Going back to school, for both teachers and students, can be a nerve-wracking and difficult process. Students probably don’t know one another. Teachers don’t know the students. Everyone is just looking to carve out their own niche and perhaps make a few friends.
That’s the old way of doing things. There’s a new and better way to get students and teachers to engage with one another. Not surprisingly, it’s because of a new piece of social media!
How It Works
It’s called SCVNGR and it’s essentially an app that lets anyone set up scavenger hunts anywhere they want. For example, a teacher could set up a scavenger hunt around the school or even just the classroom. Students could form groups (as long as one person has a smart phone) and be asked to perform certain tasks at certain locations. For instance, you could have your students have their picture taken by a notable landmark at the school. Or you could have the students simply check-in at a location or even be asked to answer trivia questions. Here’s an example of what Harvard Law School is doing for its 2010 orientation. There are already a ton of schools taking advantage of the Foursquare-like technology because it’s free, easy to use, and helps students expand their circle of friends and acquaintances.
Would You Try It?
What do you think? Would your students like to do a phone-based scavenger hunt for orientation or perhaps the first day / week of school? It’s up to you (the creator of the hunt) to decide how it’s set up or if you want to offer incentives. If you don’t think it’s appropriate for the beginning of the school year, perhaps giving SCVNGR a try later in the year might be helpful. After all, it’s free, fun, and could be very helpful in helping students communicate as long as it’s done right.
Part 1 Of A Series
There are a host of other ways you can employ social media in school to help alleviate first day of school jitters and even accelerate learning. This post is just the first in a series that will help you incorporate social media into your first day of school no matter the grade level. Stay tuned!
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Yes I'd try it, but their series of sign-in screens sure makes it hard to find their helpful Builder Doc (which is full of inspiring ideas about how to build a good Trek). To save everyone else the time: https://docs.google.com/View?id=dgsvkbpn_29gtdztq…
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I like the idea of using tech from the very first day. However, I feel this is too chaotic for the first day. As you say in the first line, it's already "a nerve-wracking and difficult process." I think too many complications would arise.
I think perhaps a better use of technology is showing off your PLN, a slide show of the cool pics you uploaded on you Facebook page, giving a sneak peek of the amazing new websites you found during the summer, viewing an introductory movie you filmed of yourself, presenting a Powerpoint you made as an introductory to your class and yourself, etc.
If you had a lot of time with them you could set up each student with a blog and start writing.
Most importantly, I think you must have students writing and reading, and generally engaging in the type of work you expect them to be doing throughout the entire year. They must have the expectation they will be working every second they are in your classroom.
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