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Hashtags in the Classroom


I have recently been toying with ideas on how to incorporate social media in the classroom. My students spend a enormous amount of time using social media. My dilemma is how to use that to my advantage. 

A couple of this week's readings dealt with the practical side of using tagging in the classroom. Before reading this article, I didn't think about "teaching" learners how to use tags. I also never really thought about teaching students the rules for tagging. I didn't even think about the fact that there are dictionaries dedicated to hashtags.

As I continue to craft a social media plan for my class this week's readings left me with a few topics to ponder. 

  1. What social media skills/ideas do I need to teach explicitly?
  2. How will I communicate shared ideas like commonly used hashtags?
  3. How will I control the chaos?
  4. How will I make sure my kids are practicing good online etiquette?
  5. What are some common mistakes/pitfalls that I need address? (The article discussed misspelled hashtags which will definitely be an issue in middle school)
Help me out. What are some other ideas that you think I need to ponder?  

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