Social media tips

There are so many different tools and technologies available on the internet
today, and so many associated terms and concepts. As I think about topics to
focus on here in the coming months, I want to make sure we¹re touching on
the most important ones. What are the most important internet technologies
for educators to be aware of, and informed about? I¹m sure many people would
probably come up with a slightly different list, but based on my
observations and experiences, and feedback from faculty at my institution, I
have selected the following technologies. I do not mean to imply that every
educator should be expected to use all of these technologies in the
classroom, but rather that every educator should understand what these are,
the potential they have in the classroom, and how their students may already
be using them. 1. Video and Podcasting – One of the most widely adopted internet
technologies for use in instructional settings is video streaming. Between
YouTube, TeacherTube, EduTube, and many other video hosting sites, there are
an abundance of lectures, how-to videos, and supporting materials available
in the form of web based video. Podcasting has also been used to provide
similar offerings of audio materials through popular sites like iTunes.
[Click here to learn more about video hosting for education, or here to
learn more about podcasting for education.]
 
2. Presentation Tools – This category is vast and rich. There are hundreds
(perhaps thousands) of tools on the Internet that can be used to create and
share presentations, from simple Powerpoint slide players like Slideshare to
multimedia timeline tools like Vuvox and OneTrueMedia. These tools can be
used to support classroom teaching or distance learning, or for student
reports and presentations.
 
3. Collaboration & Brainstorming Tools – This is another wide ranging
category, including thought-organizing tools like mindmap and bubbl.us, and
collaborative tools like web based interactive whiteboards and Google
Documents. Additionally, some of the other tools in this list, such as wikis
and virtual worlds, also serve as collaboration tools.
 
4. Blogs & Blogging – Bloggers and many other regular Internet users are
well aware of blogs and blogging, but there are many other professionals who
really are not frequenters of the ³blogosphere². In addition to a basic
familiarity with this technology, educators should be aware of sites like
Blogger and WordPress, where users can quickly and easily create their own
blogs for free.
 
5. Wikis – The use of Wikis in educational settings is growing every day.
Sites like Wetpaint and others allow users to create free wiki web sites and
are a great way to get started with using wikis for educational
applications. [Click here to learn more about the use of Wikis in
education].
 
6. Social Networking – All educators should have a basic understanding of
sites like Facebook and MySpace and how they are used. This doesn¹t mean
they need accounts on these sites (and many educators would recommend
against using these sites to communicate with their students), but they
should understand what they are and how they are being used. Educators
should also be aware of the professional social networking site LinkedIn.
 
7. IM – A large percentage of students use IM regularly, via Aim, IM
aggregator site Meebo (Meebo allows users to combine messaging from Aim,
Yahoo, MySpace, Facebook, and other sites), or other tools. It behooves
educators to be aware of this, and I have even come across various articles
about using IM within the classroom setting (such as this one from
Educause).
 
8. Twitter – This listing is really focused on technologies, not specific
applications, but this application is currently just too popular to ignore.
You should at least understand what it is and the fundamentals of how it is
used. [Click here for some insight into how Twitter can be used in
education.]
 
9. Virtual Worlds – This technology has received a lot of press, with
SecondLife being the clear leader thus far in this application area. In my
experience, the use of SecondLife has been somewhat constrained by high
bandwidth and processing power requirements, but this also means that there
is still considerable room for increased adoption of the application as
systems continue to become more powerful and higher speed bandwidth more
prevalant. Active Worlds is one of a number of competitive technologies, and
provides a ³universe² dedicated to education that has been popular with
educators.
 
10. RSS Feeds – RSS allows users to create their own ³push² data streams
(that is, define data flows you want coming to you automatically, rather
than having to go and ³pull² the information with a Google search or other
browsing effort). RSS feeds enable you to take advantage of streams of
published content that will be sitting in your In Box, or in an RSS reader,
when you want them. There are RSS feeds available for many topics and many
web sites.
 
While many readers may have their own interpretation of which technologies
are essential for educators to be aware of, I think this is a great list to
get started with. Of course, this list will require updating over time, as
technologies change, and as educator¹s uses of these technologies evolve. As
always, reader input is welcomed. What do you think? Is this a good top 10?
Would you like to see some other technologies listed here? Feel free to
comment and offer your insights, please. Thanks!

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