Technology Reflection: Instructional Use of EdModo (Social Networking Site)

Technology Reflection Assignment

Description/Experience
The technology demonstrated during October 7th seminar was a social network site for teachers and students to use. It was similar to Facebook, but with control to the teachers and restrictions that limit negative use of the technology by students. For example, students may not instantly message or chat on the site, but may do so with the teacher or the class as a whole. This limits bullying with the technology that is a common problem with Facebook. The site helps to connect and organize the students by class to their teacher(s). It helps to organize information and assignments for the students to see and can promote discussion between students and teachers. The teacher can also use this tool to grade and assess students’ progress. At the beginning of the seminar, I thought, there’s no way students will use this. However, during the seminar, the instructor gave great examples and I really saw how fun it can make assignments and how well this tool can help to connect students to the teacher and organize activities, assignments, information, and grades or progress. It is an awesome tool for teachers and students alike that I believe they both enjoy.

Application
This tool is a bit too advanced for the grade that I am observing and learning from at my PDS. I am placed in first grade, and the students are still learning computer skills and typing skills at this grade level. However, the teacher could possibly use this tool to guide students in making their own profile or account on the site and teaching them about the importance of privacy and strangers on the internet with a site like this. The students would gain keyboard and mouse skills through this activity. They will also gain knowledge about stranger danger and privacy on social networking sites like this.

First, my PDS mentor teacher could discuss internet social sites like this. She could tell them about how anyone can join which can make it fun to meet new people and share pictures, thoughts, jokes, etc with your friends online, however, strangers and dangerous people can also join this site and may use it to try and hurt people. It is important to no connect with strangers on sites like this and not to put any personal information out there for others to see. Then, the teacher may discuss and question students on what personal information they think should not be put online. Examples may be; school they attend, full name, parent’s names, siblings’ names, town, street, or neighborhood they live in, church they attend, place their parents or siblings work, places they go when they’re not in school or at home. The teacher would expand that anything that is specific like the examples given can be searched and found. If a stranger has their picture and knows a specific place that they go or family member goes, they could find them or their family member and trick them.
After discussing the importance of privacy on social networking sites, the students could go to the computer lab and use their keyboard and mouse skills to create a profile on the EdModo site with the help of the teacher (and Tutor).
The teacher could use the projector to show the steps she is going through on her computer to show students what steps they should be going through and how to complete them. After the teacher demonstrates each step, the teacher asks if there are any questions. Then, the teacher and tutor go around and help students with the step. This is repeated until each student has made their profile.
Once all the profiles are completed, the teacher allows students to explore their profile and click on links and such to understand parts of the site and it’s tools. She may explore her own profile on the projector to explain some of the tools and links to students in a brief overview.

This would help students with their keyboarding, mouse, and technology skills. They will soon be faced with social networking sites and will need to know the importance of privacy and what to fill out on this sites and what not to fill out in order to keep privacy.


Reflection
Pedagogy-Content:
Going over each step on the projector with the students in the computer lab helps students to understand the steps and what they should be doing or what the steps mean better than the teacher just explaining them verbally. Students may have experience with social networking sites like this if their parents or siblings have a profile on a social networking sites. Often students have a computer in their house hold. With students in the first grade, it is possible that their parents may be younger or that they have older siblings that would use a social networking site often and even include the student in using it. They may show the student pictures, post pictures of the students, or explore and use the social networking site with the student present and observing. Many of the students will have experience with a site similar to this, but may not have hands on experience.
Technology:
The technology is a great tool for older ages that have more hands on experience with this type of technology and have higher levels of typing and mouse skills. With technology like this, hands on experience is what helps students develop a better understanding and become more involved in its use. The teacher may use the site to show students links and videos that can be part of the lessons. Also, teachers can use this site to find lesson plans and ideas from other teachers. However, it is hard to develop a very complex lesson plan with this technology that the students will use themselves. Giving the students a little time with the technology site will help them understand, explore, and develop easier use of the technology as well as develop their mouse and typing skills.
Technology-Pedagogy:
The activity I created was based around the technology. My activity uses the site to help students develop their typing and mouse skills. It also is used as a basis for reason to discuss stranger danger and privacy on social networking sites. This information is key for students before they gain the skills needed to put their information out to the public. Respecting computers in the computer lab, making sure students understand the importance of privacy, following steps together, and giving the students time to complete each step on their won are some classroom management strategies that need to be considered in this activity.
Technology-Content:
Using this technology for videos and links in a lesson plan can help differ the lesson plan and make it exciting for students. Using this technology can also give students a better understanding of different aspects of social networking sites that the may not consider when making one on their own. It can also help students feel older and responsible if they are familiar with a similar technology that their parents or siblings may use. Using this technology can help students develop their typing skills with experience and help them understand some of the more complex aspects of technology like links, videos, connections, discussion, and internet search.


Technology-Pedagogy-Content:
The technology must be taught in simple terms with only the basic information of it’s use to help create a solid basis for students’ understanding of the technology. At this age, they do not have much experience with sites like this and fully understand it’s functions and uses. The content must only use this technology in small amounts and simple steps repetitively until the students have solid understanding and are developing an easier use of the technology. Once the students are becoming more fluent in the technology language of a social site like this, lesson plans can expand and integrate more of this tool. For this grade level, this technological tool would mainly be used for teaching technology and expanding students’ typing, mouse, and technological skills. It is a bit too complex to integrate much content information into this technology. The teacher may use this tool to show the students videos and links or get lesson plans and ideas from other teachers, but the students probably couldn’t do many assignments or lessons directly with the technology and a content area. Using it to show videos and links would help vary the ways that students are presented information and will help visually teach the information as well as interest the students in the information.
When using this technology to teach content to students, I would have a teaching strategy that allows students to roam and explore. It would be a very broad lesson that allows students to develop their understanding of the content and technology with a hands on approach that only experience can teach. I would allow the students to work at their own pace and in their own direction, while guided and helping students along where they are stuck or headed in a too confusing or off topic direction. I would allow much room with much guidance and advice.