Social Media

                 Social media has become the easiest way to stay in touch with family, friends from high school and college, and colleagues. Like most, I typically begin my day by logging on to Facebook to get the latest updates from my friends and family. Social media has become such a mainstay in everyone’s life, regardless of age. Tweens to 80-year-olds enjoy interacting online for various reasons, but it all boils down to communication.  

     My example of social media interaction is a conversation on Facebook that occurred a couple of years after graduation. According to the MAPS heuristic, this social media thread is very casual with a goal of staying in touch. One person tagged everyone from the same graduating class to share what was going on in their life. Everyone from the graduating class had news to share. It was amazing to see where everyone was working, as well as information from their personal life. This thread could have been the start to many conversations through the existing thread, a new thread, or private message. Collaborating with others by sharing lesson plans and strategies that work in the classroom is an exciting way to continue a relationship, even if it is simply through social media. This thread could have been more digitally enhanced by adding photos and video. Even though life gets busy, staying in touch is easy through social media because it offers so many features.

     Since social media is so embedded in our lives, it only makes sense to integrate it into the classroom. Educators have an obligation to teach students to become responsible digital citizens. Johnson (2010) explains that teachers should advocate using social media in the classroom to teach students how to become knowledgeable users. We would not give a brand new car to a 13-year-old without a license. Yet most 13-year-olds are given permission to explore and use social media without learning how to use all of the features safely. According to Hicks (2013), young people are constructing their identities, building (or destroying) relationships, creating new opportunities for learning, and remixing media to create new compositions. Students use social media to discuss, promote, and share their thoughts and opinions with the world. According to Hicks (2013), encouraging students to think about what they are saying in text, will help them to present a positive image and participate in a variety of communities safely. Teaching students to become responsible digital citizens is critical because their digital footprint will remain with them for the rest of their life. 

References

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and 

     genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Johnson, S. 2010, March 11. Guest Blog: Making the case for social media

     in education. Edutopia. Retrieved November 21, 2014, from 

     www.edutopia.org/social-media-case-education-edchat-steve-
                 johnson.

Crafting Video Texts

 

Creating or editing movies has always been exciting but also overwhelming for me. The process can be time consuming and frustrating. Each editing service is different, and it takes time to get to know and understand the various programs. As educators, we must remember that our digital native students often have the same struggles with technology, but they are excited to try to use new forms of technology. Compared to traditional writing, digital writing must begin with a very similar draft process. Hicks (2013) explained that when starting a technology-rich project, students benefit from a sketch, a storyboard, even a conversation. Planning is the key to success when creating a digital project because it requires organization and structure. Students of all ages need time to think about the design and content of their project. While prewriting and drafting, students need to document images, text, transitions, and create a script to be prepared for creating the digital video and text. Planning for the final product will lessen the stress and prevent students from becoming overwhelmed during the process.

Hicks (2013) explained that first educators must focus on the writer, then the writing, and finally the technology. As educators, we need to utilize the strengths and interests of our students. Writing can be a difficult task for students because it requires students to organize their thoughts into a fluent text. Digital writing allows students to jump into the writing process in a way that is engaging for the students. In my experience, I have found that students are anxious to finish the drafting process to get the technology component.

Educators have an important role to provide good examples of mentor text as well as modeling the research process for images, text, and video. Jenny Maehara provides some great examples of digital mentor texts. Students need to feel comfortable utilizing search engines to find material for any type of presentation. Richard Byrne offers several search engines that are intended for student academic use. As students utilize and create video text, the more digital literate they will become. Hicks (2013) stated that students can search or create images, graphs, or other visuals. With devices such as smart phones, taking pictures and recording video has become easier than ever. Google Docs allows students to create graphs online without needing additional software. Encouraging students to become familiar with searching and creating resources will foster creativity and provide a purpose for their project.
        According to Hicks (2013), crafting a multimedia project requires more than recording when the MAPS heuristic is utilized in the creation process. I revised my video introduction by using iMove. This editing software is very user friendly and offers several templates. I incorporated narration, transitions, music, and text to my video. I particularly like the iMovie app because it can be used on a hand-held device. When the iMovie app is installed on the iPad, an extension of the app can be accessed from the photo editor. This feature is very beneficial to the classroom to create and edit video quickly and effectively.

           

References:

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and 

     genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

(2014). Editing Video In iOS 8 With the iMovie Extension. Retrieved November 
     1, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_FzeZ0PlxM.

(2010). Seven Search Engines for Students - Free Technology for Teachers.

     Retrieved November 1, 2014, from

     http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/08/seven-search-engines-for-

     students.html.

(2013). Using Digital Mentor Texts in Writing Workshop - Raising Voices: 
     Thoughts on Teaching, Learning, and  Leading. Retrieved November 
     1, 2014, from https://teach2change.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/using-
     digital-mentor-texts-in-writing-workshop/.