Socializing and Collaborating article

Social and Collaborative Media: Tools and Strategies for the Physical Educator

Here is a really cool video showing how technology can make exercise fun so that more people want to do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw

By searching “physical education” in a Twitter directory, I was able find and connect with over 100 people/groups involved in my profession. Prior to this class, I had only thought of social networks as ways to waste time and post funny links and comments (this is all I use Facebook for). The only reference I had for Twitter was Conan O’Brien and ESPN, where they make fun of celebrity posts and mention something racy an athlete tweeted, respectively. This caused me to write Twitter off as pointless. But once I gave Twitter a chance, my world was flipped upside down. I feel like the benefits of a strong professional network are vast. I have a strong desire to “get away” once I am done school; I have lived in Carroll County my whole life. As I selected new PE people to follow, I could not contain my excitement. Brazil, Denver, San Diego, Germany, Switzerland… how awesome would it be to work and live in some of these places?! I really want to live where its warm all year so I can have all of my classes outside, but Colorado would still be great (I love to ski) and living anywhere overseas I am sure would be an awesome experience. I plan to use Twitter to market myself, establishing relationships with PE people who live/work in locations where I would like to live one day. If I contact enough people, and market myself strategically, I statistically improve my chances of meeting someone who can help get me a job.

Right now, the PE network using Twitter is not enormous, but it seems strong. Several physical educators post lesson plans for others to evaluate and comment on. Other tweets request ideas for classes (large group games, cooperative games, bad weather ideas, etc) and the responses are timely and constructive. I plan to take advantage of this network immediately as a grad student (I have my first unit plan due in a few weeks) and as a professional for years to come. Because I have no idea where I will be in a year and a half, it will be nice to establish relationships with other professionals via Twitter. This way, no matter where I end up, I know I will have a faithful foundation on this social network. Ideally I will work under an excellent veteran teacher, but if I am handed my own program at a brand new school with parents demanding excellence, I will need a strong network of support to help ease the burden.

Through Twitter, I stumbled across a PE teacher in Australia whose goal is to integrate ICT (Information and communication technologies) with his profession as a teacher. His blog (http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/) occupied me for several hours as I took the time to read all of his posts dating back to September of 2008. The guy is only in his second year of teaching (he is the same age as me) but seems to be doing wonders at his school and has a strong following on the web. The following include some of my favorite of his blog posts that refer to using social media in the classroom.

Mrrobbo is a big fan of using SMS text messages for education. In this post, he discusses how cell phones can be used to remind students and parents about homework assignments. http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/sending-homework-to-a-phone-via-mms-messaging/ Since cell phones can easily be linked to Twitter, have your students follow you and post your reminders via Twitter (parents can follow to!).


This post outlines 13 of the author’s favorite technologies to use in the classroom. http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2010/02/24/new-and-old-ideas/
The author (Jarrod) loves Skype and uses it to have guest speakers from all over the globe speak to his classes (i.e. the author of their textbook). He also suggests having a class teacher another class something from across the globe. How cool would it be to have a group of students from Australia teach some of my students how to play rugby? This post (http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/why-skype-is-the-most-valuable-tool-i-use/#comment-492) he demonstrates the usefulness of Skype so that he can be connected with his students after school hours.
Using a Flip Video Camera, (very simple to use and upload to a computer) students can post their videos on YouTube and then critique each others skill analysis. Because of the internet, the feedback is not limited to the students in the class and the teacher. Jarrod also suggests using GoogleDocs to create a spreadsheet that is updated in real time by the students of the class to document changes in heart rate. I thought this was a very cool way to motivate and engage students.

Another post featured Tinychat. Jarrod used it for a review session. The students only need an internet connection; it is basically a chatroom that the teacher can use for a last minute review session the night before an exam. Not only is the teacher very accessible, but students can “study group” from home with the expert present to answer any questions. http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/a-tiny-way-to-make-a-difference/

Jarrod uses YouTube for days when he cannot be in class. I think every teacher should be able to do this. The way sub plans are done should be changed forever. Whether you are sick or out of town, simply use your webcam to talk to the class and tell them what they need to do for the day. Then, have the sub play the video at the beginning of each period. If the teacher is home sick, perhaps any questions can be left as comments on the video or asked through Tinychat.
http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/how-i-teach-when-im-away-from-class/

I hate doing research. Perhaps it was the long, sleepless nights of doing research to try and write a paper that was due in a few hours while all of my roommates were having fun. Boy, do I wish I had known about Delicious back as an undergrad. Delicious is a social bookmarking tool where you can view what other colleagues in your field have bookmarked. Basically, anyone doing research can share whatever they have found helpful for others to use, rate and comment. Jarrod’s page is here: http://delicious.com/robbo64

By following the right blogs and Twitter accounts, teachers can collaborate with each other for their own professional development. Students, if not doing so already, can use the social networks for more than funny links and comments. Similarly to how online classes require discussion amongst classmates, teachers can facilitate this type of communication by making sure students follow each other on Twitter and discuss content topics on blogs and discussion boards.

With all of this technological innovation in the classroom, roadblocks are inevitable. The first one that comes to mind is finances. Although technology cheapens quickly, computers, webcams, mobile phones, etc are expensive to purchase and maintain. In order to get the funding, the right people need to be convinced to embrace this technology, which is another roadblock. Very few, if any, administrators, higher-ups, board members, etc are digital natives and may be rooted in “old school” methods. The financial decisions makers need to be educated on the value of strongly integrating technology into education; the students are, for the most part, fully “plugged in” and school should not be the place where they need to “un plug”. Using the technology to cheat should also be a concern, as cheating via text messages has been reported. But if the teachers are savvy enough and instruction is designed appropriately, I think cheating will not become more of an issue than it already is. Lastly, as I read Jarrod’s blog, I wondered if there should be concern with constantly being connected. As a parent (non-digital native) would I be comfortable with my teenage daughter video chatting with her 24 year old teacher? When it is put that way, it does sound dangerous. I suppose as teachers (especially young male teachers) we are at risk for law suits if a student wanted to fabricate a story. To help avoid this roadblock, educating and including parents in the technologies used will be very helpful. If I am Skypeing with a student, I can send the conversation to the parent and/or Skype with the parent on a regular basis so that they know me well. Teachers also can cover themselves by recording all conversations and saving text scripts.