Is Big Brother Watching?

I recently had the most interesting conversation with one of the technology support gurus for my school district. He told me that he does not nor will he ever have an iAnything, Twitter, blog, wiki, Facebook or Google account. He urged me to quickly shut down my accounts as "big brother is watching."  For a moment I thought I was talking to Will Smith in Enemy of the State. 

When did we become so paranoid about social networking?  As an educator, I adore the ease in which the aforementioned sites allow me to communicate with others.  As an educator I love for Big Brother to watch me use:

• Twitter to stay abreast of educational trends by following leaders in the field.
• Blogs/Wikis to provide an open forum about issues in my content area for colleagues, students and parents.
• Facebook to communicate with students and parents as well as provide a relaxed forum to educate my charges about upcoming events within my curriculum.
• Google to utilize gDocs to show students that you do not have to buy the overpriced Microsoft Office suite to prepare a PowerPoint.  Or use Google+ for communication, project management and collaboration.  Please see the previous post for more on Google+.
• My Smartphone to detail how apps can improve the value of their educational experience. Or how to do a quick Google search when all of the computers in the library are in use.

Please watch me, Big Brother, as I make strides in education the right way without putting my job in jeopardy yet maintaining strong relationships with my childhood friends. 

If you're not sure where to begin, tweet me as I'm happy to help.  Until then, continue to make strides and don't be afraid of Big Brother.  The more we use these tools, the more secondary schools will allow their use on campus. 

Happy Social Networking!

Google+: The Educational Game Changer

For the past few years educators have sought a way to utilize social networking to communicate and collaborate with other teachers, parents and students.  From Twitter to Facebook teachers have created streams to alert parents of upcoming assignments, Q&A pages and be available for students long after the school doors have closed.

The problem with most social networking sites is they are blocked by most K-12 institutions.  Attempting to keep Tweets current is next to impossible when sending them from home.  Security and privacy issues have run amuck with teachers ‘friending’ students on Facebook.  In fact, teachers have lost their job for placing school administratively deemed inappropriate photos on their wall. My school district has mandated that educators follow certain guidelines for teachers to adhere to when students or their parents attempt to become our social network friend. Some people may call this extreme but I view said guidelines as a form of protection for all involved.

With Google+ these issues are a thing of the past while adding a new spin on how to foster excitement in and out of the classroom.

• The use of circles makes it simple for teachers to separate their personal and professional lives.
• Collaboration is easily fostered with the use of circles.  Check out this idea from the folks at Stanford.
• Form a Hangout with office hours to answer questions from parents and students.
• Share ideas with teachers
• Engage introverted students
• Unlike Twitter, conversation streams are archived should discussions need to be accessed months later.

The future of Google+ in education remains to be seen.  This tool can be amazing if K-12 institutions do not block the service.  Additionally, teachers need to be trained on how to effectively utilize Google+ with stakeholders.  According to Ashley May, a teacher in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and my former employer, “(HISD) even purchased Google Apps accounts for the kids last year.”  When the nation’s larger school districts start something, others will follow.  Jump on Google+ by viewing the video below and start building your circles today.

Have you tried Schoology?

Facebook reigns not only for us but our students love it too.  How many times have we as educators tried to use Facebook to communicate with students and parents only to discover that our district blocks the site?  If you're in the same boat then I wonder, have you tried Schoology?  Schoology has the same look and feel as Facebook but it is a Learning Management System (LMS) similar to Moodle, Blackboard, etc.  Your students will L-O-V-E Schoology for the social networking and you will adore the LMS for the ability to embed projects, share videos/links with students and create assessments that are a 20 steps above multiple choice tests.  Check out the video for a guide to creating the Perfect Unit One.  As always, please contact me should you need guidance integrating this dynamic tool into your curriculum.

Teaching Character Education with Facebook? Yes!

This video showcases how to use the Facebook social networking tool NightClub City to teach character education to secondary students.  There are a ton of games of Facebook that can be turned into classroom tools.  Contact me to learn more.