Kirsten Thompson Presentation

Kirsten Thompson joined our Internet for Educators class via Zoom to share her knowledge of using social media in the classroom setting. Her presentation outlined that the prevalence, digital literacy skills, and relevance are key factors to think about when adding technological tools to our classroom. Using technology can be a great and inexpensive way to communicate with others in the digital world and to create different possibilities for our students to learn and connect with.  

She found that there is an increasing trend in the amount of internet users in Canada. Currently, 91% of Canadians have access to the internet. When you think about that amount of people who are online digitally there is so much room for teachers to have their classroom involved in some kind of social media outlet. By introducing social media platforms to your classroom routines this can help students, families, and teachers by:

1.     Helping students stay on track of their assignments;

2.     Build relationships with students via connecting from the use of memes, or other ways that may be meaningful to that particular group of students;

3.     Stay connected with parents. Parents can have the opportunity to see what their students are posting online as well as also being able to spark up conversations with their kids about what they are learning in class;

4.     Parents can keep up with school events that are posted; and

5.     This is not an exhaustive list by any means so comment below on other ways you can see yourself using social media platforms in your classroom.

We are honestly so busy these days that it is helpful to be able to have access to materials and event information remotely. This is also a great way to teach our students how to create positive digital footprints by being there to help them along the way. There are pros and cons to every choice of platform, so thinking critically about purpose you are looking for will help you choose which one to use. 

When implementing the use of technological tools in the classroom we need to be cognisant about the purpose of doing so. To be effective we need to think about what skills our students will gain from using a specific platform. There are so many possible tools to use so it can easily be overwhelming to pick the one that will be most appropriate. Kirsten suggested these questions to think about when deciding on a purpose:

1.     Does it model digital literacy skills;

2.     Does it model ethical and appropriate behaviour;

3.     Can it help with student engagement;

4.     Have I thought about the 4 c’s when using technologies in the classroom?

I like the idea of creating a platform for myself, my students and their families to connect with each other. I think that there are many purposeful ways to use technology and to enhance the effectiveness of communication, learning, and students’ digital literacy skills in school. This is the digital age and it is important to think about what we can learn and what we can teach our students to help them prepare for their future. Find out what works best for you and your class because technology and the needs of our students are always changing.

Okay, so here is a video that does not talk about why we should use technology in the classroom, rather it is evidence of why we should. Students can connect with other students their age by creating or watching videos about important issues. My son came home raving about watching Kid President videos. Not only did he learn valuable information, it also inspired him to pass on what he learned from watching these videos. Implementing social media platforms in the classroom such as YouTube can help our students use their voice to share what they are thinking. 

Here is a Kid President video about "20 things we should say more often".