How to Engage in Social Media for Professional Learning

These days if you're in education and don't engage in social media, you might be missing out!

Social media not only allows you to connect and learn from other educators, but it helps in making you feel that you are not alone out there. No matter what kind of classroom you teach in, most of the time you are the ONLY adult in a room of (sometimes) screaming kids - and it can get lonely waiting for that 20-minute lunch period to connect with other adults.

So, get out there and get social!

Twitter - learn how to search for what you need and learn how to use hashtags. I have learned about so many websites and tech trends that I can hardly use them all. You can often hear about new trends here in the tech world and "meet" people doing the same thing that you are. Find out about scheduled chats and professional development that you can become involved in. It's a lot of fun and definitely doesn't feel like work!

Facebook - I have used Facebook to ask for donors for projects that can be crowd-sourced like donors choose.org

Donors Choose - This relatively new website allows teachers to dream up projects and ask the world - and  friends - to donor to your personal pet project. I have one out there right now for a 3D printer from MakerBot.

Pinterest - Almost every field of education is represented out there now on these pin boards. It's a great place to get new ideas and really cute ideas for all ages of student. A lot of teachers out there have better ideas than you do, but they would feel the same about you! So, get pinning and sharing!

Edmodo for Parents

Did you know that parents can also join Edmodo?

Teachers create an account for their classes and then pass along a joining "code" for parents. Parents can then create their own account and join various "groups". For example, a parent could join a middle school group and high school group.

Teachers decide to what extent they use Edmodo. Some may use it only as a communication tool to inform parents of projects and news going on in the classroom. Some may go as far as using the gradebook.

Students can put documents in a "backpack" and work on their schoolwork at home. Now, that is good news!

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There are also Apps (many for free), a library, and social networking.