It's so discouraging to me when teachers all over turn up their noses to the mere thought of using technology in the classroom. I, on the other hand, think it's a great and useful tool that all teachers should familiarize themselves with. I think that many ought to understand that today's youth is VERY different than the youth 10 (and even 20) years ago, and if the teachers can't keep up with their students' technologies, then they'll quickly lose interest in the classroom.
One of the biggest and fastest growing technologies is the technology of the social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pintrest... the list goes on and on and continues to grow in volume and popularity. So, instead of turning up our noses, we should embrace these extremely useful technologies and integrate them into in our current and future classrooms.
In the perspective of a future English teahcer, I believe that I could use social media two different ways: As a learning tool and as a networking tool.
AS A LEARNING TOOL:
Example: This week we'll be finishing Shakespeare's A Midsummers Night's Dream. In order to ensure that my classroom is understanding the text, which might I add can be very challenging for a student to understand, the class is to make a Facebook profile for each character of the play. For each assigned chapter, the student is to update their character's Facebook profile--adding "favorite" quotes, updating bios, and adding statuses. Not only will each student have a better understanding for the text, but they'll develop a much more in depth analysis of each character.
AS A NETWORKING TOOL:
One reason why some students don't do their homework is because they 1) didn't write it down or 2) simply forgot what the assignment was. Instead of emailing me and hoping that I will reply back, I think setting up a Twitter profile with updated homework assignments would be great! Twitter can be accessed online and through Smartphones, and tweets can also be sent to your phone if no internet access is available. Students can simply go to my Twitter page. They could also ask me quick questions about certain assignments!
Another technology I find to be extremely useful is film. Films and books go hand in hand. Yes, some film adaptations to certain books are excruciatingly bad, but there are many awesome movies that can help students better understand books they might not have otherwise wanted to read. Again, I'll use Shakespeare as an example. It's easy to say that the hardest part of reading Shakespeare is getting through the language. It makes me so sad to see that students hate Shakespeare because they believe that he is a bad playwright, but simply because they can't understand a word he's saying! As a way to eviate the pain it is to get through an unfamiliar text in an almost foreign language, showing film adaptations of Shakespeare plays will definitely help give students a better understanding of the text.
So, in regards to using technology in the classroom, if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em!
I think using social media in class rooms is an iffy subject. Students' profiles are very personal and have information on them that they might not want to share with teachers or other students. However I do agree with you that modern technology should be used in classrooms. It updates how classrooms are run and makes it more fun. Therefore if social medias are used in the classroom, students should make separate profiles that are more on a professional level that will not cause any problems.
ReplyDeleteI agree that more social media should be used in classrooms. Like you said, using Facebook is a great way to have students become more involved with the texts they are reading. If students enjoy your lessons, they are more likely to learn. Because most students enjoy social media, it is crucial to use that to help them learn. I also do not understand teachers who don't like technology. Students love it, which means they should too!
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