3 Ways EdTech & Social Media Increase Teacher Effectiveness

Last Saturday Rutgers University’s Alternate Route Teacher Training Program held a conference for all 300+ teachers of its program. Despite it being early on a Saturday morning, the conference hall was buzzing with excitement. Saturday’s conference was very special as it featured Scott Rocco, Superintendent at Spotswood Public Schools and co-founder of the internationally trending Twitter ed chat #SATCHAT, kicking off the conference with a keynote speech.

Rocco delivered both insight and inspiration in his personal account of how edtech and social media transformed the way his district’s teachers approach instruction and impact students’ learning outcomes.

Here’s an overview of the advice Scott imparted to the budding and veteran teachers in the audience:

1. Stop teaching in isolation

Rocco never planned to become an advocate of social media in education. In fact, he fell into becoming an expert on the matter by accident.

“My superintendent told everyone in the meeting I want you to have a social media presence…I thought Twitter accounts were only for the rich and famous.”

Despite his skepticism that Twitter could help him as an educator, he set up a Twitter account anyway. Soon enough, he discovered that educators were using social media to connect with one another on a professional level. They were using Twitter for more than simply sharing updates on their daily. Scott followed suit and began building his own Professional Learning Network (PLN).

He became so engrossed in the activity that he started #SatChat, a weekly Saturday morning Twitter chat among educators across the globe. The first Saturday morning he hosted the chat less than 50 educators joined. Now thousands of Tweets fly back and forth from educators all over the world containing questions, resources and ideas on how to teach more effectively.

2. Demonstrate the model of learning through technology

In order for teachers and educators to guide students in understanding how to use technology and social media as a learning tool, they themselves must develop comfort with the process. The world around us has gone digital. Living, learning and teaching in a digital age means connecting in new ways. Education tech apps and social networks connect people to knowledge and resources pulled from all parts of the world.

"Everything we use now has been new [to earlier generations], so we need to try new things."

Before the book people wrote on single sheets of paper. Imagine teaching The Odyssey before books were invented? It seems preposterous that our ancestors could’ve dragged their feet adopting books, but there surely were many who had a soft spot for scrolls even though the change allowed them to learn more effectively.

3. Commit to becoming a more dynamic teacher

Now is the perfect time for teachers to take the plunge and start advocating for increased use of social media and edtech in the classroom. Many apps and tools now are vetted out by teachers who were early adopters.

Here are the ed tech apps Rocco recommended:

• Google communities: An online suite of applications for collaboration

• NewsELA: This edtech tool allows teachers to find articles for students based on their reading level. With this edtech tool, teachers can stop teaching to the middle top or bottom of the class

• Khan Academy: This digital technology learning community reinforces what teachers cover in the classroom and gives teachers access to data on students' learning outside the classroom. Even when school’s out of session teachers can review whether students used Khan Academy. To the surprise of Rocco’s school district, they found students were using Khan Academy in the summer months without any motivation from them.

• Common Sense Graphite: Lists 47 edtech products that have already been tested and evaluated by teachers

• CiteThis: Helps students cite their papers

• Padlet: An interactive, online blackboard that allows teachers to start conversations

• Pocket: Never lose an online resource you find again

• Jing/SnagIt: Make short videos for your students in a flash. Both tools are simple to use and requires no video editing training.

To be an effective teacher you mustn’t be comfortable being set in your ways. Just as students’ needs rapidly evolve, so must the approaches of teachers and educators.

"Technology and social media will never replace us...[and] if we use it as part of our teaching strategy it will always help us become more dynamic."

Rocco spoke these words in closing, and was met with thundering applause.

@RutgersAltRoute #reimagine #RUGSEAR Presentation link: http://t.co/ig9ZDPL6e2 Thanks for having me Keynote & remember, "Try Something" — Scott Rocco (@ScottRRocco) March 7, 2015