Students Using Social Media to Become Online Influencers

Flexible seating helps students wiggle while they work

Megan Raposa | Argus Leader | Twitter

Students in Sheremy Haas’ classroom don’t work in rows of desks with chairs. Many don’t sit in chairs at all.

The first-grade Harvey Dunn Elementary School teacher encourages choice in where her students sit. Some find cushions on the floor. Others sit on yoga balls or wobble chairs, hard plastic stools shaped like empty spools of thread that tip gently side to side and require both feet to stay firmly planted on the ground.

More teachers like Haas are moving away from traditional desks and chairs to offer a variety of what they call “flexible seating” options intended to help students find ways to wiggle while they work, as Haas’ colleague second-grade teacher Kelly Allen said.

To read more visit Argus Leader

01/16/2017 | Syracuse, NY | NPR

Using Social Media, Students Aspire To Become ‘Influencers’

Corey Takahashi | NPR | Twitter

Syracuse University Professor Corey Takahashi offers his commentary on the challenge of teaching students who, instead of wanting to be writers or filmmakers, aspire to be online “influencers.”

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And some college professors are struggling to keep up with what their students already know. Corey Takahashi teaches multimedia storytelling at Syracuse University in New York, and he says that teaching has been as much a learning experience for him as for his students.

To read more visit NPR

Area university using social media for students, community to interact with president

Kayleigh Schmidt | KSFY | Twitter

In this day and age of social media, Northern State University is constantly looking for ways to interact with their students and the community alike.

Just recently, the university opened their Twitter interactions so anyone could ask questions to the new NSU President Timothy Downs. With a successful and diverse chat, the university is hoping for another chance to bring on the president or other staff into the mix.

“We want to make sure we’re engaging with them in as many ways as possible and that includes social media,” explains Justin Fraase, the new Director of Marketing and Communications.

To read more visit KSFY

01/16/2017 | Poway, CA | San Diego Tribune

Poway special ed teacher up for national award

Deborah Sullivan Brennan | San Diego Tribune | Twitter

Poway special education teacher Megan Gross is one of four finalists for National Teacher of the Year, an honor that could make her an ambassador for her profession, and an advocate for welcoming developmentally disabled students into mainstream classes.

On Monday, when the finalists were announced, Gross said she was shocked but thrilled.

“It’s really weird to get such an incredible award, but it’s also an opportunity,” she said.

To read more visit the San Diego Tribune

1. Big Think – Is Social Media Leading to Tired Students?
2. The New York Times – Generation X More Addicted to Social Media Than Millennials, Report Finds
3. The Washington Post – It takes more than social media to make a social movement