Tremendous Tools Incorporated With Social Media

     Last Wednesday in GEN 2243, my class and I learned about tools to integrate with social media platforms. One tool that stood out to me was IFTTT (If This Then That). IFTTT gives users control of the apps and products they love using "recipes". For example, I created a recipe that will send me a SMS whenever I am mentioned on Twitter. Another tool that I recommend is Paper.li. Paper.li is similar to an online newspaper that allows you collect and share content depending on your interests. With this tool, I created "The Education Daily", which focuses on Education based content. Definitely check it out!

     Chapter 4 of Untangling the Web focuses on social networking tools as a whole. Social media has become an extremely valuable tool that students will continue to rely on in their futures. Also, using social media is an important part of providing the best education to students today. Although face to face interaction is beneficial, interacting virtually also enhances their ability to collaborate. One social tool recommended in UTW is TodaysMeet. TodaysMeet allows a teacher to create a private back channel that can be used as a collaborative means for discussing and documenting classroom interactions. Skype in the classroom is also a wonderful tool to use in the classroom. It allows teachers to find other experts/ educators who want to share information and vice versa. Edmodo, which is one of the first social networks designed exclusively for schools, incorporates the concept of learning management systems and social interactions. One last social media tool that many of us know of is Twitter. Twitter is amazing in the classroom because of its quick ability to share small bits of information and share that information with others.

     Many of us may not have the time to create our own recipes. However, using the "35 Super Useful IFTTT Recipes You Might Not Know" article, there are a list of 35 recipes that are already pre-made for your convenience. If you are tagged in a photo on Facebook and want that image immediately sent to your Dropbox, there is a recipe to do that. There are also pre-made recipes for weather. For example, there is a recipe that sends you a text whenever the weather changes to a certain condition. There are also recipes created just for fun. There is even a recipe that emails you when a new title is added to Netflix. One personal recipe that I love involves tracking the days when I go to the gym. This IFTTT recipe simply involves sending a text to IFTTT and a row is added to a spreadsheet.

     If you are a teacher, you should definitely consider using Pinterest in your classroom. Here are some reasons why. If you are unfamiliar with what Pinterest is, think of it as a bulletin board of pictures. Pinterest will allow you to find lesson plans and ideas for any subject. Also, if you are thinking of new ways to decorate and organize your classroom, Pinterest has pins for that too. If you are a student, Pinterest is also useful for you too. With Pinterest, you can find healthy lunch and snack recipes to eat at school. One powerful property of Pinterest is that it allows teachers to share ideas with each other. This is perfect for teachers who want to try something out of their comfort zone.

     If you are considering creating an About.Me page but aren't sure what should be included, here is a guide that you may want to look at. Your page should focus on who you are and what you want to do for your page visitors. Also, your photo is the first thing your visitors will see, so make sure it truly captures your personality and looks professional. You should also think about highlighting great posts, which allows for cross-promotion. This will lead more people to the posts you're proud of.  Lastly, create an indented list for your "About Me" page on Google. An indented listing is when a second page from your website is listed directly under your main website on Google. This will definitely increase traffic on your site.