EDUC 630: Social Media

Over the past year within my courses at Liberty, I have learned to use social media in a new way. For example, I had never had a Twitter account or tweeted at all before one of my Educational Technology courses. From the guided assignments in using Twitter, I was able to develop a professional network in which I learned a lot about current trends within Education and the newest technologies instructors are using. I found the use of social networking in this form to be invaluable for this profession and to make my assignments more meaningful for their application to my own classroom. Baker (2013) addresses the fact that people can become connected with other professionals strictly over a computer and strictly for professional ideas and collaboration without ever having to meet in person. He also indicates that the amount of knowledge that can be shared between individuals is incredible by utilizing social media outlets (Baker, 2013).
As far as learning, social media can spark new interest and meaningful connections. Because today's world is technology-enhanced and social media dependent, we must use these tools as well to teach students how to learn and grow in these areas as well (Smith, 2007). By integrating technology into lessons and allowing the students to be interactive with their technology, teachers can keep the attention of their students and create environments where learning is actually occurring...and is fun! (Smith, 2007).
I have chosen to follow some of leaders in Educational Technology such as EDTech, Edutopia, Education Week, US Department of Education, ISTE, Eric Sheninger, Education Technology, Lead U Now, Connected Educators, The New York Times, Mindshift, ASCD, and some of my professors from Educational Technology. I feel like we need to chose those resources that are directly related to our field of interest to stay on top of the latest and greatest in education.
The main idea with using technology in the classroom is to use it in a meaningful way, including social media. By keeping students engaged in the lesson or activity by providing solid ways to use these technologies, we can alleviate some of the misuse that discourage so many from allowing devices into their classrooms (Smith, 2007).



References:
Baker, J. (2013, February 12). How students benefit from using social media. Retrieved September 30, 2015, from http://www.edudemic.com/how-students-benefit-from-using-social-media



Smith, F. (2007, April 20). How to use social networking technology for learning. Retrieved September 30, 2015, from www.edutopia.org/how-use-social-networking-technology