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Social Networking and Video Gaming Teacher Web Resource ​

Image attributed to: "THE WEB 2.0 - Graphic representation" by Anna Maria Lopez,  Lopez is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 


​The academic benefits of social networking and gaming.

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Image attributed to: "THE WEB 2.0 - Graphic representation" by Anna Maria Lopez,  Lopez is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 ​
  • ​​Game play in the classroom improves student skills, especially in math. 
  • Educational gaming presents the student(s) with a problem  or challenge to be solved, increasing students' problem solving skills and perseverance. ​
  •  "Video games provide youth with immersive and compelling social, cognitive, and emotional experiences" and such "experiences may have the potential to enhance mental health and well-being in children and adolescents (Maloy, et al., 2016)." 
  • Studies by scientists have shown that students who participate in serious digital games for learning are developing essential skills needed for 21st century careers. 
  • Gaming develops skills such as strategic thinking, interpretive analysis, problem solving, and the ability to develop and administer plans of action, and to adapt  to rapid change (Maloy, et al., 2016). 
  • "Digital games involve actions that build focus, persistence, flexible problem solving, and collaborative information sharing (Maloy, et al., 2016)." 

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​The benefits of social networking and gaming in school.

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  • Gaming is engaging and motivating to students. 
  • Students are motivated by the game's reward systems.
  • Games can be conducive to learning across the curriculum. 
  • Gaming increases interest, motivation, and engagement in learning. 
  • "Games are active, challenging, and demanding of focus and concentration to solve problems in innovative ways (Maloy, et al., 2016)."​
Image attributed to: "THE WEB 2.0 - Graphic representation" by Anna Maria Lopez,  Lopez is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 ​

Links to examples of games or websites that can be used to promote literacy.

Teachers’ activities incorporating social networking and gaming in meaningful ways.

Image attributed to: "THE WEB 2.0 - Graphic representation" by Anna Maria Lopez,  Lopez is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 ​
icon credit: www.vecteezy.com 
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  • Summarizing with Twitter is a great way to get students  to be concise while still hitting the important information. 
  • Edit Tweets to fix grammar and spelling issues. 
  • Tweet Haiku poems. 
  • Students can do homework from Twitter by responding to a question Tweeted by the teacher.

  • Twitducate is a platform that allows teachers to create a private social media experience for their class.
  • It allows teachers to sign up using an email adress and students can then use a code to join the community.
  • Much like EdModo you have full control over the network. This platform has online tutors, live lessons, and more. 
  • EdModo is a great educational based social media platform. The way you can control the experience of the students is very comforting.
  •  Students can raise their confidence, find their voice, and experience what it means to be a digital citizen.
  • This management tool really makes it easy to stay connected and it gives students a way to ask for help when they are at home struggling with homework.
  • Create a Facebook group for your class.
  • Document the daily adventures. 
  • Live feed an activities or instructions that are difficult and may need to be revisited. 
  • Digital citizenship can be taught, modeled, and practiced with teacher monitoring. 
  • Facebook polls can be a great way to check for understanding.
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The list of meaningful ways to use games and gamification in the classroom is endless. Here are a few examples. 
  • Creativity is my favorite way to get students to express what they have learned. The web 2.0 tools available make this type of creative presentation quick and easy. Open Education Database has a list of 101 web 2.0 teaching tools. There are loads of creating apps for students to use. 
There are many augmented reality apps that have emerged in the past few years. There are apps on many subjects, and there are apps to design your own AR targets. 
  • AR Flashcards  to  learn shapes and colors. 
  • Chromville uses multiple intelligences. Students color their characters and then they come to life with the visual arts app. 
  • Barcy is an AR app that explores water life and the water use. 
  • Chromville Science joins art, technology, science and the eight multiple intelligences, promoting the development of kids creativity and their motivation for the learning process according to their needs and preferences. 
  • Elements 4D brings the elements to life. It includes lessons for all levels, elementary, intermediate, and high school. 

​Ethics involved when using digital media in the classroom.​​​

  • Explore appropriate and safe sites for learning and research. ​
  • ​Teacher approved sites available for students. 
  • Coypright law, fair use act and creative commons should be taught and utilized in the classroom. Understanding copyright and related laws will help ensure students follow the rules in using and sharing content.
  • Teach students about cyberbullying and how it's easier to say things to people you cannot see and what it actually is and how hurtful and damaging it can be. 
  •  Self image is important to build. Self-branding to present yourself to the world and future employers is important. 
  • Citation of sources is important to teach so students properly credit their sourced material (NMSU, 2018). 
Resources

Maloy, R. W., Verock, R. E. A., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2016). Transforming Learning With New Technologies, Enhanced Pearson eText with Loose-Leaf Version. Pearson. Retrieved from http://gcumedia.com/digital-resources/pearson/2017/transforming-learning-with-new-technologies_ebook_3e.php

NMSU. (2018). Ethics for technology use in the classroom. Retreived from: https://online.nwmissouri.edu/articles/education/ethics-technology-use-classroom.aspx​

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