I am already a part
of the social networks Facebook and Pinterest. I am addicted to Pinterest. I
have gotten so many good ideas and recipes off this networking site. I have
also learned many valuable library lessons that I cannot wait to try in my library.
There are so many valuable tips on parenting and parents as teacher’s
resources. Because my daughter is in the gifted program in the Union School District
(P.C.), I have been following “Gifted Kids” and “Gifted Education” through
Pinterest. These sites allow me to give my daughter the extra push she needs
from time to time. I also follow “the imagination tree”, “little family fun”, “teachers
with love and laughter”, many, many more. If there is something I am searching
for, I just type it in the search box and it brings up a ton of sites I can
view.
I also enjoy using Facebook because I have a
lot of family that lives far away. I enjoy seeing pictures and staying “caught
up”. I do use Facebook and Pinterest probably the most for my social
networking. I probably log on to both about once a day. However, I am still old
fashioned and most of the time I like a good ole’ face-to-face conversation.
I joined the social
network edWeb.net. I am excited to find others in my district that belongs to
this network. I am also looking forward to finding other teachers/librarians
out there. The only disadvantage to this is now I have another social
networking site that I need to follow along with. These are definitely going to
keep me busy. I have joined several communities that I know will be beneficial
to my librarian future. Two I have joined are called, “LMC @ The Forefront: A
Collaborative Community for Library/Media Professionals” and “K12 Library Media
Specialist”. I have also started following edWeb on Twitter.
I have never heard
the term “ning” before. Naturally, I had to google it to see what it was. At www.ning.com
it states that a ning is “The World's Largest Platform for
Creating Social Websites”. I liked the elementary tech teachers ning at http://elementarytechteachers.ning.com/ . It had a lot of great resources available. The only downside to having something
like this is the cost. I probably would not pay for something like this.
There is one problem that I have with social networking. It keeps our kiddos from actually having a face-to-face conversation. I know this our tech world now, but by having so much of this our students are forgetting how to naturally carry on a normal conversation.
I know face-to-face interaction is important, but in some ways I think the separation of communicators in many digital applications can be an advantage. I would think people who are shy or introverted might be more likely to communicate in a format where they are less self-concscious and can choose words carefully and edit them before sending them out there. As with most things, I think "both...and" is better than "either...or."
ReplyDeleteThat is true. There are some students who will not speak up in a public situation and are more comfortable not seeing people.
DeleteMaybe, but you have to push them sometimes, or they'll never grow. Just my opinion.
DeleteI understand the lack of ftf time, but I think like any tool it's in how it's used. Technology should be used in addition to face time, not in lieu of. I think they can compliment each other if taught well.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I'm with you 100 percent. I know the world looks at us like dinosaurs now, but there really is nothing like a face-to-face conversation. This is one point I am sworn to fight for, until they sweep me under the rug. I say a kid with his/her nose in a computer -- or television -- screen all day is losing touch with the real world. The more they are drawn into that world the more they withdraw from this world. I'm not saying the technology is bad, I'm saying we should use it wisely.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about how kids are forgetting “the art” of a face to face conversation. It is important for teachers to find a balance in the classroom utilizing all teaching methods. Without having face to face conversions we are taking away valuable personal interaction.
ReplyDeleteI agree, there are many kids these days that just sit and play video games and watch tv all day. It is making them unaware of the world around them and they get so caught up and focused on technology. So many of my students need that work on their social skills when we are partnering in groups, it makes me sad. I do think technology is important, but kids still need to play outside, make up games, etc and not solely play with technology.
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