• Help students gain confidence! Public speaking does not come easy to everyone. Giving students the chance to show their project or speak their thoughts on camera instead of in front of a class allows some students the chance to open up and share more than they would have panicking in front of a group. 

Vloggers on YouTube

I love using YouTube! I use it to search for supplemental videos to help my students learn a topic we are discussing in class. I have a YouTube channel where I upload quick training videos as a resource for the teachers I work with at school. I am a big Twitter user, who follows many people on Growth Mindset, technology, project-based learning, etc. I subscribe to channels on YouTube for exercise, etc, but not many teachers who Vlog. Why?? I am not quite sure? After watching the sample videos from the Vloggers introduced on the link above, I plan to subscribe to people who would help with my curriculum. 

As cool as video blogging is, I don't always have time or the space to have students record privately. I think that even though not all students enjoy writing, it is a life-long skill. People have to write - notes, essays, letters, etc. There are many tools I learned about reading articles about Blogging.

 

After reading Nathan Hall's post about Padlet, I am considering sharing this tool with teachers and recommending they use it as a reflection piece. We have used Padlet as a tool for students to share their completed digital project, but never as a spot where students can reflect and blog. Such a neat idea!

Eric Curts has a great article on how to use Google Slides to Blog!  I follow Eric Curts on Twitter (@ericcurts) and know he has great resources.  Google Slides is a great way for students to work together collaboratively on a topic, make comments on each other's work, give feedback, and so much more! We think of using Google Docs first to write, but Google Slides is easier to use (in my opinion) and allows every student to be on the same "page."  There is a lesson or two that needs to be taught before turning students loose on Slides, especially when they are all editing the same file. 

Emojis! Who doesn't love them! I know kids are using them for everything now, so why not let them use them to help them write? Fun, right?! Check out this new tool I learned about called Emoji Prompts.  Students would love to write and blog using these fun prompts. I love how it gives the AND THEN...button. Students can go on and on and on and on...........I liked this so much I just shared it in my school's Google Classroom! 

There are many more resources floating around the internet about Blogging and Vlogging. Each have their place in the classroom to enhance student voice and reflection. Allowing students to explain themselves in formats other than essays will give them the variety they need and crave to stay excited about learning. Tests are ok, but not always the best at seeing what students have learned throughout a topic. Why not let students Blog or Vlog!? Give it a try--your students will thank you!

 

                                                     

Thing 1: Getting Started

                                                         

                                                     

Hello and welcome to my Cool Tools for School Blog! My name is Mandy Bishop and I am excited to be a part of this group, learning about new techy tools I can share with my colleagues here at Cumberland Head Elementary School in Plattsburgh, NY. I am the school's Technology Integration Specialist, although I never liked the word "specialist." I think of myself more of a tech coach! I learn new things and pass them on to others. Keeping up with new tools is never an easy task, but I do the best I can.  I am a Google Certified Trainer, but love exploring outside of the GSuite for Education to get ideas. I am also the Project Lead the Way Launch teacher for every student in grades K-5 here at CHES. I teach a project-based STEM curriculum, teaching students the engineering and scientific design processes to help them become better problem solvers. I love what I teach and who I work with, making this job supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! I am a HUGE Disney fan and try to use Disney quotes daily--I love them so much I have some tattooed on me! 😎

The reason I joined this Cool Tools for School online training experience is simple  -  I love integrating technology into my curriculum and showing others how to do it too! There are so many fun, free resources out there that kids love to use. As a tech coach, I need to stay up to date on these amazing tools and learn about new ones. I am hoping to learn some new tricks and brush up on some old ones. I will be learning and posting, so check back often!

                                            

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