Back to School Special:
7 Web Savvy Starts to a New Year!

1. Make this the Year that You Share Shamelessly!
Never one to give advice that I wouldn't follow...I created a simple PPT presentation template for my teachers (& FREE to you!) to use for back to school night which you can download from either Slideshare or my wikipage. Why not download it and give it to your teachers to modify & personalize to mix up their presos for back to school night? Save them time & aggravation AND be a superhero!
BTSN Preso 2011-12
View more presentations from gwyneth jones
Or you can download the graphics from my Flickr stream to make up your own PPT!
2. Why Not a Wiki?
Another thing you can make for both students and parents is a Tech Tips & Help wiki or web page for home use. Answering dilemmas such as:
I can't open my report!
I don't have Microsoft Office on my computer!
Saving Word Documents for use at Work/School
Why Can't I Use Wikipedia?
How to Teach Wikipedia Comic Tutorial
How to Download YouTube Videos for School Use
Keeping Your Computer Clean of Viruses
Making a PDF
Feel free to cut & paste anything on our creative commons wikipage for yours (you don't need to join our page to snag stuff!) and as long as you give attribution somewhere, it's all good!
3. Got Parents?! Start a School Facebook Page!
Yeah, sure...Facebook and I are "seeing other people" but that doesn't mean I don't get that it's a place a lot of my parents hang out & we need to be there! Creating a local page for your school (the kind that is just a listing...like Yellow Book!) is another great way for parents to get the school hours, phone numbers, link to the official web page, & event announcements! I followed directions from Brad Flickinger, a Elementary tech teacher from Fort Collins, CO - who posted how to create a Facebook local page for your school! @bradflickinger
4. Create a School YouTube Channel!
5. Tweet for Your School or Library!
Now this is going to be tricky because Twitter is blocked by my district but I believe in social media, web presence, & Twitter enough to give it a try! I created a MHMS_Media Twitter account to make announcements about exciting new books, fun contests, & ways to publish Twitter styled & sized book reviews! You're invited to Follow US to see how this is gonna work - or not work! LOL
6. Why Not Try an EduBlog This Year?
I realize starting a blog is a big endeavor & commitment! It's also sometimes a pain in the butt! Internal blog guilt when you don't post for a while nags at you (don't let it! that's self-defeating!) and finding the time to write is a challenge. But honestly, blogging has given me more in the last 6 or 7 years than I can say. It's great to share what you've created - hoping to save someone else the time doing the same thing! It's a great way to "think" about the practice of teaching and express your beliefs about our profession. And....It's also great way to remind yourself what
Once you create your school based blog promote it on Back to School Night, in the hallways and library...using cool ways like a QR code & humour!
7. Transparency is the New Black
What about You?
Graphics:
All graphics except for the Librarian Tiff avatar were created by Gwyneth Jones are Creative Commons & available for use on my Flickr stream.
Just FYI...that yellow and light blue font is terrible to read on Google Reader. i know you have a whole look going here with the black background, but it definitely doesn't translate well!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback, Jenn! And you're right the graphic design grrl in me LOVES to play with colour fonts on my black background...but I guess I never thought of it in Google Reader. Sorry to irks ya, maybe you can visit my blog in person to get the whole gorgeous experience? [grins] How does RED look, and Turquoise?
ReplyDelete~Gwyneth
Love this post! You inspired me to try some fun stuff last year, and I totally agree this is the year to let your light shine! I am excited about all the collaboration and fun that I am going to have in the coming months!
ReplyDeleteDo you still have the back to school virtual cafe?
ReplyDelete