There are some really unique things that can be done on Instagram. Caitlin Tucker has given me so many ideas that I can incorporate into my teaching. She took her class on a field trip and had them do a scavenger Instagram hunt. It’s one of those simple basic ideas that you say to yourself why didn’t I think about that. Caitlin has a user friendly website where she blogs about different school activities she has completed. One thing that caught my attention about her blog was the date on it. The date was February 25 2013, I don’t know if she is really a head of her time or I am really behind when it comes to social media. I can appreciate her innovated ideas. This is one of those lessons where students buy into the assignment because it’s so fun and engaging. Using an electronic device that usually draws student’s attention away from learning is now being utilized to enhance their learning. After reading Show Your Work I believe Instagram is going to be if not already leader of the social empire media. As a teacher you can take pictures of student’s work, artwork and other special projects to share on a private Instagram account. This could be only accessible to families and others in your school community. Once you create a community on Instagram you could share different things about your class, programs and school. My eyes have been opened by Caitlin Tucker to start something in my class that is rich and inviting through Instagram. Tucker, Caitlin. 'Instagram Scavenger Hunt'. Caitlin Tucker Blended Learning 2013. Web. 10 Aug. 2015. Snapchat is supposed to be the next big thing. I have no idea how snapchat operates. I heard about it but I don’t have one. I have heard my students talk about snapchat and I know I have been in some of their stories. This was how I was when it came to Facebook a few years ago, I heard of it but didn’t jump on the bandwagon until my Mom had one. I am so behind the times when it comes to social media. According to the Snapchat Murders Facebook, stories are a daily log of pictures and video clips. They last twenty four hours and then disappear. Snapchat is about “now sharing” photos and video of your life to people that are interested. Snapchat is being utilized by many students on a daily basis. How can I use this social media to improve my class and my instruction? I think I will open an account and see what all the fuss is about. Reference Neistat, C. (2014, October 2). Snapchat Murders Facebook. Retrieved July 13, 2015. Instagram I love you is such an awesome video, it’s probably the best mini video I have ever seen. I really appreciated his advice on how to run a successful Instagram without “playing it out”. Within a four minute time period I learned a few things. Don’t overuse hashtags, no one wants to see all those meaningless hashtags about nothing. Two, don’t ask people to follow you, it’s not cool I guess and probably annoying. Three, less is more in Instagram, “don’t bleed the feed”. Post something than “chill” than post something else. That is great advice, I can’t stand when people post like 40 pics a day. I am now following Rick Ross because of this video and he does have a really cool Instagram. “The life expectancy of social media is not too long, Twitter is all right and Facebook was great”. I have been using Instagram now on a regular basis and I would like it to stay around. So if we all follow some of these tips maybe we can have it for a long time.
Neistat, C. (2012, October 2). Instagram i love you. [Video file] Retrieved from <https://youtu.be/GacoqdKjVyE?list=PLbRLdW37G3oMquOaC-HeUIt6CWk-FzaGp> “The Danger of a Single Story” is a great Ted talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. We must not put people in a box, “there must be authentic stories told for a single story is dangerous”. I think we all sometimes put a single story on a group of people, religion and places. By us doing this we negate many experiences that we can be a part of. “Each story matters”, I have a story and so do you. Our stories can be empowering to someone but if we don’t get it out we fall into the trap of being labeled. We are all living this life in our own way. We all have problems, worries, difficulties, heartbreaks and triumphs. Before we judge, try to imagine we all have unique story, that's what makes us who we are. “When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise." - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Chimamanda Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story. Perf. Chimamanda Adichie. Youtube.com. N.p., 21 Aug. 2001. Web. 21 Aug. 2015. The Future of Learning Trung Lee
I enjoyed Lee’s Ted talk, what started out as an architectural project became something deeper that developed into a culture change. I liked how Lee showed different classes rooms all over the world, it was very interesting to see how similar the rooms where. The only real thing that was different was the clothing and skin color of the students. It seems like students all over the world are going through the same status quo from what seems to be a universal education system. Students are being forced to stand in line, sit in rows in assigned seats, and perform specific tasks that are specific to each of their teachers. Ideas and concepts behind specific scenarios are out dated and the educators that are assigning them really don’t know why they are doing it. Everything revolves around how well the student can regurgitate information. We have a test base currency that holds most its value in educational institutions. I have heard many of the Ted talks about education and there are many messages with one common theme, change. We need to change the way we are doing education. This is one more Ted talk that has cause me to reevaluate my whole thought process about education. Reference: The Future of Learning: Trung Le at TEDxNYED. (2013 June 11). Retrieved from https://goo.gl/lwSbUA |
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