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Anti-Social Media: Are You an Offender?

Here's what got me thinking about this:

Recently, Mike & Mike, a highly popular sports radio show on ESPN, announced on Twitter that it is now a full-fledged member of Snapchat.

Guess what? We're now on Snapchat! Add us to see everything you missed from Mike and Mike's night with the @Indians! pic.twitter.com/w86QmHBJhH

— Mike & Mike (@MikeAndMike) July 10, 2015

While this may not seem like a big deal to most folks, the producers of Mike & Mike felt the need to add the show into the increasingly popular social media format. Already boasting a Facebook page and Twitter accounts, it seemed that Mike and Mike either jump into the foray of Snapchat or leave behind an opportunity to connect with an even greater audience.

It is marketing at its best...and it is free.

Take note of just a few popular companies that have taken to social media to shop their wares and services. Here is a short list:

Ummmmm...ALL OF THEM! (Long report, but an interesting skim.)

There is not really a single entity - from Fortune 500 Companies down to the mom-and-pop stores found on Main Street, USA - that does not utilize social media in some way or another.

And yet when students enter classrooms across the country they are directed to turn their phones off. Or they find that social media sights are blocked by the school security firewalls. Or they are told that Tweeting is a waste of time. Or that SM use will put them in danger of being subjected to awful material.

I get the sentiment. Many teachers feel that if students are browsing SM pages or staying busy "liking" stuff, then they are not paying close attention to highly academic lectures on "Past Participles" or the "Endocrine System."

Therein lies one of the most fundamental problems with education. While lecturing is a necessary part of one's academic experience, too many teachers head straight to the podium and neglect the power and benefit of tapping into what is a major chunk of our students' world - social media.

Just like Internet searches, social media can indeed subject our kids to the ills of pornography, indecent language, and objectionable advertisements, but for those of us worried about little Johnny and Suzie seeing something they shouldn't, I argue that that is not enough reason to ditch the SM avenue all together. After all, how many of us still have TVs and computers in our own homes - despite the threat of offensive content entering therein?

iStock Photo

So much of what we teach to our students is available Online in the form of content/concept-related resources, discussions, and other means. As we continue the work to shift education from "Sage-on-the-Stage" to an environment of student examination and discovery, allowing our kids to engage more with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. (while we model the appropriate use of them), social media acts as both the instructor and the "textbook" or our students.

All the while, under direction from knowledgeable teachers and other experts, students are simultaneously learning content and skills while also learning and practicing appropriate digital citizenship, i.e. how to use social media for good and not for nefarious purposes.

It seems that if the companies and businesses that will ultimately employ our students are embracing social media, then so should we as educators of the future workforce. How ironic it is that most school districts have Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter accounts to market their own schools, but the kids they serve are not allowed to utilize the sites while in the building!

This must change. And this is our charge:

• Engage our kids in rich discussion with their peers - and "friends" from far away places - via hashtags. #Amazing!
• Teach them how to connect with others from around the world. Who can be the first to get a "follower" from another country?
• Model how to reach out to experts far and wide for advice and resources. Hey, if folks are on Twitter, they want to be reached out to!
• Explain both the advantages and the snares of using social media, especially with younger students. #nevergivepersonalinformation
• Show them (or have them show you) how to publish content on SM and how to market themselves to mass audiences. How is THAT for an authentic academic experience??
• Model digital responsibility and monitor students' academic activity to ensure their safety. Garbage is everywhere, but we can avoid it with simple strategies.
• Embrace the fact that teachers are no longer the sole source of information. Rather guide your students to consume and create properly and effectively.

An ISTE 2015 Ignite Session presenter had this to say about the way we educate students:

Old Projector without a Twitter Page

"What are the contents of their backpacks today compared to years past?"

To be sure, handing our kids a textbook that is at once outdated and irrelevant, is akin to us receiving a projector reel to show film strips to our classes. Who among us would stoop to such levels? (But hey! it worked for our moms and dads, right?)

While taking the leap towards allowing - encouraging - social media use in your classroom might be a major professional risk, the benefits of structured SM activity in your classroom far outweigh the potential damage.

Plus your kids will love it.

#SWAG

— Darin Anderson (@coachdarin22) July 10, 2015

Follow me for more practical instructional technology advice.

ISTE 2015 Minis: Moving with Augmented Reality

The annual ISTE conference is always sure to deliver, and this year's version, which just wrapped up in Philadelphia, provided a much-needed spark to keep teachers and students alike on the tech move.

A series of Tweets from ISTE attendees says it all:

Sitting is the new smoking... Let that sink in. Phew. #AugmentedReality @jpk38 #ISTE2015

— Jennifer Weaver (@Jennzer) July 1, 2015

Tech that makes you sit, still not helping. Use tech to engage,not as behaviour management. #iste2015

— James Kapptie (@jpk38) July 1, 2015

#sittingisthenewsmoking. If tech makes our kids sit, what is the point? @jpk38 love this - the aussies are onto something. #ISTE2015

— Ashley Brown (@a_teachertechie) July 1, 2015

These are just a few of the many ISTE2015 posts alluding to the effective combination of technology and movement for our students. It came on the heels of a mass "field trip" that saw dozens of educators from across the country use Augmented Reality to experience downtown Philadelphia in a new and intriguing way.

Let the walking tour start on a escalator. #ISTE02015 pic.twitter.com/HAXbzMtlo6

— James Kapptie (@jpk38) July 1, 2015

Creating our own Auras on the AR Philly tour. #ISTE2015 pic.twitter.com/sVm5L2PmxB

— Lachelle Brant (@LachelleBrant) July 1, 2015

Rather than simply viewing historical sights via social media posts and Google Maps submissions, for example (which are very good ideas, in and of themselves), we must integrate movement into the lessons we teach.

Here are a few suggestions:

• AR Scavenger hunt for pictures or items across campus. Nearly any static object can serve as a trigger image for the variety of AR programs on the market.
• Place AR-enabled images throughout your classroom for gallery walks. Even movement within the room is better than sitting still for long periods of time.
• Use AR for student presentations. Instead of everyone sitting through multiple days of one-at-a-time presentations, use AR programs to embed student presentations into images. Shuffling kids through presentations in a gallery walk structure saves valuable instruction time.

• Apps like Google Camera and Google Photo Sphere allow users to take 360 degree photos of any location. Letting students view these "Spheres" from a directional standpoint - outside where they can "see" the Grand Canyon in relation to their own surroundings - is almost as authentic as being there in person.

Enjoy a full sphere of Downtown Philadelphia

• Download the following apps for AR experiences: Aurasma, Daqri, Quiver, and others.
• Daqri has a special surprise when students (and teachers) lock into their variety of apps and products. Viewers will especially like Elements 4D and Anatomy 4D. Trust me, you'll want to see this! 

Combining even minimal movement with lesson content has long been shown to be beneficial for students of all ages. From brain breaks to full-on integrated physical activity, getting our kids up and moving is the way to go.

With the technology available to us at little to no cost, it seems imperative that we give our kids a break from the monotony of traditional classroom procedures that fail to excite them on a widespread scale.

AR Technology and Movement - seems like a match made in Heaven!

ISTE 2015 Notes and Takeaways

Here I am in Philadelphia at the annual ISTE Conference. Yup, just me and 20,000 of my closest friends from across the globe.

Honestly, there is entirely too much to take in especially given that I am flying solo on this trip.

To ensure that my #notatiste friends can take part in a small slice of the conference, I here provide a few of the nuggets of information and inspiration that I have gleaned from Sunday's pre-conference activities.

Take. Use. Enjoy.

Ignite #1 (notes are raw)

Twitter even at young agesLearn along with the world
What if they could show mastery in many ways?
What are the contents of their backpacks? Today compared to years past?iPads as mobile film making devices - use the camera, dang it!!!
Students can and should engage the worldCulture of CreationConsumption should lead to creationCreation requires influence. What is the influence we provide for kids?YouTube as a creation deviceAre all students expected to create using the same technology? Expand their toolboxes."I am making the future"Opportunities and Options
They did it all...because they could. They want a challenge. A challenge to do good.Teachers need more tech training. Their websites suck!Hacker 2.0Your students are hacking with or without you.Start a tech club
Students need to move in school.
Student voice
Be an exemplar of what mass sharing of products looks likeSing like you don't care who's listeningI want to start a YouTube channel!Monitor action on their own youtube channels
How can kids brand their own work? How can they advertise it? Hype it? How can they get their own message "out there" for all to see?How can teachers do the same?Live streaming of events, science projects, parent nights, etc.

Plan for the outcome, but be prepared for the journey :-)
Steer our kids away from the "race to erase" and create digital citizenship.What does our digital footprint say about us?

Stay tuned for more from #ISTE2015