Can We Actually Use Selfies to Teach a Lesson in the Classroom?

As I was scrolling through my Twitter feed, I came across an interesting article about how a teacher used selfies for a lesson in her classroom. This immediately reminded me of a lesson my writing class did last year with a group of third grade students. For my master's level writing course, we worked at a local public school to help improve the students' writing skills. We offered a free, after-school writing workshop where they could practice and improve their writing skills.

For my group's lesson, we ended up using a book called "The Best Part of Me" by Wendy Ewald. This book includes a picture of students' favorite part about themselves and then a poem or piece of writing describing why it is their favorite. We used this book as a model for a similar lesson we would use in the writing workshop. The writing workshops' focus was on using technology in some shape or form. We had the students take a photo of their favorite part about themselves on iPads provided to them. They loved this idea and really enjoyed getting to show off their favorite part about them, whether it was their hair, fingers, face, toes, arms, nose, etc.

I really enjoyed how we were able to use technology in this lesson plan and thought it helped transform the lesson into one that was relevant to our 21st century digital age. The students loved it as well, because they were able to showcase a part of themselves they really love in a fun and unusual way.

When I saw the recent New York Times article Twitter post about using selfies in the classroom, it brought me back to this lesson plan we used for the writing workshop. I believe using technology to intrigue students is a great way to get them interested in a lesson. In this day in age, technology is all around them, so using it in creative ways throughout the classroom helps teachers connect with their students and keep them focused.

Selfies in particular could be a great resource to use in the classroom as a writing assignment. Selfies are photos of oneself taken on a camera. You can change your facial expression to show your mood or show certain scenery in the background if you are showcasing your location. Additionally, you can take selfies with loved ones or pets to show how you feel with them. Selfies are a great way to show emotion and get to the heart of one's true feelings. While at first it may be awkward to take a photo of yourself, after time, you become more confident and realize it is just a way to communicate with your friends, family and loved ones. I love the way Jenna Wortham explains the true meaning of a selfie in her New York Times article "My Selfie, Myself",

"In other words, it is about showing your friends and family your elation when you’re having a good day or opening a dialogue or line of communication using an image the same way you might simply text “hi” or “what’s up?” (Wortham, 2013). 

What a great way to explain the true depths of what a "selfie" really is. While on the surface it may seem like any other picture, truthfully there lies a lot more underneath a simple picture of oneself. People are expressing themselves and feel comfortable doing it. They are willing to show their happiness, sadness, confidence, love, strength and courage.

Most interestingly, selfies allow for a wider range of communication via technology. When I was young, we would simply call up our friend from our home land-line. You could only hear their voice, and you could not see their face. Now, you can snapchat, send a photo, Facebook live, etc. in which you can send photos or videos of yourself to communicate with others. The great benefits of this updated form of communication is that you can really express your emotions when you are talking with friends, family, etc. They can visually see you and how you feel. What a cool way to stay connected!

So, the teacher who used selfies in the classroom allowed her students to use pictures of themselves and answer the prompt "Why Do We Take Selfies?". She was working with a high school classroom, so this topic may be a little too deep for fourth or fifth grade students (which are the grades I would like to teach!). However, I think I could still use selfies in the classroom to connect to a writing assignment.

For an assignment for upper elementary, I think I would stick to something like the lesson I presented above. I would have them talk about their positive qualities to promote positive self worth and acceptance. I would have them explain why they chose a specific facial expression, camera angle, setting, background, etc. in their photo. All of these features help express who they are and differentiate one student from another. No two photos will be the same and based off students' differing personalities, we will see there will be totally different types of pictures. Some will be artsy, some simple, some close up and some far away, some with smiles and some with frowns. All of these details tell a story and it's important to have students get in touch with and explore their emotions. A picture tells a thousand words...so now, it's up to them to write about it.

References
Connell, G. (Photographer). (2013). Best Part of Me [Online Image], Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/genia-connell/best-part-me-positive-self-image-poetry/

Network, T. L. (2017, February 21). Using Student Selfies for Writing Assessment and Classroom Connections. Retrieved February 25, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/21/learning/21RILN-Fogel-Shrive.html?_r=0&WT.mc_id=SmartBriefs-Newsletter&WT.mc_ev=click&ad-keywords=smartbriefsnl

Selfie collage [Google image]. Retrieved from http://www.clicktobuy.nl/image/data/selfie-collage-transparent.jpg

Wortham, J. (2013, October 19). My Selfie, Myself. Retrieved February 25, 2017, from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/sunday-review/my-selfie-myself.html

What Is All The Rave About This Website, Pinterest?

As I was looking at some of the articles on technology integration, I came across one written by Edutopia about the benefits of using Pinterest in the classroom. I figured I would look into this topic more thoroughly. I have had many teachers tell me that they use Pinterest for ideas in the classroom. Personally, I use it mainly for finding quick, last-minute recipes so that I have the ingredient list on my phone when going food shopping. I also use it a lot for arts and crafts. The neat thing about Pinterest is you can actually pin your own crafts, recipes, etc. that you make up and you can also re-pin other people's ideas. A lot of educators use Pinterest to both (a) post their own ideas and (b) re-post other teacher's ideas.

Pinterest is a free website that requires a username to access. Once you create your account, a user can have access to all the ideas on the website. Here, users can manage ideas through different "boards" labeled by the category. For example, I would label one board "Education Ideas" or "Dinner-Time Recipes" or "Wedding Ideas," etc. Then you can enter what you are looking for in the search box. Ideas you come across that you like, you can press "Save" in the corner and then choose to add it to a particular board. It is a really neat site to collaborate with others about various ideas from travel, to time management techniques, to inspirational quotes.

Here is a picture of my Pinterest board so you can get an idea of what a board looks like. As you can see, I have different boards entitled, "My Style", "Fall is in the air...", and "Live Today...With A Little Help", etc. On each board I have pinned different ideas that fit into each category. You can create as many boards in as many diverse categories as you would like.

Educators in particular have joined the band-wagon and use Pinterest as a means to collaborate with other teachers and share ideas. The site is very user-friendly because you can search very specific topics like "5th grade math ideas" and the search engine will filter the pins you see to only those pertaining to your topic. Once you select, say, a picture that you like from your search, a user can then click on the actual picture and Pinterest will take you to the site for directions on how to do the lesson. This is a great opportunity for people who blog about education to be found. Say a blogger posts their lesson idea on Pinterest and another user sees their pin. In order to actually see the directions behind the lesson, a Pinterest user must be redirected to the blog to find the detailed lesson plan. Pinterest therefore gives great exposure to people who have their own webpages, blogs, etc.

Pinterest can be used for many different reasons in the classroom. Some of the best I have included below:

• Decorating your classroom before the exciting first day of school. There are ideas for helpful organizational techniques, ways to set up the desks in your classroom, wall decor, etc. Basically any topic you are looking for can be sought out through Pinterest. You can make your search very broad or very narrow, either way there are many pins to look at and get ideas from. 
• Classroom discipline techniques and classroom rules. One can simply search for specific ideas to see different ways teachers run their classroom. Searching for these ideas are particularly helpful to new teachers, who may not know what works best but can trust veteran or experienced teachers for advice. 
• Lesson plans or activities in the classroom. Say if you want to do a certain craft for the upcoming Saint Patrick's Day but are not sure what to do. Pinterest is full of various ideas for the classroom for different holidays. As I stated above, one can also click on the photo to be taken to the website where there is more information about the craft or activity and possibly the lesson plan to go with it. 
• Students can use Pinterest for projects of their own or to complete a lesson created by their teacher. You could have your students create their own Pinterest boards and pin ideas for their own projects. They could even create their own board for a specific project and post different pictures throughout their time working on it. For example, they could call one "My Autobiography" and search different ideas for how to complete a compelling autobiography project. Then, they could create their own board in which they post pictures of what they actually did. By doing this, students get to experience collaborating with others. They not only get to learn the process of searching for ideas from other people on Pinterest but also posting their own ideas and pictures to share.      

References:

Classroom Organization [Pinterest image]. Retrieved from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/ac/27/0d/ac270d118b6083582f9c0cc0a80c86f1.jpg

Pinterest logo [Online image]. Retrieved from http://yakketyyakllc.com/whats-pinterest/  

Saint Patrick's Day Craft [Pinterest image]. Retrieved from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/St-Patricks-Day-Clover-I-am-lucky-Craftivity-1067562?pp=1

Podcasts in the Classroom

I read a neat article on how to use podcasts in the classroom. I listen to podcasts on my commute to work or especially while taking long road trips. Serial, season two, was one of my most favorite podcasts, which followed the popular story of Bowe Bergdahl, an America solider who walked off his post in Afghanistan, and was captured and held by the Taliban for five years. Listening to each podcast was like watching an episode of CSI. His story is amazing, intriguing, exciting and entertaining. Podcasts can be fun and very much part of our modern tech infused world. They are an evolving part of our 21st century entertainment world, and I hope more people come to follow them.

Additionally, podcasts are great learning and studying tools for students who learn best by listening. For example, I remember things best when I either see a visual demonstration or kinesthetically am doing something, taking a field trip, moving, etc. For learners who are great listeners, podcasts would be a fun way for them to study for a test or learn something new. I think podcasts would also be great for retelling a story, doing a book report, or even interviewing classmates (Oswald, 2017).

I looked through many different podcasts aimed at elementary aged children and sifted through to find the best ones. Examples of quality podcasts for elementary aged children are:

• Brains On! Science podcast for kids
• This podcast answers those simple, yet unexplained scientific questions that kids always ask their parents... "How does the internet work?" or "Why do we hiccup and yawn?", etc. 
• Stories Podcast 
• Retelling of G-rated stories that are appropriate for children. The stories range from the tale of Saint Valentine, to The Cat Who Caught the Moon, and fairytales like Snow White. 
• Dream Big Podcast 
• A great character-building podcasts, perfect for schools that have a (PSD or something) implemented into their school discipline program. This podcast teaches kids how to pursue their dreams, through interviews with famous athletes, artists, writers, entrepreneurs, scientists, you name it!
• Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel 
• A middle grades, serial mystery story in which listeners follow along to find a missing friend. This one is more of a fun "read" for children. Could be used outside of the classroom, almost as if a kid is reading this as a book for fun.   
• Story Pirates 
• This podcast takes children's stories and adapts them into sketch comedies and musical theatre. These stories are delightful, funny, light-hearted, and educational!! A great way to make story-telling a fun time for children, especially those struggling to read or learn English. 
• The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd 
  
• This podcast is great for students who are science nerds and great for boys as well. It follows the adventures of a brilliant scientist, Dr. Floyd. The podcast incorporates history into its fun and adventurous tales. 
• TEDTalks Kids and Family
• I love TEDTalks and believe they really help viewers or listeners learn new things. These family and kids TEDTalks are just as great. A listener can learn so much from one episode, anything from science to technology to literature or art. These inspiring, informative and mind-blowing talks are available through iTunes for free and could be used both inside and outside the classroom. 
• Lastly, as a class you could create your own podcast!!! What a fun idea and lesson plan. You could listen to a couple of podcasts as a class and then have students break off into groups to create their own based on their interests. This lesson would test their listening skills as well as improve their technology skills.  

I hope you all can check out some of the podcasts above at your convenience. I have started listening to some of them now on my commute because of this blog post and my research. Regardless of one's age, a listener can enjoy these podcasts and the exciting twist they take on learning through listening. Now, on to the not as fun part, but just as critically important... the scholarly reasoning behind why podcasts are helpful in the classroom.

As Ki Sung points out in her article, "Listening Isn't Cheating: How Audio Books Can Help Us Learn," "Listening is a critical component of Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts, as is reading....listening to the story can encourage students to read more" (Sung, 2016). While Sung is discussing audiobooks here, the same listening tools are used when listening to a podcast. When students listen to podcasts, they gain key listening skills that help them become more familiar with the language they speak. They will learn how certain words are pronounced, which will also help them with their speaking skills. While listening is not a substitute for reading, I believe it can be a great supplementary tool for use inside and outside the classroom.

Listening skills are key components to the Common Core Standards and can be improved through the use of podcasts in the classroom. When a student has to listen to something verse read it on paper, one must still go through the process of language processing (Willingham, 2016). He or she must process the words through their brain to figure out the meaning of the text and sentences. Therefore, through the use of podcasts, one is still improving the language processing skills that are needed when reading. Podcasts can be especially useful for students who prefer listening as a way of learning, and subsequently can improve their reading.

Additionally, another great use for podcasts in the classroom is for students who may have trouble reading or are learning English as a second language. As "Why Listening to Podcasts Helps Kids Improve Reading Skills," points out, "The combination of audio and text allowed for reading breaks and helped students learning English as a second language connect the text to the sounds" (MindShift, 2016). Students can use podcasts to read through a book the first time if he or she is struggling or prefers listening to it read aloud. Then they can go back and re-read it. They will have a more firm grasp of the book and words they could not read or struggled with because they had the podcast read it aloud to them. It would be nice to say that I would have all day to read aloud to each and every child but unfortunately as a teacher of 20+ students, we just do not have that time on our hands. Having podcasts available to students is a great asset to teachers and can save time in the classroom. Students will be able to learn more efficiently, while also increasing their listening and reading skills. What a great tool to use in the classroom!

References
Brains On [Online image]. Retrieved from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/144034449/brains-on-a-science-podcast-for-curious-kids-and-g

Girl with World [Online image]. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/podcasts/2005/07/slates_podcasting_guide.html

MindShift. (2016, March 18). Why Listening to Podcasts Helps Kids Improve Reading Skills. Retrieved February 07, 2017, from https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/03/18/why-listening-to-podcasts-helps-kids-improve-reading-skills/

Oswald, M. (2017, February 13). Podcasts and the Classroom. Retrieved February 06, 2017, from http://www.edudemic.com/podcasts-classroom/ utm_content=buffer0b318&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Podcast [Online image]. Retrieved from http://blogs.agu.org/geoedtrek/2015/03/18/women-stem-podcasts/

The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd [Online image]. Retrieved from http://www.mrgrant.com/projects/

Schiff, S. (2017, January 25). 15 Podcasts For Kids That Everyone Can Enjoy On The Commute To School. Retrieved February 06, 2017, from https://www.fatherly.com/activities/the-best-podcasts-for-kids/

Sung, K. (2016, August). Listening Isn't Cheating: How Audio Books Can Help Us Learn. Retrieved February 06, 2017, from https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/08/18/listening-isnt-cheating-how-audio-books-can-help-us-learn/

Willingham, D. (2016, July 24). Is Listening to an Audio book "Cheating?". Retrieved February 07, 2017, from http://www.danielwillingham.com/daniel-willingham-science-and-education-blog/is-listening-to-an-audio-book-cheating