Try to incorporate wikis and blogs into what I am already doing to engage my students.
It is important to create a generic rubric that adheres to all and that meets compliance issues.
One of the biggest drawbacks to using Social Media is the rampant use of copyrighted material in the classroom or in posts on social media websites. Seldom if ever do you see a reference to a citation or source included in an image, quote, or other such material. I note this serious omission in many posts by instructors and even the institutions themselves. Free Use does not apply to all institutions, especially the 'for profits."
I think use of social media platforms have enhanced student engagment. I oftern show Youtube videos of correct behavior and then incorrect behavior for the medical students. The students always seem to enjoy spotting the incorrect behavior and it gives the class time to discuss thier responsibilites in the work force.
When developing a rubric for wikis and blogs, for say embedding videos, and other media it should include the Purpose, the Content, How it was Organized, and Expression.
I must not have an open mind. What I read in much of this section was assessing students on their use of these tools - not on the content of the course (unless, of course, the course content is about using the tools).
Rubrics should not be designed to be rigid, and taking an open-mind approach is best when dealing with students on social media and postings.
When it comes down to media sharing, it's something that must be assessed open minddedly. Each use of media should be assessed for various things like audience, relevance, quality, etc.
Students are using various online tools to cater to different requirements. It will not be wrong to say that social media and education goes hand in hand in the modern world.
Social networking sites need to be easily accessed by students. When determining the assessment of activities on social networking sites, a rubric is a good idea. The rubric allows students to see what is expected of their performance and makes it easier for the instructor to make a fair assessment. Although I have found rubrics a challenge to design in order to make them share the specific requirements of an assignment, they are worth the time taken to develop a strong rubric.
Rubric for assignments that include media and other various forms of technology have to be very clear...especially when dealing with Baby Boomers. Challenges that are seemless for some, are frustratingly tedious for them. Also, be sure to include common pitfalls, errors, FAQ's, etc. that students may encounter when dealing with assignments like this. If you don't, then get ready for the slew of emails and questions to follow because you failed to prepare.
There are various social media tools that can prove useful to the instructor in incorporating it into their course. The suggested tools were TeacherTube, SchoolTube, iTunesU, and YouTube Edu, which I will research to learn more and to apply these as I enhance the social media that is already included in my classes.
Joyce Hladky, Instructor
Reply to Ashley McClellan's post:
I agree, but my main issue is, no matter the type of rubric, students just don't follow it! Very frustrating
Reply to Becca Humphrey's post: I valued this portion of the training because that was my initial reaction and question..."how do I grade something like this?"
All Media Hosting and sharing should be consistent with the course objectives
Using media hosting helps remove barriers to learning: socio-economic, physical distance, learning disabiities, language issues.
Using media hosting and sharing sites also helps remove barriers to learning such as socio-economic barriers, physical distance, learning disabilities, and even language barriers when information is provided with captioned text and in various languages.
I would like to implement the use of more social media activities in my classroom.
I was unaware that blogs were accepted as social media sites since they are largely opinions by the blogger. I always viewed them as akin to wikis and have had my English students shy away from them for that reason.
A flexible rubric in a technical aspect would be most benefit due to the different theory of the subject operation.
There are so many tools and platforms to be used in social media. We have to tailor their use for a purpose
