Should My School Use Social Media?

Social media is a hot thing of the present and future. Students know how to use it and love to use it , so why not let them use it at school? This could be a great thing IF it is implemented correctly and is monitored. I read an article written by Shailey Minocha, titled "An empirically-grounded study on the effective use of social software in education". The article was the explanation of the study and results that were found researching the implementation of using social networks in the classroom. The results proved to be encouraging. The students liked using the social networks for group projects and learning technology efficient skills that they could apply outside the classroom. The use of these networks did prove to be more time consuming for the teacher. The teacher had to stay current with the technology, change lessons to incorporate the use of the social media, and be able to monitor the students use of the technology. Putting in more time could be a problem for teachers, but by using social media and staying current with trends, will give the teachers skills they can use outside the classroom as well. If using social media in the classroom enhances the students' learning experience, it should be used and supported by school systems, parents, and teachers.

Technology That Empowers Me

Feeling empowered is a feeling that puts me high above the clouds. Which is why it is such a bad fall when that feeling goes away. Luckily, I have some forms of technology that keep me feeling empowered 24/7. My cell phone, ipod, and ipad help me to feel empowered. I know I had a life before I owned all three of these things, but I cannot remember how I managed. Having my cell phone, ipod, and ipad by my side help me feel in control of my life. My life is always on the go, half of my time is spent in my car, so having some feel of control is a great thing. My cell phone is my link to the world. I can get in touch with every member of my family, my friends, or any other person I need to converse with. My ipod is especially important to me because I live my life through music. If I am not talking to a person, I am listening to something on my ipod. Whether I am in the car, exercising, or just sitting around the house, I am listening to my music. My ipad is the newest addition, and it has by far taken up most of my time these days. I love the ipad because I can keep up with everything from my facebook, email, news, and my internet shopping. It really helps me take care of all my needs. Having some semblance of power in my own life is a necessary thing to help me keep myself sane. I am just lucky that technology is advanced enough to help me accomplish this.

July 9, 2011: A book that impacted my life...

A book that I have always remembered is "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day". I know that this book is universally known, but I really love this book because it helped me to grasp reality when I was little. When I was about 8 years old, I thought I lived the worst life ever. I thought only bad things happened to me and everyone else always got the better deal out of everything. One day my third grade teacher, who was my favorite teacher ever, read us this book. It really helped me feel like I was not the only person who dealt with an unlucky life. Alexander shared my grief. It also helped me realize that I cannot go around looking for all the bad things that could happen and have happened. I need to feel good about things in order to see the good that is happening to me. I will always be able to thank Alexander and his no good, horrible day for making me see that negativity only brings more negativity.

June 2, 2011

Hey! My name is Lauren, and this is my new blog! I just graduated from UWA with a bachelor's in Elementary Education. I decided to go ahead and get my Masters so I would not have to go back to school later. I do not have a job yet, but I am for sure looking. I have applied for some, now just playing the waiting game. I would love to get a job teaching first, second, or third grade, and I would love to move to Kindergarten after I get a few years experience. I am looking foward to starting my teaching career. I love children and cannot wait to spend every day teaching them!

A quirky thing about me is the fact that I am OBSESSED with turtles and the color green. I know these two go hand in hand. I have had numerous pet turtles, and every single one of them has been named Franklin....or Frankie for short. If I see a turtle trying to cross the road, I will pull over and help it across. I feel so sorry for them because they move so slow.