How Do You Give #Directions? Use Social Media? (Part 3)

Social Media has become a really great way of sharing information inside and outside of the classroom. I hear stories of teachers using various forms of Social Media to communicate to students, parents, and other stakeholders. Some teachers turn to Twitter, while others send home newsletters. The idea is to share important information very quickly. Here are some ideas:

Use Edmodo

Edmodo has literally changed the way that I teach. Students no longer print out assignments in my class, they upload them instead. I very rarely make copies because students can access directions and materials on Edmodo; however, in my Accounting class I use Edmodo for another reason. I generally post an outline of what we did in class that day. I also provide hyperlinks to resources that students can use to study for tests, review what we discussed in class, or access materials.

Wikis and Blogs Anyone? 

One teacher I know has to post an essential question on the board each day. She decided to take this a step further. She uses a blog to "post" her essential question. She projects it on the screen. Each day she has her students respond with their thoughts, ideas, etc. to the essential question on her blog.

Another teacher I know assigns a daily "blogger" to blog about what was discussed in class. He has students post the "cliff notes" version of what they discussed in class in 140 characters or less. This way both students and parents have access to what was discussed in class that day. Even if they weren't there, students have an idea of what was covered in class.