Benefits of Using Social Media in the Classroom

• Develop new digital literacy abilities.
• Enhance information retention and comprehension
• Students' participation in class should be increased, and they should be motivated.
• Create a sense of community through connecting students to one another and to the rest of the world.
• Learn how to be a valuable member of an online community.
• Student writing should be improved (through writing for peers, feedback)
• Learn to write in a distinct way.
• Consider visuals, video, and design in addition to text.
• Make everything you've learned in class public.
• Allow students to express themselves.
• Students' views regarding the course content should be improved.
• Citizenship in the digital age
• Competence on a global scale

What can I do now that we were not able to do a year ago

 A year ago and especially after Covid-19 our life's had changed a lot especially in the educational field since we use new techniques and applications like zoom, google classroom, teams, etc.. to continue our education. So by this way, we are able to attend our classes from home  and at any time we can watch the recorded session instead of attending our class on time  which can give me the opportunity to work in other fields like business in the morning and then I can watch my lectures at night. This was very helpful for me since I can do both to learn and to work. Moreover we aren’t allowed to write and to buy books for every course since we can easily save them on our computer and they will last forever with us. It was a good and a new step which changes our routine life into an easy applicable one. So I can say thank you Covid -19 for this change .  

Challenges We Face When Learning/ Teaching Online

 Covid-19 has brought online learning in full fervour and with it comes a number of problems. Here are some:

• Technical difficulties with online teaching tool: Before we begin, be sure students will  have reliable access to technology. There will not always be a good internet connection or a gadget available for students to utilize in every home. Parents will be able to report these difficulties in an initial email, message, or text, allowing us to plan ahead of time to accommodate such pupils.
• Setting and forgetting online learning activities: In a distant education situation, students aren't the only ones who may experience a lack of accountability. It might be difficult for teachers as well. When we're not surrounded by the face-to-face interactions and classroom surroundings that shape so much of our work, it's easy to fall back into 'set and forget' mode, assigning work online and hoping for the best.
• Restricting cheating instances: There are quite a few students who try to leverage the easy way to success. It has become easier for them to cheat while using online learning system. 

What DO You Think Students Should Be Taught When Working Online to Avoid Problems

  A teacher's duty should include directing students through one or more online learning sessions. As a result, the teacher can spend more time guiding pupils and less time preparing courses. The teacher ensures that students' attention is drawn to important concepts and ideas.

Here’s how you can teach kids about using the internet more safely:

• Teach students about online privacy: Kids nowadays are usually aware of the dangers of sharing passwords or addresses online; nevertheless, there are new concerns that they may not be aware of. Spend some time talking with your pupils about how their favorite websites and apps store their data.
• Create a school policy, and have students sign it: The first step is to establish an internet usage policy for the school. Describe how you intend the kids to utilize the internet, including what they should avoid and how they should communicate with one another. Then, inform pupils about the policy. Having a policy in place can assist students understand how important online safety is.

How to be a Digital Citizen

 A person who has the knowledge and skills to effectively use digital technology to connect with others, engage in society, and create and consume digital material is referred to as a digital citizen.

There are several ways to be a good digital citizen, such as : 

1. Encourage critical thinking skills: Students should be taught to consider what they do online and how they connect with others. What do they stand to gain (or lose) by putting specific images or content on the internet? What impact will their comments have on others? What can others infer or deduce from their words? Maintain an open discourse in the classroom and make sure children are comfortable discussing their online activities. Encourage them to ask you or another adult about something they see online if they are unclear how to react or if they should react at all.

2. Connect with your community: Schools, groups like Kids Assist Phone, community centers, and your local police and health departments all have resources to help you and your children utilize the Internet critically, productively, and fairly.

3. Consult the H&PE curriculum: In the Personal Safety and Injury Prevention component of the Healthy Living strand, the H&PE curriculum offers a set of standards for online behavior (and through the Living Skills). The Living Abilities program teaches students how to maintain healthy relationships by teaching them personal, interpersonal, critical, and creative thinking skills. Self-advocacy, conflict resolution, anger management, and decision-making abilities, as well as the capacity to utilize assertiveness, resistance, and refusal strategies, are all covered, and can assist students in responding safely and effectively online.

4. Refer to resources for further assistance: Ophea provides a number of materials to promote good digital citizenship. Cyber Cops is a lesson plan for children in grades 7 and 8 that teaches them how to respond to and recognize different types of online safety concerns. Connect[ED] is also an excellent resource for children in grades 4 to 6 who are concerned about internet safety. (Both are free, bilingual, and accessible via Ophea's Teaching Tools.)

Tools that can be Used in Online Assessment

 An evaluation of a person's abilities, behaviors, and/or traits might be classified as an online assessment. This test is carried out over the Internet utilizing web technologies that are currently accessible. An assessment may have specific goals, such as testing a candidate's knowledge or learning.

•  To assess a candidate's knowledge or understanding.

• To choose the best candidates from a large pool of candidates.

• To determine the test taker's strengths and shortcomings

• To determine certain personality and character characteristics

• To aid in career counseling and to determine the most appropriate training, employment, or profession for the test taker.

Online assessments are becoming increasingly popular and are being used in a variety of industries, including education, government, and business. The corporate sector has embraced online evaluations with great enthusiasm and has embraced them in a big way. These online examinations provide a number of distinct advantages over traditional assessment methods, both for the company and for the candidates.

There are many tools for evaluating students, here are some:

1. Google Forms:

Google Forms is a free online tool from Google that allows users to create forms, surveys, and quizzes, as well as edit and share them collaboratively. Educators can use Google forms to assess their pupils at the start of class and determine their prior knowledge. Short answer, paragraph response, multiple choice, checkboxes, dropdown, linear scale, and multiple choice grid are just few of the question types that can be included in a Google Form. You may instantly integrate images and video into a form, which is a terrific way to analyze what students think and understand right after they see the image or video. You might also incorporate a function that allows students to upload their work.

2. Jam board:

Jam board is a Google service that allows users to utilize text, photos, shapes, and drawings to creatively organize, organize, and present information. By allowing students to visually depict their learning and ideas, Jam board helps improve classroom involvement. This also allows teachers to receive real-time insight into what their students are understanding. It's a fantastic tool for in-person, online, synchronous, and asynchronous collaboration.

3.Word Wall:

 A word wall is a collection of words on a wall, bulletin board, or other display surface in a classroom that are displayed in large visible letters. The word wall is an interactive tool for children that includes a variety of terms that can be utilized in writing and reading.

4. Poll Everywhere:

Poll Everywhere is a web-based program that allows teachers to ask their students a question. Students answer to the question using their cellphones, Twitter, or web browsers.

Integrating Technology into Teaching

 What is Technology Integration?

Technological integration is the use of technology resources in daily classroom practices and school management, such as computers, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, digital cameras, social media platforms and networks, software applications, and the Internet.

How do you Integrate Technology as a Teacher?

There are several ways to integrate technology into classroom to enhance learning:

• Gamified learning
• Digital field trips 
• Integrate social media
• Gather student feedback 
• Creating digital content
• Using a shared, online classroom calendar
• Incorporate video and multimedia into lessons and presentations
• Online activities for students who finish work early 

How to Integrate Technology in the Classroom? 

Although it is a popular misperception that integrating technology into the classroom might be costly for school systems, children do not need their own tablets or laptops to be successful with technology. Auditory and visual learners can benefit from the use of technology during whole-class instruction.

• Internet Home work  Assignment
• Classroom Tablets 
• PowerPoints and Games
• Online Grading System
• Listserv

Why Students Benefits From Using Technology in the classroom?

Technology integration in the classroom provides for more (and more successful) contact between students and teachers, as well as between students and peers, and between parents and teachers, all of which are critical to kids' academic achievement. Using technology in the classroom also allows students to have a say in their education. Students are given opportunity and support to learn and understand how to use technology creatively, effectively, and safely through providing feedback on lessons, participating in projects and learning activities that respect their individuality, and giving input on lessons.