In recent years, technology and social media have become an integral part of how students identify themselves. Creating relationships with our students through a means of communication that resonates with them would allow a classroom community to develop outside of the classroom walls.
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Miss Parent
When beginning my practicum in grade 9, I was blown away by the importance that social media played in the lives of my students. Developing a classroom community that enabled digital citizenship to be a topic of discussion in the classroom was what led me to develop a classroom instagram. I wanted my classroom instagram to be a safe space for students in which they could come and ask questions, be reminded of important events, and have the opportunity to see their fellow peers' work! The topic of safety on social media and being a 'safe' digital citizen is a topic that these students will continue to encounter throughout their education and even beyond. Having this topic of conversation through a medium that these students can relate with has hopefully impacted their understanding of how they can be safe online.
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Miss Badau
When I was in grade nine, my teacher made a "Teacher Facebook" through which we were able to communicate with both her and our class after school hours! I remember this being such a helpful tool and so I wanted to introduce this to my grade nine class now that roles were reversed and I was the teacher! However, I learned quickly, through eye-rolls and snickers that "nobody uses Facebook anymore", so as the tech-savy millennial that I am supposed to be I decided to create a classroom Instagram! Teenagers are glued to their phones as it is - why not reach them on their level through a medium they can't ignore? Although they may not check D2L, I know they won't forget to check their Instagram! Not only is this a great form of communication, but my belief is that the classroom Instagram will help build a sense of community within the classroom as it functions to strength teacher-student relationships . |