I learned so much throughout this project, infact, a heck of a lot more than I anticipated! I look at my first Major Project proposal post and wow, I knew nothing about what I was getting myself into. I blindly picked a few topics and BAM I was done – but hopeful for the best! I did eventually (thankfully) go back and re-evaluate the apps I picked. I wrote another blog and decided upon three apps: SnapChat, Kahoot!, and TikTok. I have learned so much about each of these apps and am grateful I had this opportunity (AKA push in the right direction) to learn the different ways I can incorporate them into the classroom, as well as different terms of use for each one.
My original plan was to make a Vlog with a screen casted tutorial of everything I learned, mixed in with videos from the apps that I created, but with the Covid Pandemic things got a little hectic. Plus, WeVideo proved to be quite difficult without the paid version so I did not want to put myself through that grief again!! I was planning on using iMovie at the school but I no longer have access to that!
I started by blogging about Snapchat. To be completely truthful, I did not think I would learn a thing about Snapchat. I use it quite often in my personal life and never even once considered using it in the classroom. Yet, I found out about Geofilters, Cameos, and how to share locations. I learned a lot about their privacy policies and that they do keep records of your information and are entitled to keeping your photos (although they do say they nearly always delete them ha!). Yet, the pros/cons and educational uses blog I wrote was the most eye opening for me. From book talks to activist projects, Snapchat can create an engaging and innovative projects for students of nearly any age! Very cool. Here is a cute short SnapChat of my son..because he is cute 🙂
Next, I looked at an educational tool, and blogged about the basics of Kahoot!. Kahoot! is one I have used in the classroom, but just very basic use and sporadically, so I was excited to learn more. I really like that there are so many different quiz and poll options, however most of the extra options are in the paid version sadly! Yet, Kahoot is super easy to use and a great little time filler/review tool. The trickiest part is making sure all students can participate (as they need an electronic device), but I found many like to just play with a partner as well. My Kahoot! educational uses opened up my eyes to using Kahoot! as a homework assignment (get them to complete a quiz at home or even make one up themselves!) or an exit slip. I was super impressed. I decided to make a Kahoot! on Digital Citizenship too: Play my Digital Citizenship Kahoot
Lastly, I started to look and blog about TikTok. Now this was the MOST new to me out of the 3. I literally have never watched a TikTok video in my life before this project! I know how addicting it can be and I just have too much going on in my life right now to have another form of social media that I need (want?) to check daily! But, I downloaded the app and played around with it early on in this course. I watched a few videos here and there and had some pretty good laughs! I looked up #math and other subject area videos and there actually was some quite useful ones to find! I went through the terms of use and it seems pretty standard for a social media site (quite similar to Snapchat where they take your privacy seriously to an extent..they keep most information private but it is ONLINE and they cannot guarantee that what you post will ever go away). Lastly, I looked at and blogged about education uses for TikTok. It turns out, kids LOVE TikTok and quite enjoy making videos for class on the app. The possibilities for assignments are literally endless, but I really liked the ideas to do compare and contrasts, debates, and reenactments. I really want to assign something with TikTok in my Social 10 class during this Distance Learning journey we are all on! Finally, I decided I should try to make my own TikTok to see just how easy it is (and it was quite simple). If you have ever seen the videos where dog owners hide behind a blanket and disappear, well that was what I was trying to do. But, apparently, the only people who cared that I was gone were my very needs kids haha!
Overall, I learned a lot in this project and have found great resources and ideas to use in my classroom! I have had fun experimenting and discovering new things with all 3 of these apps and I would try them all to see how it goes. The one I am most likely to use is Kahoot! and the one I am most excited about is TikTok. Snapchat is the one I worry the most about, just because I think kids will vary from the chosen topic (which is also an issue with TikTok but for some unknown reason I am not as weary with that one!). I also have decided I would create a separate account for any professional uses of social media, just to keep that barrier and make sure my personal and professional life are separate. I really hope those of you who read this learned as much as I did and are considering incorporating these into your classrooms, too!
To finish off, I wanted to include some resources for Digital Citizenship. With online learning, kids need to still learn this information and hopefully it is being done at home or the teachers are supplying the learning online. So, here are some resources that were collected by Doug Klassen (look at his Facebook!!)
“Wide Open School – https://wideopenschool.org/
Today we’re launching a brand-new, free online resource to support families and educators who are transitioning to remote learning as a result of the coronavirus: Wide Open School. Why? There are so many online resources to support kids’ educational, emotional, and physical development that Common Sense editors are noticing yet another challenge for parents and educators: How can you find high-quality resources quickly, easily, and in one place?
Curated and coordinated by the experts at Common Sense, Wide Open School is the result of a collaboration among leading publishers, nonprofits, and education and technology companies. Wide Open School features a free collection of the best learning experiences and activities for kids, organized by grade band and subject.
Get Cyber Safe – information from the government of Canada – https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/…/prtct-yrslf/prtctn-fml/chl…
23 lesson plans for teaching internet safety- https://www.commonsense.org/…/23-great-lesson-plans-for-int…
Media Smarts Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy educational games – https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-lite…/educational-games
NeedHelpNow.ca helps teens stop the spread of sexual pictures or videos and provides support along the way. If you or someone you know has been negatively impacted by a self/peer exploitation incident, we are here to help offer guidance on the steps you can take to get through it. – https://needhelpnow.ca/app/en/
Zoe and Molly Online
The Zoe and Molly Online website provides resources and activities designed to help parents and educators teach young children (Grade 3 and 4) about online safety. The website is operated by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. – http://www.zoeandmolly.ca/app/en/
The Door That’s Not Locked
The internet is the door that’s not locked. There are lots of fun and interesting places to go, but there are scary things out there too. This website has age specific information about how to have lots of fun and stay clear of the risks. – https://protectkidsonline.ca/app/en/
As a parent who had his online daughter pick up a stalker when she was 16 please take this topic seriously. To make it worse the stalker was using my facebook posts to keep an eye on my daughter. Once I discovered that I took my family to the gun range and shared pictures of us shooting targets. After I could see he accessed those pictures I blocked him.
Cyber bullying, sexting, boys asking for naked pictures of girls at a staggeringly young age. These are all topics that need to be discussed. I do presentations about online safety in many schools. Before I was to speak to a group of grade 9’s I was told I might not want to talk about sending bad pictures via text as they just dealt with an issue a week or so ago. If the stats are correct the majority of grade 9 classes will have girls who have been asked for inappropriate pictures online.
Common Sense Media is a resource for parents and teachers. They rate apps and have guides to keeping your kids safe online and how to secure your accounts. – https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
TeachersFirst internet Safety Resource – https://www.teachersfirst.com/spectopics/safety.cfmCira – add a level of protection to your network at home and reduce the online threats. https://www.cira.ca/earlyaccess“