Social+Media+Continues

=SOCIAL MEDIA- The HOME of your Digital Presence=

You have several social media options for creating a digital presence as a teacher: making your own blog, website, or wiki or joining a social network or a learning management system (LMS)- we'll talk more about Learning Management Systems in future workshops (See also R.Z's example here [|Elumminate)].
 * We have been discussing the idea of social media as a portal for a digital presence. As we continue our Educational Technology journey throughout the year, we will be exploring different types of social media within the context of our classrooms. Social media, one of the most popular applications of computer technology, is the location for your digital presence. Social media refers to a range of online tools and networks that people use to communicate with each other. With social media, users of computers and other digital devices can share words, pictures, audio, video, and other forms of information instantly and collaboratively. Social media tools include blogs, wikis, podcasts, image sharing (such as Flickr), video sharing (such as YouTube), social networking (such as Facebook), microblogging (such as Twitter), email, electronic cards, RSS feeds, online games, virtual worlds, and online communication (such as Skype). (See also the digital presence figure). Moving from an unintentional socially constructed Digital Presence that may include adding or subtracting digital tools **

//** Blog **//. A “blog” is a personal website that is regularly updated by a teacher in order to express her or his professional voice as an educator. Special features of blogs include a home page, comments, permalinks (or the direct links to your posts), category and tagging systems, and a layout enabling your most recent post to automatically appear on top of your older posts.

Two options include:
==== · Blogger: S oftware that is relatively easy to use, but you will need a Google account to get started. This site has many ways to customize your blog by switching templates; there is a fee to access information about your visitors. ====

· Lifejournal is another popular blog tool. This one has been demonstrated by A.S. in class.
//** Website **//. While blogs are a popular way to build a teacher’s web presence, so too are teacher-made websites. Teacher websites are Web pages that are regularly updated by a teacher, but remain closed to comments. They typically feature a navigation bar and often include links to outside sources. Since websites and blogs are beginning to converge, most websites lack comments and archives that are easy to navigate or opportunities for readers to contribute to the content of the page. Three options include:
 * ** Moonfruit ** : A free site with additional for cost premium option that has a drag and drop interface and a large library of templates to choose from at []
 * ** Weebly ** : A professional looking website free of ads and with plenty of multimedia features at: []
 * ** WordPress ** : A web presence using free open source software at: []

//** Wikis **// : A wiki is a website where its community of users are active participants in the building of the site. As a teacher, you can act as the Webmaster (main author and editor) of your wiki while inviting other educators as well as your students to become contributors to the site. Wiki owners can also turn the co-authoring privileges on their wikispace off and on as topics change. Two options include:

= · Wikispaces: An easy to manage site that allows for HTML editing. The design templates are minimal. By subscribing to an educational wikispace, your wiki will be ad free. = = · PBWiki is another excellent choice that has an educational version that is ad free. =


 * Ed. Technology HOMEWORK 1 of 2 due 11/23: **

Your ongoing Digital Presence Assignment will be different depending on your current needs and any design concepts you want to try. Most likely you'll fall into one of the categories below and in turn, you'll find the homework assignment associated with your self identified status. Please take the mini- inventory /quiz to see which category of Social Media Homework you should be doing at this time.

//** I am still looking for a digital home. I may change my mind and use a different digital tools to house my digital tools. **//
//** And Or **//

//** My current social media may not be the "right fit" at this time so I may need to try something new. **//
=**Then you may want to do the following types of activities between now and 11/23 our next Ed. Tech. workshop/class:**=

Here's how to** Continue to Explore your Social Media options.... **
 * Continue to Explore your Social Media options (see also the sample social media tools above or feel free to find some on your own). **
 * Just like finding the right apartment or home, you'll need to explore more than one social media tool before you find just the right "home" for your teaching ideas and resources. If you are still in the digital home exploration stage, you are probably checking out different digital tools/homes to see if they fit your personality and needs. For example, if you think vivid, edgy graphics will help keep the interest of your visitors, you'll want to check-out the Moonfruit software mentioned above. If you would like to try out a simple yet professional web page, you may want to give the Weebly software a chance. **

You will want to do the following types of activities between now and 11/23 our next class:

 * Choose ways to Revise, Add, and Refine Your Digital Home **

Here's how to** Revise, Add, and Refine Your Digital Home **


 * Typically, when you move into a new house, condo, or apartment, you begin to decide how you'll use your rooms, decorate your space, and who you'll invite for a visit. If you are pretty comfortable with your current digital home (wiki, blog, webpage) then you'll want to start making it feel more like your very own space. You may be ready to move in some "new furniture" or other features that will ultimately, personalize your rooms. Adding social media tools to your house is one way to add complimentary features to your digital home. You may start the process by adding a link to your Delicious account inside your portal. You can do this simply by adding a link to Delicious on your homepage/blog and providing your user name for your visitors to explore. **
 * Another example may include adding a link to one of the Social Networking for Educators sites that you have recently explored. If you are a Youtube user, you may want to add a link to a video inside your digital home. **


 * Certainly you'll want to begin to decide how to categorize all the information within your site as a way to revise and refine your digital "home". That's yet another way to professionally personalize your digital home/presence. **

=International Society for Teacher Education (ISTE)-Planning with the Big IDEAS and Standards in mind.=

While investigating the professional standards in your content area, 21 Century Skills for Teaching and Learning and the ISTE, you'll begin to see some samples of how to articulate the **Big Ideas** behind the mini-lesson lessons and units that you teach. During our last few lesson planning sessions(EDUC 524 and 592S), we explored how to think about standards for teaching and learning as a way to design with //**Big Ideas**// and concepts in mind. Check out the International Society for Teacher Education resources below. Begin to identify how these standards can be integrated into the lesson plans you are teaching now and in the near future.

The International Society for Teacher Education (ISTE) is large non-profit organization of teacher free of external political or economic controls. It is dedicated to improving teacher education in all educational settings world wide: []

Digital-Age Learning
As foundational technology skills penetrate throughout our society, students will be expected to apply the basics in authentic and integrated ways to solve problems, complete projects, and creatively extend their abilities. ISTE's [|NETS for Students (2007)] help students prepare to work, live, and contribute to the social and civic fabric of their communities.

The new standards identify several higher-order thinking skills and digital citizenship as critical for students to learn effectively for a lifetime and live productively in our emerging global society. These areas include the ability to: ISTE is broken down into different foci: [|Essential Conditions] [| 2007 Student Profiles] [| NETS Students Implementation] || [|NETS for Students 2007] [|Essential Conditions] [| 2007 Student Profiles] [|1998 NETS-S] ||
 * Demonstrate creativity and innovation
 * Communicate and collaborate
 * Conduct research and use information
 * Think critically, solve problems, and make decisions
 * Use technology effectively and productively
 * Page Links || PDF Links ||
 * [|NETS for Students 2007]

See http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx

= **HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT 2 of 2 Due 11/23** = Investigate the NETS for Teachers and Students page (handout from class) for more information about International Standards for teaching and learning. Consider how you might begin to incorporate elements of these standards inside your lesson plan (Big IDEA CONCEPT MAP). Jot ideas and concepts related to this integration on that strip of paper/ write your notes on separate piece of paper. Please bring these notes to class on **11/23 Mac Lab School of Education.** **CR**