Leading With Digital and Social Media Tools in the Classroom

Class is in session! I enjoyed week 7's tools and readings because I can see many of them in my work as an instructor for various undergraduate leadership courses. I explored Dr. Dennen's manuscript about Instructional Design and Development for Social Media Lessons. This was related to increasing my pedagogical knowledge and practices. This course has allowed me to re-imagine how I am creating a learning environment that includes technology-based tools that can reach the students I teach. Many of my students are part of a generation that relies heavily on digital and social media, so it is essential to incorporate aspects of technology into the classroom. I liked how Dr. Dennen defined instructors as designers, further confirming the concept of an instructional designer, which is pivotal in fostering a learning community best suited for the students in that environment. One class I teach that is an in-person course is Leadership and Change, and an aspect of the course that could be implemented/designed is social media as a way to understand leadership and change. The strategies outlined by Dennen center on incorporating a practical and value-based approach to using social media in lessons. It can be intimidating, but there are factors to consider, including the development process, content collections, target artifacts, use of an anchor platform, and limiting new tools but encouraging exploration. I will continue to reference this manuscript as I go into adding and/or adjusting aspects of my teaching to introduce new digital and social media tools to my students. There is a benefit to using social media as a means of learning. I find that evident in my experience through this course and how it has guided and shaped my thinking lens when critically critiquing other courses. Is it essential for instructors to reevaluate their pedagogical approaches to keep up with digital and social media/technology?

Reference:

Dennen, V. P. (manuscript in progress). Instructional design and development for social media lessons.

Comments

Twitter Challenge Reflections! #SumItSunday Pt. 2

Overall this week was one of my favorites! I was able to participate and engage in multiple challenges, and the best challenge of them all was on Twitter. Twitter has become the social media app I constantly use, and I love the direction that my personal Twitter is evolving with a mix of my doctoral identity and leadership educator identity while also sharing the highs and lows of my experience. I discuss the joys of teaching, presenting, and doing research with outstanding faculty; while sharing updates about my life and the specific day I might have had, whether good or bad. I want to continue to be authentic when engaging in higher education. I want individuals to always feel comfortable speaking with me and knowing that I, too, am human, regardless of the level of education I might hold or even positions later on in my career. In this week's Twitter challenge, I was able to be funny with my Gif choices while also profoundly thinking about what I wanted to share for the challe...

Trello ? Yay or Nay?

For this week, I slowly got myself back in the swing of things with EME 6414. I am thankful that we had last week as a break, so I came back curious and with questions as I started to read some of the materials for this week. I am interested in learning more about Trello because I often collaborate with peers and faculty members on research projects. I think that having something where we can connect easier could truly benefit our goals. Reading over some of the features that Trello offers, it was neat to see the various apps (dropbox, twitter, storiesonboard, etc.) available to be connected to Trello. Trello has three different plans; it was interesting to learn about them to see which plans would make the most sense for me and how I would utilize Trello. The standard plan would be where would start to see how using this with a small team could benefit our productivity. I'd like to see what else Trello can do and how individuals can make the best out of the platform. You c...

Reddit Communities! Joining Like-Minded Individuals

Joining the world of Reddit this week has been a major highlight for me! I had heard of Reddit before but only partially paid close attention to what individuals could do on Reddit. I assumed it was another place to offer reviews and commentary on topics of interest. As I began to work on the Community Norms assignment, I knew I wanted to participate in the full version; the full version offered a unique perspective to continue enhancing my knowledge and skills with the various digital and social media sites for class. Although I was excited to participate and engage in Reddit communities, there are a TON to choose from. Leaving me to feel overwhelmed by the many options. Continuing to explore Reddit, I joined communities of interest as it relates to Sports (NBA, WNBA), Reality Tv (Real Housewives Franchise, College Hill Celebrity Edition, Married to Medicine, etc.), Black memes, and Twitter communities, NBA 2K. These communities all felt normal and comfortable to me because thes...

Johnnie Allen Jr.

Search This Blog