Today I will be evaluating Twitter as a website by the ABCDT
acronym. As the Evaluating Internet Resources Podcast says it’s important to
evaluate websites especially if they are being used in the classroom. Twitter
has become extremely prominent not only in society, but also in schools too. A
is for Author. Twitter does not necessarily have an author; you become your own
author. This is great for classrooms because the teacher can control what is
and is not being posted on the class page. B is for bias. Twitter can be biased
depending on the people you follow and the advertisements that are posted, but
as teacher you get the chance to keep an unbiased conversation going on social
media. C is for content. The podcast asked if the content of the website is accurate
and if the grammar is correct. This is another thing that you can control as a
teacher. You can post accurate articles on your classroom page and open up a
discussion for homework which would then give you the chance to correct the
students grammar if need be. D is for design. The design of Twitter is warm and
inviting for users, not to mention easy to navigate once you have made your own
account. T is for technical extras. Twitter loads quickly and allows students
to say what the need to say. It is a great way to open discussion outside of
the classroom while introducing students to another form of technology.
In my
classroom I would use the Internet to get my students involved with technology.
I plan to teach PreK- Second Grade so I would use websites like FunBrain and
other learning websites to get them acclimated to technology. Something else
that I think is every important for students, is to have them practice typing
on a keyboard. I will have them play key boarding games and rewrite sentences
over and over again so that they become comfortable with typing at a young age.
Of course depending on which of those grades I am teaching, the amount of
practice will vary. Digital citizenship is extremely important not only in the
classroom but at home too. Each week I will send out an electronic newsletter
to the parents stating my expectations of their involvement with their
children. I want them to see their children improving with technology and help
them adapt to it.
Designing
my newsletter was definitely a challenge, though I must say that I really like
how it turned out. Figuring out how to get the banner on the top without
messing up the content of my letters was the hardest part. I spent about 45
minutes trying to figure out what I was doing, but I finally got it where I
wanted it to go. I really learned how to use the space of the paper
effectively, and playing with different color themes and fonts was really fun.
I think the next time I have to make one, I will be able to finish it
efficiently and not worry about where certain buttons are in MS Word.
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