My Use of Social Media

In 5 Ways To Use Social Media as Time Saver at Work from Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator, Lisa Nielsen shares,

“While for some social media has the unfortunate reputation of being a time waster, it can be used as a tool to increase efficiency and support learning for self and others.”

I hear a lot of people resistant to social media saying all the negative things about it. I bet the people with horse and buggies said the same thing when the automobile came out.  People with kerosene lanterns probably said the same things about electricity. But eventually, people get used to it and it becomes the norm.

Social media is like anything else in our lives and if abused, it can have a negative effect on anyone’s life. But if used in a way that it helps you, it can have a positive effect on anyone’s life.

Here are the social media I use daily and how it helps me:

Google Calendar – I can put events on the calendar and since I share it with my husband, he can access the calendar on his laptop. I also can access it on my phone and my iPad if I need to add things to it while I’m not at home.

My Blog – I write on my blog every Monday through Friday and have been doing this for almost eight years now. I hope that some of the things I share will help new and struggling teachers.

Facebook – I have grouped people into several groups and can click on specific groups for messages that I want to share or read. I can share links to educational posts with other educators and knitting links with fellow fiber crafters. This helps me stay focused on one topic rather than reading all of them in a linear fashion and having to switch my brain into different gears constantly.

Feedly – This is where I group all the blogs that I read. I then put them in different groups and like Facebook, I can read all of one topic at a time rather than having to switch gears for each different post. This also helps me know when a blog has been updated so I don’t miss anything.

Ravelry – This is a social media group for fiber crafters. I found a group that mixes special educators and knitting and crochet so both hobbies are combined!

Twitter and Plurk – I can post one message and it goes to both places. I like to share links this way and I also find many useful resources this way.

What social media do you use and how does it help you? Please share.

Image: 'Social Media ROI' 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32119772@N03/3598356119
Found on flickrcc.net

Connecting in Real Life Can Happen

Social media can make chance connections in real life happen. Many people are afraid of social media and this is a perfect example of why teachers shouldn’t be. These connections are real and can happen. What are the chances that I would have a Facebook friend from another country cross paths with me when I am hundreds of miles from home?

Last week we were in Shenandoah National Park and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. One early morning I was on Facebook when I saw the status of one of my Facebook friends, an educator  from Finland, Mika Vanhanen, saying that he was going to be in Shenandoah National Park that day. I couldn’t wait to tell him that I was there also! So, after some conversation, he wondered if we would have a chance to meet and he found out where his group would be heading for lunch. After discussion with my husband, we decided that instead of hiking that morning, we would head for the town where Mika was having lunch. This was such a great opportunity that I didn’t want to miss it and I’m so thankful that my husband indulges me when these things happen.

Mika was having lunch at the Smithsonian Conservation Biological Institute so we headed there. I was so thrilled to meet an online friend face to face! I also met others from his group from other countries. There were 20 people in the group representing 17 different countries. According to Mika’s Facebook page, he was “invited to join International Visitor Leadership Program. Three weeks and four states, to know about environmental protection.” I was truly honored that he was willing to take some time to meet me in person too!

It was fun meeting people from other countries. It makes the world seem like a smaller place. Hearing the different accents made the conversations interesting and hearing people talk about their own country was fun. When I was asked where I was from, I was reminded that not everyone knows where South Carolina is located. It also made me want to know more about their individual countries. All of these people were here in our country to learn about a common idea such as environmental protection and put aside any differences they might have politically in their own countries.

This is exactly why we need to encourage our students to make these connections. By doing this, they will realize how much in common we have with others around the world. Yet, they will learn and celebrate the differences. It can show our students that there are other things that are happening outside of political differences and that people can put aside these differences and get along when working towards a common goal.

This chance encounter renews my interest in someday visiting Finland. I see pictures of the beautiful country and now I have a real life friend who lives there! I see Finland in a totally different way now.

Have you had any chance encounters meeting online friends? Please share!

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Day 17 Social Media Contact Info

On the Free Technology for Teachers Facebook, the twenty day blogging challenge created by Kelly Hines was mentioned and I decided to give it a shot. So here is the challenge for today:

“Share all of your professional social media contact info and links. How do you engage in social media for professional learning?”

I am Loonyhiker on Plurk, Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Diigo, Tumblr, Instagram, and Google+. I try to use the same username on everything because it is easier for me to remember one username and for others to find me. I am also on Linked In as Patricia Hensley.

I read and comment on a lot of blogs. I use Feedly to collect the blogs that I read so it is all in one place and easy for me to find when they are updated. I connect with a lot of educators on Plurk, Twitter, and Facebook. People share links to great information on all of the social media that I use and I try to do the same. I like how I can share things so easily through Google+. It is amazing how I can read current information from Plurk and Twitter almost before it hits the news media.

Please share your contact info and how you engage in social media for professional learning!

Image: '@brockuniversity Social Media'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59217476@N00/7196460482
Found on flickrcc.net

Nurturing Long Distance Friendships

I had a busy week this week visiting with friends I haven’t seen a long time. Yet, even though we haven’t seen each other face to face, we have either stayed connected or reconnected thanks to social media.

In 2000 and 2001, I hosted the teacher of a school group from Germany. Christa Klie (and another adult) brought a group of their students (English as a 2nd Language) to our school for 2 weeks. I really enjoyed getting to know her back then and learning about another culture but over time we had lost touch. Her school email had changed and unfortunately many of her addresses were lost. This year she got in touch with our school and asked to bring another group and the plans were set up. The teacher she contacted let me know through Facebook that Christa was coming and then Christa found me on Facebook. Finally she arrived and we were able to visit one day. During a full day of shopping and visiting, we reconnected and shared good memories as well as making new ones! You would never have known that ten years had gone by and we picked up our friendship as if there was no gap! It was a wonderful day!

Also this week, we were able to visit with my friend Diane Cordell after we picked her up at the airport. Diane and I had been online friends for awhile and when we visited New York a few years ago, we met when we traveled through her home town. It was great meeting with her and since we had been online friends, it was as if we already knew each other. When she came for a conference in Charlotte, NC, we decided to take a day trip and pick her up at the airport so we could spend some time together. This week she had to attend another meeting which was held in my home town so we were able to pick her up at the airport again and spend the day with her. Since we stay in contact through Twitter and Facebook, it was as if we see each other day. After dropping my hubby off at home, I took her on a whirlwind sightseeing tour of my town.

I am so lucky to have friends like this! Even though we live so far away from each other, social media has enabled us to nurture our friendships. We can stay connected!

Do you have some long distance friendships that you nurture this way? How do you stay connected? Please share.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Feelings about Social Networking

In Educational Technology Questionnaire – How would YOU answer? (Update) from Angela Maiers Educational Services, Inc., Angela Maiers asked how her readers how they would answer the following questions:

1. Do you think that online social networking sites have a positive or negative effect on the users’ social development and social skills? In what ways?

2. Right now the number of users on Facebook are over 500 million users. How high do you think this number will become a few years down the road? How long do you think it will take for Facebook to reach 1 billion users?

3. Do you believe that online social networking plays a major role in politics? In what ways?

4. What are is your take on the privacy concerns of social networking sites like Facebook? Is this actually a legitimate problem or just an exaggeration?

5. In what ways do you think online social networking will affect our society in the future?

As this post has been shared on Twitter, many of you suggested sharing these questions with your students as well! That is a fantastic idea, so I created a Google form to use in your conversations!

SHARE YOUR ANSWERS HERE: Educational Technology Questionnaire

Here are my answers:

1. I think online social networking sites have a positive effect on the users’ social development and social skills. I find myself connecting with others so much easier since I have joined online social networking sites. By doing this, I have found others who are interested in the same things that I am. I am able to debate with others by using rational arguments and evidence but I’m able to do this easier online. If I met these people face to face at first, I think my shyness would have kept me from sharing my thoughts and ideas. After getting to know others this way, meeting them face to face is much easier.

2. I can see billions of people on Facebook as more and more young people get of age to use it. I can see Facebook reaching a billion by the end of this year.

3. I definitely believe that online social networking plays a major role in politics. In the past couple of elections, I liked to see politicians’ Facebook pages. I was able to see what they stood for and where they might hold their next meetings with the public. I read more about politicians there than reading any brochures or handouts they might be giving out.

4. As long as we have choices on how to set up our privacy settings, I don’t have a concern. When Facebook starts sharing my personal info with others without my knowledge or permission and then won’t let me change this, I have a concern. I think many people overreact to what could possibly happen when young people use Facebook. Parents need to be knowledgeable and diligent in watching and protecting their children whether they are on Facebook or walking through the shopping mall.

5. I think as more and more people become comfortable with online social networking sites, businesses will be using them within their infrastructure as well as reaching out to their customers.

What would your answers be to these questions? Please share either here or on the questionnaire.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: '_-_ complexity [1]'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22767170@N00/384027019 by: Domenico Nardone

Leading Others Down the Right Path

In Ready For A Walk? from Tech Thoughts By Jen by JenW , she writes,

“A few days ago, while chatting with my friend, Ryan Bretag (http://www.ryanbretag.com/blog/), I was questioning him on how he was able to persuade his teachers, his staff, his co-workers to follow him. I wanted to know….I needed to know…..how he was leading.

His response stopped me in my tracks.

they aren’t walking with me. I’m walking with them & they were walking before me. I just bring a diff perspective 4 that journey
9:12 PM Feb 26th via web in reply to jenwagner
(http://twitter.com/ryanbretag/status/9715834339)”

This was an “aha” moment for me too!

I don’t always have to lead in order to learn.

The thought of leading scares me. What if I lead and people actually follow? What if I take the wrong path and lead people down a road to nowhere? What if the path I’m taking is actually the wrong path?

I think that is why I read so many blogs and interact on social networks. I think these connections and interactions actually help me find my way. Maybe all of us are trying to find our way together?

By discussing topics and sharing opinions, the surroundings get less fuzzy and get more in focus. The more I interact with others (not necessarily agreeing but bouncing thoughts around), the clearer things get for me. As I learn to leave comments, it gets easier for me (and maybe some of the authors would rather I go away). Yet it feels almost liberating to be part of the conversation. It starts to actually feel good and not so scary.

Then I realize that maybe we can go down the path together. And if it is the wrong path, it is alright to turn around. It is alright to talk together some more to arrive at a different conclusion.

This is why it is so important to comment on blogs I read. This is why I try to interact with people on Plurk, Twitter, and Facebook. I used to lurk but when I lurked, I wasn’t moving. It was like standing in the path and watching the people pass me by. The more I interact, the more I’m moving. Moving is much better than standing still. I can’t learn anything by standing still.

This is also an important skill for students to learn in my classroom.

How many students have looked down when I call on someone to answer? Which student is the one that always declines to answer? Who doesn’t want to offer any input in the discussion? These are the students who are standing still. They aren’t moving forwards or backwards. If they don’t move, they can't achieve any success. Movement, whether forward or back, will be a learning experience. This is the only way anyone can be successful in school and out.

Now I ask you, do you leave comments? Do you interact with other educators? Or are you just standing still? Now is the time to make an effort to move. Even if you don’t leave a comment on this post, I challenge you to read other blogs out there and find one that you can comment on. Don’t be stagnant. Take a chance and make a move!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Magic Path'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57038667@N00/1021782142 by: Cindy Seigle

Unblocking Social Networking Sites

In Why Facebook is Unblocked at ISB from The Thinking Stick, Jeff Utecht shares an email from his department sent to a parent who was concerned about Facebook being unblocked at his school. Near the end of the email, it states,

“These sites have emerged as social areas that form a major significant part of many of our student’s lives. This socialization is near as important to this generation as face to face time with their friends and they maintain friendships beyond ISB to include international students from schools around the world. At this point we feel that by simply blocking these sites, we as a school would be missing an opportunity to educate students about how to use them appropriately…If students cannot manage their time on computers productively at school, then they would certainly not be able to at home. Blocking access has not proven to be effective in teaching students to use a tool effectively and wisely.”

I think part of the desire to block is fear of the unknown. When rock and roll first hit the scene, parents around the world were horrified and wanted this new type of music banned and hidden from their children. I’m sure that when the first automobile hit the roads, there was fear of how this newfangled thing would affect our lives. I believe as more and more parents become comfortable with social networking sites, they will less stressed about their children using them. Of course, as a parent, I would require that my child becomes my “friend” and I would have the password to my child’s account. If for any reason this password gets changed or if I’m blocked, I would delete the account and keep my child from using this until he/she matured more. But that is just what I would do.

I also understand the need to protect our children but by acting out of fear and ignorance is not the best way to protect our children. When we teach our children to read, there is a chance that they will read some inappropriate materials. So in our desire to protect, do we just not let our children learn to read or do we let them learn to read but only material we hand pick for them? When our children learn to drive, there is a chance that they may drive to an inappropriate place. There is a chance that they may get in an accident, get car jacked, or even pick up a hitchhiker. Do we not teach our children to drive, or only let them go places if we are with them?

When I was growing up, my parents did not allow me to date until my senior year of high school. I did not have a lot of social skills when dealing with the opposite sex. My only date happened to be my prom date and it wasn’t the highlight of my dating career. When I went on to college (800 miles away from my parents), I went boy crazy. I went out with some horrible boys as well as some nice boys. The problem was that I didn’t have any guidance from my parents to help me figure out which ones were which. At one point, I had a boy who became very possessive and started to stalk me but I didn’t know how to deal with it and I wish I had dated more when I was at home with my parents. Eventually my friends were the ones I turned to and they helped me get out of a bad situation. By the time I had children, I knew that I wanted them to have some social experiences while they lived at home and I could help guide them. I didn’t want them to make the same mistakes that I did.

I think it is so important to teach our students to become independent and learn the skills necessary to be become this way. Yet, we need to teach them how to use these skills wisely. We need to introduce them to the negatives as well as the positives. We need to teach them how to handle the tough situations they may find themselves. If we can help them while they are in a safe atmosphere, they will be able to transfer this knowledge when they are on their own. Let’s face it, these students are going to get on social networking sites whether we like it or not, so shouldn’t we give them some information on how to use it appropriately?

How do you feel about this? Do you think students should have access to social networking sites at school and why?

Original image: 'chapter 8 - community building through social networking'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80994469@N00/2584489931 by: David King