I have not used Twitter before this assignment. After watching the videos and reading the posted material, I am more willing to use Twitter with my students. I can see some value on using this social media site to communicate with other teachers and instructional technology professionals, however, Twitter can be a double-edge sword. On the one hand, it is very easy to use, and for my students who are technology natives and experts on social media, they may find it interesting to follow the class on this site. On the other hand, it is very easy to use and this can hinder the purpose of using it with my students and create unforeseen issues. The video by Jeff Knutson on starting a PLN, suggests that we follow educators who will enhance our knowledge of our profession, I believe that I will continue to use Twitter in this manner instead of sharing with my students until I feel comfortable enough to do this.
Some of the people I decided to follow are some of my classmates, I also follow @teachertoolkit because when I browsed through the page I found interesting topics that will help me in the future. I also follow our national club the Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese because I am a member of this organization and my students are as well. Some of the ways we can use Twitter with students would be the same way I use it with educators, to promote ideas and provide information on current events happening in my content area, such as cultural developments in the Spanish-speaking world.
References:
Knutson, J. [Common Sense Education]. (2018, January 3). Starting a PLN on Twitter: A Quick Guide For Teachers [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HegF3hezF4&feature=emb_title
Some of the people I decided to follow are some of my classmates, I also follow @teachertoolkit because when I browsed through the page I found interesting topics that will help me in the future. I also follow our national club the Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese because I am a member of this organization and my students are as well. Some of the ways we can use Twitter with students would be the same way I use it with educators, to promote ideas and provide information on current events happening in my content area, such as cultural developments in the Spanish-speaking world.
References:
Knutson, J. [Common Sense Education]. (2018, January 3). Starting a PLN on Twitter: A Quick Guide For Teachers [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HegF3hezF4&feature=emb_title
Podcasts
I used Anchor by Spotify for my podcast. I have used podcasts in my classroom now with the pandemic so students can practice speaking in the target language. This is a nice way to have them practice Spanish and play them in the classroom for all to hear. I listened to some of the podcasts in the module some in the Teachercast Educational Broadband Network podcasts were interesting. Some of the problems with podcasts is that they tend to tell people what to do instead of creating a conversation as you would in real life.
I use podcast with my students so they can be creative and speak about topics that interest them in their lives. This way they are using the target language in a meaningful way, learning about other cultures and being creative. Since the topics are picked by them, this gives them the freedom to explore different topics that are school appropriate of course. This also support students with different learning needs because they can go at their own pace, and if they make a mistake they can edit the cast and re-do the take. Also, students that do not feel comfortable speaking in front of a large group can record their voice with no fear of judgement.
The podcast I created is about my latest visit to Barcelona. I always try to encourage my students to travel and visit places that they may not have thought of visiting and immerse themselves in the culture at least for a few days. So I lead by example and try to lead them in that direction.
I use podcast with my students so they can be creative and speak about topics that interest them in their lives. This way they are using the target language in a meaningful way, learning about other cultures and being creative. Since the topics are picked by them, this gives them the freedom to explore different topics that are school appropriate of course. This also support students with different learning needs because they can go at their own pace, and if they make a mistake they can edit the cast and re-do the take. Also, students that do not feel comfortable speaking in front of a large group can record their voice with no fear of judgement.
The podcast I created is about my latest visit to Barcelona. I always try to encourage my students to travel and visit places that they may not have thought of visiting and immerse themselves in the culture at least for a few days. So I lead by example and try to lead them in that direction.