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Using a Social Network as an Online Classroom
Social networks are an important part of students' lives.
Teachers should leverage this in the classroom.
For starters, it's important to remember that social networks are embedded in the lives of today's
youth. So, engaging this medium not only has substantial benefits to you as a teacher, but it is
also a method that will be readily embraced and accepted by your students.
There are countless ways that a social network such as Classroomn
can benefit your classroom. If you decide to leverage this technology in your class
you will undoubtedly find many more than can be explained here. But, for this discussion,
I'll just pick one simple example...
Remember that lesson you did in class last week? Maybe it was a creative writing sample,
a chapter on ancient Rome, or an overview of long division.
Odds are, the ideas and discussions from that lesson ended in the classroom that day.
But what if those ideas and discussions went beyond the classroom?
What if your passion as a teacher, the curiosity of your students, and the interest and
participation of their parents were combined in an open environment where
sharing, teaching, and learning became one?
Consider the possibilities:
You begin a lesson about an historical figure, a mathematical concept, or current event.
Instead of the lesson ending based on the clock in the classroom, it continues. It is kept alive
as students dig deeper, asking questions and furthering the discussion. It gains new perspective
as parents add their experiences, contributing to the knowledge that is evolving and proliferating.
Now, consider how much that lesson is enhanced when viewpoints and experiences come,
not just from your classroom, but across many classrooms throughout the country -
or around the world. It's effectiveness is increased as new conversation are spawned, and images
and videos are shared.
Of course, it doesn't end there, either. Consider also that the comments, views, and experiences
of today are the foundation of that lesson for next year, as more views and experiences will
build on top of that lesson year after year.
Ultimately, what started out as one lesson has the potential to spawn new ideas,
becoming an endless evolution of learning.
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What would this unlimited learning experience
mean to students that had trouble grasping a
concept, to ones that wanted to delve deeper into a topic, or to parents
that cherish their involvement in their child's education.
Engage them all with Classroomn.
Start today. Create a group and invite your students, their parents, and your colleagues.
If you make the group public, you can share with the world. Or, make it a private group
and allow only your students and their parents to join. Create a different group to share
with teachers in your school. The possibilities are endless, as are the benefits.
It's your personal online classroom.
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