Articles


 * Educational Articles:**
 * Augmented Reality in Education online slideshow (Rehkopf)
 * [[@http://How%20to%20Help%20Students%20Use%20Social%20Media%20Effectively%20By%20Andrew%20Marcinek%2010/19/10%20%20Share%20Forward%20Comments%286%29%20Comment%20RSS%20Print%20%20Today%20more%20than%20ever,%20people%20are%20capable%20of%20publishing%20their%20thoughts%20to%20a%20vast%20audience.%20Comments,%20tweets,%20and%20status%20updates%20are%20ubiquitous%20and%20constant.%20However,%20are%20we%20really%20focusing%20on%20the%20quality%20of%20the%20message%20we%20are%20putting%20out%20there?%20Are%20we%20really%20providing%20useful%20information%20or%20are%20we%20just%20adding%20to%20the%20noise?%20%20%20Simply%20giving%20students%20a%20blogger%20ID%20and%20a%20twitter%20username%20is%20not%20enough.%20Unless%20they%20are%20working%20to%20develop%20the%20skills%20necessary%20to%20effectively%20convey%20their%20message%20to%20a%20receptive%20audience,%20then%20the%20value%20of%20the%20message%20is%20diluted.%20If%20that%20same%20student%20stood%20at%20a%20podium%20with%20a%20microphone,%20yet%20has%20not%20prepared%20a%20speech%20and%20has%20trouble%20using%20proper%20grammar,%20this%20student%E2%80%99s%20message%20could%20be%20lost%20on%20his%20or%20her%20audience.%20However,%20in%20this%20world%20of%20instant%20communication%20our%20students%20have%20the%20opportunity%20to%20engage%20and%20share%20with%20a%20global%20audience.%20As%20educators,%20we%20cannot%20let%20this%20chance%20slip%20by.%20%20%20Keep%20Standards%20High%20If%20we%20are%20going%20to%20enable%20our%20students%20to%20find%20and%20share%20their%20voice%20with%20the%20world,%20we%20need%20to%20equip%20them%20with%20a%20powerful%20skill%20that%20is%20timeless:%20writing%20effectively.%20Our%20students%20must%20realize%20that%20there%20is%20a%20BIG%20difference%20between%20%22your%22%20and%20%22you%27re%22%20no%20matter%20what%20forum%20they%20are%20using%20to%20communicate%20a%20message.%20Consider%20this,%20how%20much%20effort%20does%20it%20take%20to%20edit%20140%20characters?%20Not%20much.%20I%20have%20spent%20the%20last%20eight%20years%20of%20my%20teaching%20career%20combing%20through%20student%20essays%20that%20are%20chock%20full%20of%20common%20errors:%20%E2%80%9Cthen%E2%80%9D%20vs.%20%E2%80%9Cthan%E2%80%9D,%20%E2%80%9Cit%E2%80%99s%E2%80%9D%20vs.%20%E2%80%9Cits%E2%80%9D,%20and%20knowing%20when%20to%20use%20an%20apostrophe%20to%20denote%20possession.%20These%20students%20learn%20from%20my%20feedback%20that%20their%20message%20is%20diluted.%20If%20I%20were%20to%20let%20this%20student%20move%20on%20without%20correcting%20his%20or%20her%20errors,%20this%20trend%20would%20continue%20and%20possibly%20diminish%20their%20capacity%20to%20reach%20their%20full%20potential.%20The%20same%20principles%20must%20apply%20in%20all%20forms%20of%20social%20media.%20%20%20Educators%20must%20model%20effective%20writing%20and%20editing%20as%20well.%20I%20comb%20through%20thousands%20of%20tweets,%20blogs,%20and%20status%20updates%20from%20week%20to%20week,%20and%20one%20glaring%20pattern%20is%20typos.%20Some%20may%20argue%20that%20this%20is%20just%20a%20simple%20error%20and%20not%20a%20big%20deal.%20However,%20it%20is%20a%20big%20deal%20if%20we%20want%20to%20maintain%20the%20sanctity%20of%20the%20English%20language%20and%20get%20people%20to%20connect%20to%20our%20message.%20If%20you%20regularly%20cannot%20self-edit%20140%20characters,%20do%20you%20really%20think%20I%20am%20going%20to%20want%20to%20pay%20to%20see%20you%20speak?%20Want%20to%20buy%20your%20book?%20Or%20take%20you%20seriously%20as%20an%20educator?%20Not%20likely.%20%20%20More%20Is%20Not%20Always%20Better%20The%20second%20frustrating%20element%20of%20social%20media%20is%20the%20perpetual%20sharing%20of%20watered-down%20guides%20e.g.,%20%E2%80%9C500%20Tips%20for%20Google%E2%80%9D%20or%20%22100%20Ways%20to%20Use%20YouTube%20in%20the%20Classroom.%22%20This%20is%20not%20conducive%20to%20learning%20or%20immediate%20implementation.%20Teachers%20must%20learn%20to%20filter%20and%20edit%20before%20throwing%20up%20one%20thousand%20and%20one%20ways%20to%20use%20something%20in%20the%20classroom.%20Focus%20on%20the%20message%20and%20think%20about%20the%20practicality%20of%20sharing%20suggestions.%20Will%20this%20help%20someone%20in%20his%20or%20her%20daily%20practice?%20Will%20it%20engage%20or%20entertain%20someone?%20Luckily,%20I%20have%20never%20been%20to%20a%20conference%20where%20the%20presenter%20gives%20the%20audience%20a%20book%20of%20one%20hundred%20pages%20and%20says,%20%E2%80%9CWithin%20these%20100%20pages%20you%20will%20find%20100%20unique%20ways%20to%20use%20Google%20in%20your%20classroom.%E2%80%9D%20The%20presenter%20walks%20off%20stage%20and%20we%20clap.%20This%20would%20never%20happen.%20Think%20about%20your%20audience%20when%20you%20are%20publishing%20a%20tweet%20or%20blog%20post.%20We%20would%20never%20teach%20this%20way.%20%20%20I%20am%20not%20trying%20to%20be%20preachy%20and%20humbly%20admit%20that%20I%20have%20been%20guilty%20of%20putting%20a%20message%20out%20there%20without%20proper%20edits.%20However,%20we%20must%20have%20high%20expectations%20of%20our%20students%27%20work.%20We%20need%20to%20get%20them%20to%20understand%20that%20college%20admissions%20counselors,%20prospective%20employers,%20etc.%20will%20not%20take%20them%20seriously%20if%20they%20are%20putting%20out%20poorly%20worded%20messages.%20%20%20Before%20Posting,%20Examine%20Your%20Motives%20Every%20educator%20I%20know%20is%20trying%20to%20find%20ways%20to%20present%20authentic%20assessment%20and%20give%20their%20students%20an%20audience%20for%20feedback%20and%20reflection.%20However,%20we%20must%20convey%20to%20our%20learners%20that%20a%20lot%20more%20eyes%20are%20watching%20than%20ever%20before.%20We%20all%20want%20our%20students%20to%20blog,%20connect,%20and,%20communicate,%20but%20we%20must%20make%20sure%20they%20are%20putting%20out%20polished,%20substantive%20information.%20The%20same%20goes%20for%20Twitter%20and%20any%20other%20form%20of%20social%20media.%20The%20best%20educators%20must%20model%20this%20skill%20daily%20and%20practice%20what%20they%20preach.%20Think%20about%20what%20information%20you%20are%20putting%20out%20there%20and%20why%20you%E2%80%99re%20presenting%20this%20to%20your%20PLN.%20What%20is%20your%20motive?%20Can%20someone%20really%20learn%20from%20this%20tweet?%20Or%20am%20I%20just%20looking%20to%20build%20my%20following%20number%20and%20increase%20the%20activity%20of%20my%20mentions%20column?%20Think%20about%20these%20questions%20and%20think%20about%20your%20audience.%20Are%20you%20really%20giving%20them%20something%20of%20substance?%20%20%20As%20we%20reflect%20on%20how%20best%20to%20refine%20our%20students%E2%80%99%2021st%20century%20skills%20we%20must%20not%20lose%20sight%20of%20the%20timeless%20skill%20of%20effective%20communication.%20Remind%20students%20of%20the%20power%20of%20digital%20media%20and%20how%20much%20their%20words%20can%20impact%20the%20lives%20of%20others.%20|How to Help Students Use Social Media Effectively]]
 * Teacher encourages elementary students to blog their work
 * How to include the upcoming election in classroom lessons
 * Using student-response systems to gauge understanding
 * Books that can improve math learning
 * Using wikis to enhance students' vocabulary
 * How to use current events in classroom lessons