Social Media and Disabilities

When you think Social Media, what do you think of? Do you think of Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram? Did you just open a Snapchat from your friend? If so, you're probably a pretty tech savvy person! Did you know that there are social media platforms that are perfect for schools? One of the platforms that we will be using is Edmodo. You should take this opportunity to sign up for Edmodo by using this link: Edmodo for Ms. Dow's Class. You can use this code to register: rjdeip. Go ahead and explore the page and vote on my polls!

Did you know that I also have a YouTube channel? It's true! You can visit my channel to view all different videos about what different disabilities are and how you can cope. Please feel free to leave a comment on my channel!

There is research that supports the use of Social Media in classrooms. One school, Byron High School (located in MN, USA), is trying out the idea of a "flipped classroom". A flipped classroom means that students watch a lesson at home or at the library as homework, and then they complete the "homework" at school where a teacher can monitor their successes and areas for improvement. This non-traditional approach allows teachers to spend more time focusing on student work than lecturing. When Byron High could not find a textbook that matched the standards that they needed to teach, teachers decided to ask their principal whether it would be okay to write their own curriculum. And you'd never guess, but it incorporated YouTube! Teachers decided to record lessons, and post them on their Moodle page (a social media platform for teachers).

At first, teachers faced problems with using YouTube. Fulton (2012), explains that this shift in teaching approaches required some adjustments before implementation: "Formerly, the district blocked YouTube from student use. Once we got permission to unblock it, this made all the difference. We could store recorded videos for free. YouTube is available on almost all student personal learningdevices. Teachers create their own YouTube channels and embed--not link--the videos into Moodle. This eliminates distractions and helps kids stay focused on the content." After implementing a flipped learning approach, teachers found that they were able to spend more time with students, and they found that teaching time was more flexible without the pressure of having to advance through a lesson at a certain pace. Students were ready for the lesson, as they had watched the lesson the night before. As a result, this school has even been awarded standing as a Blue Ribbon School, an honor amongst educators!

Though there are always challenges with using technology in the classroom, I know that using Social Media in our classroom will be a positive experience that we remember for years to come!

References

Fulton, K. (2012). The Flipped Classroom: Transforming Education at Byron High School. T H E Journal, 39(3), 18-20.