Social Media for Educators

1. By: Rachel Lombardo Social Media for Educators

2. "Social media is the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue" (Wikipedia) Social Media is a way to connect and collaborate with friends, colleagues, and your surrounding community Can take many different forms microblogging social bookmarking social networking audio and video sharing Ultimate goal for educators is to build their Professional Learning Network through the use of Social Media What is Social Media?

3. We live in a digitally enhanced world Teach our students to be technologically competent and connected to the global world Fast – time efficient way to get information No cost way for educators to experience professional development and become a connected learner Many different ways to build your PLN – microblogging, social bookmarking, social networking, Video sharing, video conferences, and online communities Why is a Professional Learning Network Important?

4. Microblogging is a way for an individual to stay in touch by posting short messages to the web Must be less that 140 characters Answers the question "What are you doing?" Can post a link to a great website (use http://tinyurl.com to shorten links) Can be used for personal or professional Connect with (or "follow") other people with similar interests Most popular platform for microblogging is Twitter Educators can use microblogging as a way to stay up-to-date with current trends and research Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lilrachel27 Microblogging

5. Social bookmarking allows an individual to organize, store, and manage all their online resources You can access your bookmarks anywhere because it is in a central, web-based location “Tagging” your bookmarks allows you to sort, share, and categorize your resources You can also search other peoples bookmarks by the “tags” they have created Some platforms for social bookmarking include: Diigo Del.icio.us StumbleUpon Squido Educators can use Social Bookmarking for sharing favorite sites with students and parents, or with other educators See My social Bookmarking page at www.delicious.com/lilrachel27 Social Bookmarking

6. Small community of learners that have similar interests I have a personal Social Network on Facebook, and my professional Social network is on Classroom 2.0. Classroom 2.0 allows me to join groups, follow blogs, participate in webinars, post updates, and invite colleagues to follow me Follow me at http://www.classroom20.com/profile/RachelLombardo Social Networks

7. Other ways to build your PLN include Animoto Glogster Wix Stixy The Animoto video I created to share with family members who could not make it to my daughter’s 1st birthday party http://animoto.com/play/LSfTqWwTbmvYLo8AU970LQ Other Tools

8. I really enjoyed becoming a connected learner I found Twitter and Delicious very easy to become familiar with and start using right away Building my PLN is going to take some time Finding time away from kids and husband to “surf” and “explore” these different platforms was a challenge Keeping up with all the different accounts and passwords that I used was also a challenge Successes and Challenges

9. Would highly recommend Online learning to other educators Can complete the course from the comfort of your own home (car, Starbucks, school, quiet corner at church waiting for your son to get done CCD) Instructor was very helpful and genuinely interested in our learning! I did not feel disconnected at all! Moodle and Online Learning