Reflection - Web 2.0 Journey

What a whirlwind these past 12 weeks have been!!! I have never in my life used so much social media or created so many different accounts for tech tools. Overall it has been a great learning experience and I am grateful that I was forced out of my comfort zone to embrace the social media / Web 2.0 world. 

The best part about this experience is that I can take the tools I have been shown and use the ones that are best going to fit into my personal and professional life. Learning about the tools has really given me a better opportunity to learn and grow in the digital world, and not be afraid to take the leap and try something new....especially blogging, it has become one of my favorite things to do! I find myself getting lost in different blogs and on content I never thought I would be interested in. 

As much as I have enjoyed it, I will be taking a large step back from social media for a good long while...hopefully! There is so much to see, track, and read, that a good break from it will bring me back into a head space to enjoy it more. 

After this journey, I take the step into my final course of the ISLT program. I couldn't be happier that one of my final classes in this program was one where I had the most fun engaging with my peers and trying so many new tools and technologies!

Blogging...to be continued?

Blogging started as somewhat of an uphill battle. I was always worried about what to write about or what would be worth putting out there...

Now, I plan to start a blog in regards to my journey with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I have been designing my PLN around this chronic disease and building a community. Blogging would be the next logical step right? So many others are enduring this journey and it has been comforting knowing that I am not alone and others are in the same circumstances. 

Blogging for me now has become somewhat of an outlet to the many thoughts, ideas, and practices in my head. I often times have so much going on, as do we all, that I easily lose track of the thoughts and ideas they have. By blogging, I can hop on the computer or my phone at any moment and just write it all down.

I will say, this was one of my favorite components of this course! :)

Using Social Media in K-12 Education

Today was the first day back to school since June...No students yet, but back to school none the less. At the start of this Web 2.0 journey, I began to contemplate how I could integrate social media into my own classroom.

Now at the end of the course, I came across this article These 5 best practices can help schools make the most of social media. Using the tips here, you can find best practices of instituting social media within a K-12 setting such as knowing your audience and practicing consistency. With that being said, most schools, at least in my district have some form of regular social media: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram that is monitored by an administrator (s) and is updated frequently with the happenings in the school.

Using a social media account like those mentioned above can be tricky to utilize in specific classroom settings and is not allowed in my district. However, looking from the outside, I think it is important to have these types of accounts because they can appeal and reach a wider audience because most people utilize one of these platforms.