Week 30
Activity 6: Using social online networks in teaching and/or professional development
After reading the Class Notes, create a blog post where you critically discuss the use of social media in teaching and/or in professional development in relation to any two of the following questions:
What are some key features of social media that are beneficial for teaching and learning? Why?
The ability to connect with people from anywhere - which they would not be able to do other wise. Being able to get ideas from an immense range of people and perspective almost immediately.
To be able to discuss ideas, concepts, pedagogy with others in a relaxed forum. With this is the ability to get a huge range of opinion form a vast array of experience, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds very quickly. It is wonderful being able to consider all these different perspectives, ideas, and opinions in my ow time, and without having to reply instantly and being able to take the time you need to let ideas etc sink in.
Being able to have professional development anytime that suits me rather than when ta particular course or seminar is being held.
To be able to discuss ideas, concepts, pedagogy with others in a relaxed forum. With this is the ability to get a huge range of opinion form a vast array of experience, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds very quickly. It is wonderful being able to consider all these different perspectives, ideas, and opinions in my ow time, and without having to reply instantly and being able to take the time you need to let ideas etc sink in.
Being able to have professional development anytime that suits me rather than when ta particular course or seminar is being held.
I love webinars as you are able to watch and interact at the time of the webinar and then go back and listen adn watch again to clarify ideas or concepts and to pick up on points that may have been missed the first time.
I am a member - and have been since the conception - of VLN in about 8 groups. I am on twitter and part of quite a few groups on twitter, I use this more for getting input rather than actual tweets. I am also on teacher facebook.
I am a member - and have been since the conception - of VLN in about 8 groups. I am on twitter and part of quite a few groups on twitter, I use this more for getting input rather than actual tweets. I am also on teacher facebook.
What are potential challenges that teachers need to be aware of when integrating social networking platforms into teaching activities? Why?
Teachers need to be very aware of what students and themselves are putting out there. we need to be very vigilant that we are showing students and practicing responsible use of technology, being mindful of the effect what we and our students put out there could be. Knowing that we are making connections - and many of them are wonderfully positive and beneficial - but that we could be making connections that are harmful and maybe even dangerous. We need to be monitoring what students are doing and saying online. If students have access to school based facebook pages etc out of school, we still need to be monitoring and checking what they are doing, saying when out of school and who they are interacting with.If we are using platforms that are open to anyone with a computer - we are putting our kids in danger. We need to make sure we are using secure platforms and sites, that our students don't just know about security - but understand the reason behind it, what t means to be secure online, and how important it is to them now and in the future.
https://goo.gl/dQZU6E short url to Teachers guide to keeping students safe online
A very pertinent article written by Paul Colaianni, San Diego Cyber Safety Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/cyber-safety-in-san-diego/paul-colaianni
The 7 deadly sins of unsafe computer practices
1. Opening file attachments - You will see this reiterated over and over again in many of my articles. Do not open file attachments unless you are 100% sure who sent it, why they sent it, and that your antivirus and antispyware software is completely up to date. Many people tend to feel comfortable opening attachments when the email comes from a friend of theirs. However, that's the problem! Their friends may not know what they're sending is a virus or spyware! Email attachments are still at the top of the list on how people infect their computers.
2. Running Outdated Software - When a newer version of your operating system or internet browser is available, make sure to update them as soon as you can. Software companies know that virus and spyware program writers take advantage of exploits they find in popular software. So updates are written to patch those holes. If you decide not to update when prompted to do so, and there's a threat out there targeting that version of your software, then you're asking for trouble. Updating doesn't completely eliminate the possibility of threats, but it does spare you some time before new ones are written.
3. Using an Unsecured Wireless Router - If you have wireless connectivity to the internet in your home or business, anyone with a wireless antenna can pick up your signal. Even as far as a mile away! If your router hasn't been secured with encryption of some sort, or you're not sure if it has, stop what you're doing right now and get out the manual for your router. Now, turn to the section that talks about encryption and/or passwords. Having an unsecured router means that others can use your internet connection and, basically, steal your precious bandwidth! What does that mean? It means your connection will be really slow, and it will take forever to stream videos and download files. Also, keeping your connection unsecured makes it possible for others to see and steal your passwords and private messages and files.
4. Letting Careless People Use Your Computer - I've heard from clients over and over again something similar to this: "My kid's friend used my computer last night, now I have all this crap happening..."
Unless you have one of those rare computers that isn't connected to the internet, don't let strangers or less tech-savvy people use your computer. If they must, you need to take big steps to make sure you've protected it before they start opening email attachments and visiting malicious websites. Even then, all that needs to happen is for someone to click on a popup that tells them it needs to scan the computer for viruses. Oops, that wasn't a real message, but a fake one designed to install viruses - not remove them.
Unless you have one of those rare computers that isn't connected to the internet, don't let strangers or less tech-savvy people use your computer. If they must, you need to take big steps to make sure you've protected it before they start opening email attachments and visiting malicious websites. Even then, all that needs to happen is for someone to click on a popup that tells them it needs to scan the computer for viruses. Oops, that wasn't a real message, but a fake one designed to install viruses - not remove them.
5. Using Simple Passwords - love, happy, smiletoday, funstuff. Passwords are used to block access to your accounts and files. The simpler they are, the more likely someone else will figure them out. It's not people you have to worry about taking guesses at your passwords, it's the programs that people write that can guess a billion times faster than people. In fact, some programs don't even have to guess, they just plug in random letters, numbers and characters until the right combination is found.
The good news is, many websites that require a password to log in will not be vulnerable to billions of guesses by a program. The site will simply lock you out for too many wrong guesses. However, there are still sites and files that can take as many passwords as you send it. It's only a matter of time before it's cracked. Besides, if you're one of those people who uses the same password for every site you visit, you are in a high-risk category. If someone steals your password from one site, they can try that same password at many other sites just to see if it works.
So what's the best way to create a password? Don't. That's right, let a computer create one for you. I found this neat tool by PC Tools that will generate a strong password for you:
PC Tools Password Generator Let the computer do the work for you!
PC Tools Password Generator Let the computer do the work for you!
6. Sharing Your Personal Life - Social networking is a fun, creative way to keep in touch with all your friends. And your friend's friends can also keep tabs on what you're doing. And they're friends can keep up with your goings-on too! And pretty soon there's only one degree of separation between you and everyone on the planet. So if you absolutely have the need to share your personal life with your group of friends, remember that computers don't keep secrets. Once it's online, it's out there for all to see. Reminds me of the story I read where this woman complained about her boss and job on Facebook. Unfortunately, she forgot she previously added her boss as a friend! Which leads us to our final deadly sin...
7. Using the Company Computer For Anything But Work - We forget how much we use things like chat and email at home. We forget how easy it is to jump in and out of Facebook for just a minute. And we also seem to forget that many businesses actually monitor the computer traffic coming into and out of their network. What you may think is a quick peek at your email, could be being logged into your company's database to use against you at some point in time.
Moreso, they could be legally monitoring all communication between you and the outside world. It's true that many companies today are tolerant of a little socializing and off-time browsing, but some aren't. Find out the rules, but stay well within the guidelines. Computers can't lie, but they can sure paint an ugly picture.
Please post your comments, complaints and questions below! With over a billion people on the internet, we're bound to discover that this list is just the tip of the iceberg. And if you know people who need to read this information, email this article to them right away!
What social media platform do you feel best supports engagement with your professional development? Why?
How do/would you use social media to enhance your professional development? Why?
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