How Sharing on Social Media Helped Me Become a Better Educator

"The Art of Social Media" by Flickr user mkhmarketing | CC BY 2.0

I used to think Twitter was just for celebrities. What they wore, who they’re with, and where they went. Then, I discovered that the true superstars on Twitter were educators.

My foray into social media started in 2011 when I received the opportunity to teach with an iPad in my classroom. I was ready to transform my teaching, but I didn’t know where to start. I did not have access to technology trainings, and no one else I knew used an iPad for teaching. Thus, I did what many people who do in situations like this: I went on the Internet to find inspiration. That’s where I discovered that some of the most dynamic and creative teachers were on Twitter. They were using this social media tool to connect over ideas, share resources, and participate in meaningful conversations.

At first, I was hesitant about using social media so publicly. My Facebook account was solely used to share my personal life with family and friends. My privacy settings were rather strict, and I didn’t “friend” anyone who I had never met in person. However, I realized that if I truly wanted to grow as a teacher and collaborate with other educators, I had to force myself out of my comfort zone and leave my metaphorical island. It turned out to be the best decision of my teaching career.

On Twitter, I discovered that I could learn from educators from all around the world. Through this platform, I was able to expand my Professional Learning Community beyond my own district and create a Personal Learning Network (PLN) on my own terms and based on my interests. It was a place where I could design my own professional development by learning from other educators, all while sitting in my pajamas.

From Tweeter to Blogger

Twitter’s 140 character limited really forced me to be focused and concise in what I shared. I found it an extremely fitting and useful platform for sharing links that I think other educators would find valuable or tweeting out ideas that others would find interesting. However, there were times when my thoughts could not be expressed in such a succinct format, and soon, I found myself blogging to meet that need.

My First Dive Into Blogging

When I first decided to start a blog, I didn’t really have a plan. I hadn’t studied the art of publication and my sole purpose for writing was to share ideas. For my first blog post, it felt natural to introduce myself and my approach to using technology in the classroom. I didn’t have aspirations to be a blogger. I was writing for me, not necessarily the world.

Developing My Voice

Over time, I realized that many bloggers write for three basic reasons: to be informative, to be reflective, or to be entertaining. I became a teacher to help others so I easily gravitated towards the first two reasons. I wanted to share what I was working for me, and in turn, hopefully help someone else in return. Soon, I was writing about, which learning management system I liked best, why I gave up my iPads for Chromebooks, and how I was implementing Google Apps in my classroom. I found that readers really enjoyed hearing from my personal experiences and how it differed from theirs. Many teachers read blogs to gain new ideas and to find tips to make their jobs easier. Soon readers were leaving comments on my blog, asking questions or wanting to continue the dialogue. This is what blogging is all about, the interchange of ideas and the exploration of other perspectives.

My blog gave me the space to further share my pedagogy and reflect on my practice. It gave me a place to challenge myself, organize my thoughts, and find my voice. Blogging provided a creative outlet where I could push myself to become a better educator.

Becoming an Active Participant

To be honest, I never thought I would carve out an identity for myself on social media. That was the most surprising outcome when I first set out to use this platform to improve my practice as a teacher. At first, I thought I would just be a quiet observer. However, being an active participant is definitely much more rewarding, allowing me to explore new territories as a learner and new worlds of possibilities.

I hope your quest to finding your voice is a rewarding one. Taking the plunge isn’t as scary as some may think. Please share your adventures with social media in the comments below.

Originally published on KQED's "In the Classroom" blog. Reproduced courtesy of KQED.

Do You Really Have the Right to Use That?

"Copyright Symbol" by Mike Seyfang / CC BY 2.0

Most students, and even educators, don’t think twice about copying and redistributing content created by other individuals, not realizing that they may be in violation of copyright laws. As of March 1, 1989 all creations (text, images, videos, etc.), automatically receive this protection even if the creator never formally files for copyright status.

In this post, I’ve put together a quick guide to help educators better understand this concept and to help them teach students the need to respect the work of others.

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Quick Guide to Copyright, Fair Use & Public Domain

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Copyright

• Only expressions of ideas are copyright protected. (However, appropriating someone else's idea without credit attribution is plagiarism.)
• As of March 1, 1989, all work is copyright protected the moment it is created.
• Copyright registration is not required to copyright a creator’s work. (It is, however, helpful in ligation cases to establish proof of copyright.)

What fair use usually allows (however, there are exceptions)

• Criticism and comments
• News reporting
• Research and scholarship
• Nonprofit educational uses
• Parody
• Noncommercial uses

Does it qualify under Fair Use?

It depends on how you use the work. Each case is unique, and there is no guarantee that the courts will rule in your favor. These are the questions usually considered in a court of law when determining fair use.

• Is this an entirely new creation?
• What is the purpose of using this work?
• Will you be competing with the creator of the original work?
• How much of the original work are you using? (You can only reproduce a small portion of the work.)
• What quality and essence of the original work are you using? (There is no magic percentage that protects you under Fair Use. If it is the “heart and soul” of the work, even reproducing a tiny fraction of the work could be considered a violation of copyright laws.)

How to Determine If a Work Is in the Public Domain (United States Only)

The table below is created from information published by Stanford University Libraries’ “Welcome to the Public Domain.”

Publication	In the Public Domain
Work published before 1923	Yes
Work published between 1923 and 1963	Work has copyright status for the first 28 year, but has to be renewed to retain copyright status
Work published between 1993 and February 28, 1989	If the work has no copyright notice and “the law has not made an exception for its omission, then the work is the public domain.”
Work created by the government	Usually

Sources

"Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright (Library of Congress)." 2007. 15 Feb. 2015

"The 'Fair Use' Rule: When Use of Copyrighted Material is Acceptable." 2011. 28 Jan. 2015

"Welcome to the Public Domain - Stanford Copyright & Fair Use." 2013. 25 Jan. 2015

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This guide cannot be substituted for legal advice and should not be construed as such. The information contained herein is based on the works cited above.

The 9 C's of Digital Literacy

Today, at my keynote for the California League of Schools Annual Conference North, I will be discussing what I perceive to be the 9 C's of Digital Literacy and how to integrate these skills in a Common Core classroom.

We all know that our digital natives are very at ease with technology. In fact, they’re in love with it, but does that automatically make them digital proficient?

When I originally pondered this question, I began to realize that the 5 C's often discussed in education today - communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and citizenship - needed to be expanded to include these other areas as well: curation, copyright, character and connectedness. I believe that these digital literacy skills are essential for success in today's modern world. It’s more important than ever for educators to teach students how to become digitally literate so that they will be successful in their lives and careers.

To share the "9 C's of Digital Literacy" on Twitter, click here. To download a PDF copy, click here.

Is Technology Just a Tool?

Recently, I had a conversation with someone about using technology in the classroom. Though it was acknowledged that students should learn with technology, the conclusion drawn was this. Technology is just a tool.

I think this could be true, depending on what type of teacher one is describing. Teaching with technology just to be cool, modern, or hip is not good pedagogy. However, to downgrade technology to being just a tool misses the point as well.

Could I perform my job without technology? I'm not the type of teacher who teaches straight out of a book. Whenever I come across something that I think I can use in the classroom, I'm always adapting it, revising it, and trying to improve it. It's hopeless. I can't stop tinkering.

I prefer to create my own teaching materials. Even now, after teaching for over 18 years, I still constantly revise my own teaching documents and presentation files -- sometimes from one class to the next because I want to give my students the best work I can produce. So could I effectively do this part of my job without technology?  No.

What about research and learning? Without the Internet, I couldn't look for new literature, author biography, current events, or digital media with which to supplement my lessons.  For example, one year, I decided to augment my "Flowers for Algernon" unit with medical articles about disabilities to help my students appreciate the challenges of living with a disability. Prior to the invention of the Internet, I would have never thought about doing this because I didn't have the resources.

So how do my students benefit from a technology-rich curriculum?

Having access to technology has enabled my students to write for a global audience. As a result of blogging, my students are far more prolific than those from my previous years, and they also have the added advantage of being able to connect with other students around the world through Quadblogging.  This has shown them that the world is bigger than they realized, giving them glimpses of other cultures to which they previously wouldn't have been exposed.

Having access to technology has enabled my students to participate in the Mystery State Project and to have had the opportunity to Skype with a State Senator. We're finally able to bring the world into our classroom.

Having access to technology has enabled my students to create more digital media projects like video animations, live action movies, still photography, comic strips, and podcasts to name a few. These projects taught them how to be creative and collaborative. They learned the importance of revising their work and the necessity of observing copyright laws when choosing their media. They were also more engaged during the learning process.

Could my students learn without technology? Yes. But did technology elevate my students' learning to new heights? Without a doubt.

Like it or not, technology is immersed in our lives - in our homes, at our jobs, and out in the world.

Would you run a company without technology? Then why would you run a school without it?

For the Love of Blogging

Written by a shy student who never raised her hand
in class.  Only I knew how brilliant she was...
until she started blogging.

In the fall of 2011, I introduced my students to blogging for the first time.  It has enabled my writers to discover their voice and uncover a true love of writing. One student wrote, “You gave us wings and taught us to fly, letting us find out for ourselves that the sky really is the limit.”

A blog may be a reflection at the end of a unit of study, a theme piece that introduces an upcoming lesson, or a poetry vlog that feature their own poems in a movie slideshow with music. In addition, many students are motivated to write topics dear to their heart like the one titled “Computers, Konglish, and My American Dream,” in which the writer recounts a story of when she taught her immigrant grandmother how to use the Internet. During her piece, she comes to an epiphany about her heritage and her relationship with her grandmother. Another student wrote a review on the show “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” and comes to the conclusion that the show “is a refreshing new take on the original concept.”

Our blog readers hailed from many parts of the world. My students regularly look forward to reading comments left for them by our visitors, and they swell with pride at all the praise they have received. As for me, I am as excited as my students. I am awed by how reflective, mature, and intellectual their posts have become.

I believe one of the most important outcomes from blogging is that my students have found a creative outlet where they could express themselves, challenge their writing skills, and build their self-esteem. It is my hope that they will continue to blog even after they leave my classroom.

I use Kidblog.org as our blogging platform because it is very safe and secure for students. It gives teachers as much administrative control as they wish. Teachers can decide if their students' posts and/or comments need to be approval before they are published. Alternatively, teachers can configure all posts and comments to publish without being moderated. This is a feature that many parents appreciate since some are concerned about their child's privacy and safety. Setting up a class is also a breeze. Students can easily enroll by using a code or teachers can create student accounts themselves.

My students blog regularly throughout the year. Their blogs feature a variety of topics, some of which are assigned by me and some of which are chosen by the student. Students submit their blogs for credit via a Google Form. I find this to be the easiest and most efficient way to read their work. The key is for students to copy and paste their exact post into a Google Form. (See image on the right.) They submit five posts at a time. This way, I can read all of the posts in one place, on a Google Spreadsheet. (If you're feeling geeky, you can use data validation to require a minimum word count on blog posts, too.)

To drive readership to your students' blogs, consider joining Quadblogging.com, soliciting other teachers with the Twitter hashtag #comments4kids, #kidblog, or reaching out to your PLN on social media.

If you are interested in forming a blogging partnership with me, please contact me.