June 22 Assignment

Hi all,
Sorry it's so last minute, but it's 1:02pm and since it's not due until 4:45pm, I guess this assignment's in on time (end of the year has been crazy for me-the kids just left for the year, I have two more days to go and can't believe another year has gone by so quickly.)

Alright, enough of my blabbing-here's the assignment:

• Should all teachers be encouraged to create online activities for students within traditional classrooms?

Absolutely, all teachers should be encouraged to create online activities for students within traditional classrooms. With more and more students of varying abilities being taught within the regular education curriculum, teachers need to differentiate instruction more than ever. Differentiating online learning activities can be done easily and efficiently. Take for example online classes. According to November (2010), online classes offer a forum that is less-intimidating for some students as would the regular classroom be and teachers can post assignments ahead of time (though November only suggests posting 2-3 weeks ahead so students do not feel too overwhelmed or get too far ahead,) and then students can work at their own pace. Gifted students that prefer more challenge can work ahead and students that need to work at a slower pace can break assignments up and work on them little by little.

In addition to being able to differentiate with online learning opportunities, teachers can also expose students to the world outside of the classroom using the Internet. One example is that teachers can have students Skype (video-conferencing,) with people all around the world. Teachers can also offer students opportunities to expose work to global audiences whether it is community members or experts on the topics which are being studied. As the Internet is limitless in scope, possibilities for the classroom are also limitless in scope when the Internet is used.

• At what grade level should educators begin teaching students how to use social networks? Find documentation to support your answer.

Considering in “Did You Know 4 – IV” (DiBlasi, 2008), there is a slide saying “The fastest growing age group for using the Internet is…2 to 5 year olds (Net Day News, 2005)”, it seems obvious to me that we do need to teach students as early as the preschool years to begin using the Internet. Of course, at that age, we may not think they are ready to know about social networking, however, if they can use the Internet, they can use social networking. It’s a fact of our lives today that we must face head-on. I would have never believed it myself, however, I remember back in 2001 having my then eight-year old niece IM’g me on AOL. Not that I condone a child that young being able to do that (my brother has tightened the reigns as she’s gone on into high school,) but IM’g then was almost a precursor to social networking. The median age for use on the computer keeps dropping and dropping so it is our responsibility to start students, at least in Kindergarten, with some knowledge of social networking.



• How can teachers use social networking sites as teaching and learning tools?

Using social networking sites, teachers can have online discussions with their classes, post classroom activities/photos so the community can share, connect with other classrooms throughout the world, and bring experts into the classroom (I personally have a high school friend on Facebook who is now a marine biologist who next school year I’d like to connect with for some lessons/activities.) They are also great ways to share work with other classrooms throughout the world, like Kevin Honeycutt did with his ArtSnacks program which has grown to include live lessons and art work (Richardson, 2010). Once again, the possibilities are only as limited as one’s imagination. Unfortunately, due to some of the dangers of these sites, like cyber-bullying and online predators, many school districts may not share the same imaginative visions and have blocked many social networking sites. Once again, this is a testament to learning how to use them well and then teaching our children how to use these sites appropriately.


• Envision the role of social networking in 21st century learning environments. Write a brief description of this vision.

Social networking in 21st century learning environments is going to help break down the walls of the traditional classroom and make it more global. I see students being able to access learning from their homes, perhaps not even needing to come to class sometimes. There’s also sharing with people from around the world. No longer are we limited in who we have discussions with while teaching as many, many experts (authors, professors/teachers, medical professionals, etc.) have their own pages on social networking sites that we can follow and post to. It is beyond belief what we can do with social networking. Finally, I see social networking sites making classrooms more accessible to students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to access them. For example, students with severe health problems can access a classroom networking from home when they could not come to school. This would lesson the amount of work missed and increase participation more. Again, I’ve said it over and over, the possibilities are only limited by our thoughts and our imaginations.