This week we were challenged to join two different resources that could be utilized often in the classroom. I chose to explore and expand upon my previous knowledge of both Facebook and Pinterest.
For the past ten years I have used Facebook consistently. I was a huge Facebook advocate and refused to use other resources such as Twitter. Now that I have opened my eyes to other resources, I have realized the educational benefit behind many of these sites. Facebook can be used for social purposes, but it can also be used to collaborate and communicate with others in order to expand one's understanding. There are many "pages" and links that you can like and join in order to explore various topics and be a part of the social network. I feel like Facebook can be useful in the classroom, but I think that Twitter is a better educational tool and I am very glad I have the opportunity to explore this resource throughout this course.
The second resource I explored was Pinterest. I have been on Pinterest before but mainly for planning my wedding and picking up new recipes. So this week I decided to explore the category of education and I was completely amazed at the ideas, lessons, and practices that were supplied for any teacher to use. Their were great ideas of how to get students motivated and engaged in the classroom instruction. I found a lot of resources that pertained to English Language Learners and students with special needs. One of the resources that I found most useful was Teachers Pay Teachers. This website offers to ability to pay or download other teacher's work, lessons, and resources in order to enhance your classroom. Their are hands-on activities and interactive resources that can promote student learning. I love the idea that some resources are free and available for immediate download and others can be paid for in order to not have to "reinvent the wheel". I also love the resource of Khan Academy. This is a resource that would be most useful in my mathematics classroom so students can watch videos of the content we have covered in order to reinforce topics or gain another perspective on the lecture. Overall, I think that Pinterest is an amazing tool that has wonderful opportunities for classroom improvement. I cannot wait to start utilizing these sites more frequently.
Sara I absolutely enjoy using Pinterest and even more Teachers Pay Teachers. Since I teach the younger students it's difficult to find resources I like so instead of spending a whole lot of money out of pocket for worksheets and art projects and such I look on Pinterest first which then usually takes me directly to the TPT site. I have yet to actually pay for anything but I am going to say it is safe! I am also enjoying following new education places on Twitter. My twitter skills before this class were good but I was just an observer and a once in a while commenter! I love how this class is opening my eyes to new social media tools!
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