Although I have not researched it myself, an educator I know mentioned that at a recent training she learned that the average age of Facebook users is 55. Interestingly,a 55 yr. old facebook subscriber myself, and the parent of 20 and 22 yr. olds, that sounds consistent with what I am hearing and seeing. The school-aged young adults are abandoning facebook in droves-because their parents and grandparents are on it. Snapchat and twitter, and several other services I am not yet well-versed in, are increasingly popular with students. Thus, I wouldn't spend too much time strategizing implementation of appropriate monitoring for the use of facebook as an educational tool. I do believe in learning how to "speak their language," but "they" definitely do not want us "in their worlds." Middle-school aged students I work with in my parish youth ministry speak often about a service their school utilizes to allow reminders about assignments, tests, activities, etc. through texting. My dentist's office has also recently implemented a patient reminder service (at the cost of $400/month) that incorporates text, email and phone reminder notifications. This frees up time for a staff member to work on insurance, billing, etc.. This system is working with students and is helping my dentist prevent lost revenue from missed appointments. Personally, I do the same with the calendar in my smart phone. I set up events and schedule several reminder notifications for each. Wouldn't it be great if assignments created with due dates in a portal assignment page automatically likned to a text reminder/notification systm?! It is pervasively apparent that many students rarely check their emails, and do not even want school email transmitted to their phones, so other options should absolutely be considered and facilitated.
Remind 101 sounds like it might be the program I referred to in my earlier post. I just did not know the name. I will look into it to see if there is a subscription fee.
In teaching pastry and baking, I like to utilize YouTube and find relevant videos that I believe reinforce the subject to my students. I do not use it often, maybe once or twice a month, however it is beneficial to see other people doing the same technique, or someone doing the technique differently but with the same results.
Karen,
I find my students and younger faculty members are on Instagram and Twitter, yet their posts link to their Facebook account, so they are essentially posting messages on all three social media outlets at once. You hit the nail on the head when it comes to text messages as well. It is my experience that students are not checking email as often as they were just a few years ago and when attempting to reach a student regarding an urgent matter, I will send a Facebook message or send a text via Google voice with a number specifically set up for work purposes (https://www.google.com/voice). The Career Services department at my college often sends text messages to unresponsive students and find it a successful method of reaching graduates.
I found this article on line that addresses your comment about sending text reminders to students: http://gunnoracle.com/2013/11/remind101-links-students-to-teachers-by-text/
Wishing you continued success in the classroom,
Theresa Schmitt
Courtney,
I have found YouTube to be a popular choice for culinary educators- thank you for sharing! As a novice, I have viewed demos posted by the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), I find the videos on their channel to be very well made and informative.
http://www.youtube.com/user/CIANetwork
Yours in learning,
Theresa Schmitt
I agree that technology is relevant and it helps you and your students become successful. You become a better instructor and your students turn into more inter-active learners. As we get older we become afraid of technology. I'm learning to embrace it and sharpen my skills.
I have used YouTube videos in a Career Development course that I have taught. I also used small group activities that needed to use the Internet to find specific information for their field of study.
These sources provide up-to-date material in students' specific fields of study for young adult learners and keeps them engaged in the class.
1) Availability of internet access in the classroom which provides immediate answers to questions that arise and for which I don't have an answer.
2) Drug guides that can be accessed with android phones and tablets.
I teach App design, so Photoshop is an awesome technology, and smart phones are great to understand how Apps work.
We have a school "portal" where students can access all relevant information about a class , get emails and up-to-date grades. works well when students use it. They are taught to use it upon entering.
We have a school "portal" where students can access all relevant information about a class , get emails and up-to-date grades. works well when students use it. They are taught to use it upon entering.
Tracey,
As an instructor, I find YouTube an amazing tool for teaching and reinforcing concepts. Just this evening when faced with a technical challenge that had us all stumped, the answer was a short YouTube video away!
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Susan,
I find the portal keeps me organized, especially when it comes to posting assignments and updating grades in a timely manner. The ability to transfer course content from previous terms or content from another instructors class is a fantastic feature as well.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
I have recently started using Haiku. Because of its format, it forces the instructor to be concise and abbreviated in presenting information. This reduces the load on the student while at the same time, drives home relevant and important points without overburdening the presentation. It is visually interesting with a creative component.
I've found that many students want to be able to type faster. There are online typing tests and video games that help teach touch typing. Students have told me that they like these activities.
Some students find that competing for the highest words per minute motivates them to practice touch typing, but I'm careful not to put too much emphasis on this competition, because it can frustrate and embarrass slow typists.
Also, I only allot about 15 minutes for games. I encourage the students to utilize them at home. If we spend too much class time on games, the students begin to get restless.
Edward,
I think it is fantastic you incorporate games and motivational applications into your curriculum! When students realize they may need to learn how to type on a keyboard and not only with their thumbs, they often struggle at first- you have found a fantastic solution!
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
I am an accounting instructor. I find when the students do in class exercises on the PC in excel, it improves their understanding of accounting concepts.
Elizabeth,
I find most careers require at least a basic knowledge of Excel. I imagine advanced knowledge of the app is essential in accounting.
Thank you for sharing, and I wish you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
I have found YouTube to be a helpful place to send students to also. In fact, my students suggested I find a YouTube video during a lecture class to demonstrate "technique".
When we went into the lab, they were able to use the technique from the YouTube video.
Tonya,
So many students are visual learners and turn to YouTube when learning a new technique or to supplement the in-class lesson.
Thanks for sharing!
Theresa Schmitt
