Journal 4- Twitter, Bridging the Digital Divide, and Software for Students
Twitter + Education
Just as a social media consumer, I have been on Twitter for about 3 years now, almost 4. I enjoy Twitter a lot. I think Twitter is "faster" and easier to consume than other outlets. You won't scroll through long posts like you would on Facebook. I enjoy other users' funny quips and videos of puppies, but I actually use Twitter to stay updated on news as well. I interact with the educational community on Twitter in a similar way. I mainly interact with education news accounts. I read their articles about updated policies, or programs happening with students. I really enjoy following accounts run by teachers and hearing about their tricks and tips, and daily lives.
Software for Students
As far as software for students, I don't think I would encourage my students to create Twitter accounts. I plan to teach younger kids, and most of the platform is not appropriate for younger kids. My favorite "software" for the classroom right now is Class Dojo. It is a point system you can display on a monitor in your classroom, and when children are behaving well, follow directions well, et cetera, you can give them points, and reward the students based on their performance. I think positive reinforcement works really well; it encourages students to get more excited about learning and doing well. In the classrooms I've been in that have used it, it has worked really well. The classroom I'm in currently has a really cool reading software downloaded on all of their ChromeBooks. (I am not sure of the name). The software reads the children a story (Kindergarten), and asks them questions to assist their comprehension skills and their ability to sight read. As they complete their comprehension tasks, the software takes in the information and assesses and measures their progress. After they fully complete a story and a task, they get to play a game, so that they feel like they're working towards something. The software is really engaging and colorful, and makes a rather annoying assessment more fun. The kids really seem to enjoy it.
Digital Divide
Despite what kind of software we decide to use in our classrooms, the digital divide is still present. There are kids in are schools, more than we think, without access to smartphones, tablets, or computers. Most of these kids are experiencing the divide because their parents do not have the resources to provide them with the technology. There are schools here in Tallahassee littered with technology- specifically Florida High. Each child in their classroom has a Chromebook, and there are smart boards, speaker systems, and smart tv screens installed in their classrooms. Of course, children that experience the digital divide are the students that would most benefit from these classrooms, and are in highest need. Unfortunately, these students are less likely to be in these schools. Florida High has a tuition cost- something lower income parents cannot pay for. Well-funded schools are more likely to be in higher income areas. In order to bridge the gap, we must give more funding to schools that are considered "low-income" or "under performing". If we pour more resources into those schools, more success will come out of them. Still, even lower-funded schools do their best at giving children access to technology by providing computers in labs or libraries. If the digital divide does not close up by the time I have my own classroom, I will keep that in mind as I assign homework to my students. I will make sure everyone has an equal chance to complete their work, and I will even bring them to a lab to complete it if I had to, which is what teachers I've had have always done.
Just as a social media consumer, I have been on Twitter for about 3 years now, almost 4. I enjoy Twitter a lot. I think Twitter is "faster" and easier to consume than other outlets. You won't scroll through long posts like you would on Facebook. I enjoy other users' funny quips and videos of puppies, but I actually use Twitter to stay updated on news as well. I interact with the educational community on Twitter in a similar way. I mainly interact with education news accounts. I read their articles about updated policies, or programs happening with students. I really enjoy following accounts run by teachers and hearing about their tricks and tips, and daily lives.
Software for Students
As far as software for students, I don't think I would encourage my students to create Twitter accounts. I plan to teach younger kids, and most of the platform is not appropriate for younger kids. My favorite "software" for the classroom right now is Class Dojo. It is a point system you can display on a monitor in your classroom, and when children are behaving well, follow directions well, et cetera, you can give them points, and reward the students based on their performance. I think positive reinforcement works really well; it encourages students to get more excited about learning and doing well. In the classrooms I've been in that have used it, it has worked really well. The classroom I'm in currently has a really cool reading software downloaded on all of their ChromeBooks. (I am not sure of the name). The software reads the children a story (Kindergarten), and asks them questions to assist their comprehension skills and their ability to sight read. As they complete their comprehension tasks, the software takes in the information and assesses and measures their progress. After they fully complete a story and a task, they get to play a game, so that they feel like they're working towards something. The software is really engaging and colorful, and makes a rather annoying assessment more fun. The kids really seem to enjoy it.
Digital Divide
Despite what kind of software we decide to use in our classrooms, the digital divide is still present. There are kids in are schools, more than we think, without access to smartphones, tablets, or computers. Most of these kids are experiencing the divide because their parents do not have the resources to provide them with the technology. There are schools here in Tallahassee littered with technology- specifically Florida High. Each child in their classroom has a Chromebook, and there are smart boards, speaker systems, and smart tv screens installed in their classrooms. Of course, children that experience the digital divide are the students that would most benefit from these classrooms, and are in highest need. Unfortunately, these students are less likely to be in these schools. Florida High has a tuition cost- something lower income parents cannot pay for. Well-funded schools are more likely to be in higher income areas. In order to bridge the gap, we must give more funding to schools that are considered "low-income" or "under performing". If we pour more resources into those schools, more success will come out of them. Still, even lower-funded schools do their best at giving children access to technology by providing computers in labs or libraries. If the digital divide does not close up by the time I have my own classroom, I will keep that in mind as I assign homework to my students. I will make sure everyone has an equal chance to complete their work, and I will even bring them to a lab to complete it if I had to, which is what teachers I've had have always done.
I really would love to hear more about your experience of interacting with other teachers? What tricks did you learn?
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