Blog 6: Using Twitter, Blogs, and Websites in the Classroom

In the article 50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom, there are concepts that I believe would be prove to be effective if integrated in the classroom. Twitter would be very useful in reminding students about due dates for assignments or upcoming tests. It would also be a good way to end a discussion or lecture. Students could summarize the information in a tweet and/or ask a question that they had concerning the lesson. A couple ideas for using Twitter in the classroom that I do not think would work in my classroom would be using it as a tool for collaboration among students for group projects. Students need that face-to-face time to brainstorm ideas and discuss group projects. Also, I do not think that using Twitter as a way to plan field trips would be a good idea. There are many opinions that teachers need to take into careful consideration; however, the field trips should be predetermined and organized before the year begins. Although Twitter is most often seen as a source of social media, it can change the environment of the classroom. By using Twitter, students will be engaged in lecture and even find enjoyment at the opportunity to implement technology into the classroom.

Blogs are also a fun tool to use in the classroom. The article, 15 Awesome Ways to Use Blogs in Your Classroom, lives up to its title! One idea that I want to use in my classroom includes blogging about classroom news. This would be a way for students to collaborate about what they would like their parents to know about our class. They could even be involved in the process of writing the posts! A second use for blogs that I would like to use in my classroom is posting online surveys to involve parents. It would provide a way for me to receive feedback and suggestions about a past or future class event.

My classroom website is another way that I can communicate with parents and students. I will continue to use my website in the classroom to keep families informed, to provide educational links, and to create  new, fun WebQuests for my students to use. One improvement I can make to my website would be to create a page for assignments. On this page, parents could check what work their student missed from being absent and have additional information to help complete the assignments. Another improvement that I could make to my website would be to create a page about the school itself. Although it is possible that this information could change, it would be beneficial for parents to be able to easily find facts about school policies, events, dress code, or even the lunch menu. This could reduce stress for some parents by creating easy access to important school information.