There are many different forms of social media available for use in schools such as magazines, Internet forums, blogs (weblogs, vlogs, microblogging), wikis, social networks (wall-postings), podcasts, photographs and/or pictures (sharing), video and audio (sharing), rating, virtual worlds, and social bookmarking. Considering the vast number of options, educators who wish to take advantage of social media’s implications for effective learning might ask, What are some social media options that may be used effectively for the classroom? Well, let’s focus on Edmodo, Twitter, Pinterest, and Blogging.
Edmodo
1. Peer Reviews and Critiques--allows small groups of students to post their work and share it with others for review and feedback
2. Writing Projects--allows students to share writing projects with others in a safe environment
3. Book Clubs--allows small groups of students to work as part of a book club to share and discuss what they are reading
4. Project-Based Learning--allows individual and small groups of students to work on project-based learning assignments
5. Differentiated Instruction--allows small groups of students access to differentiated content and shared folders
I encourage you to explore other ways in which Edmodo may be used in the classroom.
1. Communication—Twitter as a bulletin board; parent communication; instant feedback
2. Organization—Twitter recaps; connecting to other classrooms; sharing opinions on issues
3. Resources—finding great resources; source evaluation; gathering real-world data
4. Writing Skills—build vocabulary; improve writing and punctuation; word games
5. Twitter Exercises—class newspaper; conversations; reading summaries; Twitter stories
Again, I encourage you to explore all of the ways to use Twitter in the classroom! Check out these additional lists: 22 Effective Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom and 50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom.
1. Research Boards—organize research materials
2. Group Collaboration—collaborate on group projects
3. Social Studies—study societies and cultures
FYI: Pinterest is also a wonderful resource for teachers to use for lesson planning, find inspiration, collaborate with other educators, etc. Check out Teach Thought's 37 Ways Teachers Should Use Pinterest.
Blog
1. Challenge Students to Write Prompts
2. Collaborate to Create an Online Study Guide
3. Blog Daily Language and Math Activities
4. Illustrate an Activity
5. Conduct Online Survey
Web 2.0 in the Classroom and Edublogs have also assembled wonderful lists of ways to use blogs in the classroom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media
http://help.edmodo.com/teachers/teacher-rollout-resources/twenty-ways-to-use-edmodo/
http://fluency21.com/blog/2013/02/19/60-inspiring-examples-of-twitter-in-the-classroom/
http://www.edudemic.com/2013/06/22-effective-ways-to-use-twitter-in-the-classroom-2/
http://www.teachhub.com/50-ways-use-twitter-classroom
http://pinterest.com/crhebert/using-pinterest-in-the-classroom/
http://teachbytes.com/2012/03/10/10-ways-to-use-pinterest-in-the-classroom/
http://www.edudemic.com/2013/01/a-students-guide-to-effectively-using-pinterest/
http://www.teachthought.com/social-media/37-ways-teachers-can-use-pinterest-in-the-classroom/
http://pinterest.com/pin/178807047677434233/
http://www.edudemic.com/2012/12/blogging-in-the-classroom-a-4-step-guide/
http://blog.simplek12.com/education/15-awesome-ways-to-use-blogs-in-your-classrooms/
http://web20intheclassroom.blogspot.com/2008/10/ways-to-use-blogs-in-your-classroom-and.html
http://edublogs.org/10-ways-to-use-your-edublog-to-teach/