Social networking can assist both the teacher and the students in their learning. Before I read the articles provided in this module, I could see the value of social networking for me to grow  professionally.  Finding the right fit for me is difficult - so many choices and such a high propensity to be distracted from other responsibilities (I love connecting with others using technology. This, at times, leads to me spending more time than I realize on the computer).  But finding the balance will be a fun challenge. I think that limiting myself to just one or two tools will allow me to develop on a professional level effectively.


For students, I can get excited about the possibilities for enhanced and expanded learning in a format that youth today embrace. I will definitely find a way to incorporate this into next year's lesson plans. I am considering the use of twitter as a learning tool with students.

Pros and Cons of News Sharing Sites

The big pro of news sharing sites is that you are able to stay up-to-date on topics of interest to you. For example, the site that I have chosen, Delicious, allows you to add links - and I believe that when new articles and posts are made to those links, they show up. I am not really sure of this, though. I did a little research and found out they are bookmaking sites. I know that diigo sends an e-mail to everyday with links to things are new on the topics that interest me. This is very handy for selecting resources for use in the classroon and for my PLN.

There seems to be one major con to the news sharing sites - the veracity of the articles. Students tend to believe whatever is on the internet.... and the articles gleaned from those sites need to be vetted for accuracy and bias.

Recently the students in my Creative Design Media Class (also known as Tech Ed) created games by coding using the scratch.mit.edu website. Here is a Ted Talk about the importance of coding.

Media Sharing

Social media sharing for middle school students provides opportunities to use current, relevant tools for student learning. The articles read for the class highlight a number of ways that several tools can be used, and in our discussion board postings we were able to share the pros and cons of media sharing in general, and specific ways we are (or are not) using media sharing. The reasons against using media sharing centered on student privacy and behavior online. After reading the articles, considering the discussion board posts, and asking others what media sharing tools they used, I decided to create a fan page on Facebook to post student work. I have already posted products that two of my students created in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week. I also posted an animation that one student created in which she highlights why Miller is such an exceptional school. The link to the Facebook Fan Page is: https://www.facebook.com/MillerTeacherLibrarian Enjoy!

Engage in Social Media Class Blog

I created this Blog for the Engage in Social Media online class through Riverside Unified School District in California. We were tasked with reviewing several free blogging platforms (WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, Edublogs, and Kidblog). After visiting each site, I chose to use Blogger by Google. Blogger was chosen because it is part of the package of google tools that I already use so it made sense to use it. I can use this tool instructionally to post my reflections on projects that my students have completed. I was going to say that I would post assignments and directions on the blog, but that would not have been honest. I already use the District's Haiku platform for that purpose - and my students are trained to look for content there. I am fortunate to work at a school site which has consistency from one teacher to another in terms of how students (and parents) access materials online. This leads to efficiency in deliverance of information, and it becomes second nature for students. My students currently use Blogger to document the projects that they create in class. I can use this blog to announce new books in our library as well as contests and programs. The blog can also be used to organize my PLN. It is fun to be creative while generating a useful tool for my professional life. I was not sure how much detail to include in this post on specifics about the other blogs that I have created, or on my students' blogs that information was already posted on the discussion board for this assignment. I anyone would like the links to some of the student blogs, just ask and I will post some.