I hope this post will be a handy reference guide, especially for those teachers new to social media technologies and how to integrate them into the classroom. This resource is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good starting point for finding the information and people that will help you make the transition into a ’21st century learning environment’. I intend for this to be a wikipost (I will update resources as they are shared with me by others), so feel free to bookmark the page and check in periodically for new material. Enjoy.

Articles for Understanding the Importance of Social Media in Education

• Building 21st Century Skills
• Web 2.0 is the Future of Education
• Why Education Needs Social Media
• How Social Networking Will Transform Learning
• What Role Should Social Media Play in Education?
• 100+ examples of the use of social media in learning

Some Basics

• Social Media Reading List
• The How-to Series
• A Teacher’s Guide to Twitter
• Google Tools for School

Videos Explaining the Social Media ‘Revolution’

Social Media Revolution

Did You Know 4.0

The Machine is Us/ing Us

A Vision of Students Today

Frameworks

• Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century (PDF)
• Toward a New Learning Ecology (PDF)
• P21 Framework (PDF)

Tools

• Web 2.0 Productivity Tools
• Social Media tools by Social Media Classroom
• 100 Helpful Web Tools for Every Kind of Learner
• Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009
• 10 Tools for 2010
• 20 Online Tools to Make Learning Fun
• A Complete Guide to Google Wave
• Twitter Help for Educators
• 9 Resources for Website Evaluation Lessons
• 12 Essentials for Technology Integration
• Interactive Media Resources
• E-learning and Web 2.0 tools for schools

Blogs to Follow

 

• Free Technology for Teachers
• Social Media CoLab blog
• The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom
• education + tech
• Edutopia
• The Technorate Teacher
• Constructing Meaning
• Steve Hargadon’s blog
• Derek’s blog
• Once a teacher…
• Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology
• scmorgan
• more education/technology blogs worth reading
• Top 50 education blogs based on engagement
• Educational Technology Guy
• The Innovative Educator

Wikis

 

• Twitter for Education
• Hans Mundahl’s wiki
• Social Technology in Education Lesson Plans wiki
• The Innovative Educator

Tips for Building your Network & Connecting with Teachers

 

• Seven Ways to Find Teachers on Twitter
• Twitter4Teachers Wiki
• 10 Places for Teachers to Collaborate and Communicate Online

Social Networks for Educators

• Classroom 2.0 (over 34,000 members!)
• K-12 Open Source Community – free, open source software for teachers
• Conversations.net – live interviews on the impact of social media on society & culture
• Worldbuilder – A Social Media Education Community
• New Media Literacies Community Site – discussing how to equip young people w/social skills & cultural competencies in the 21st century
• Discovery Educator Network – global community of educators focused on digital media literacy
• PBS Teachers Connect – discussions & free classroom resources
• Google teacher community – discussions & resources
• The Innovative Educator – connecting educators passionate about educating innovatively
• LearnCentral – connecting educators & resource sharing
• The Future of Education – charting the course of teaching & learning in a networked world

Organizations & Resources

• Socialbrite Sharing Center – comprehensive resource; tools, best practices, law
• Social Media Classroom – free & open source social media resouces
• Open Culture ‘the best free cultural & educational media on the web’
• Project New Media Literacies – research initiative based at USC; learning library & strategy guides
• Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies – Jane Hart’s site, packed with resources
• Project Look Sharp – media literacy initiative at Ithaca College; Curriculum Kits & Lessons
• Partnership for 21st Century Skills – organization infusing 21st century skills into education
• DMLcentral – digital media and learning: the power of participation
• futurelab – innovation in education
• Knowing Knowledge – theoretical views of knowledge and learning
• Social Media Club – a network focused on expanding media literacy
• Teaching Strategies – from Designing Effective and Innovative Courses
• PBS Teachers – preK-12 educational resources
• Tech & Learning – Ideas and tools for ed tech leaders

Further Linking

• Howard Rheingold’s Educational Technology bookmarks
• Steven Anderson’s bookmarks
• Susan Morgan’s bookmarks
• Milton Ramirez’s bookmarks
• New Media Literacies bookmarks

 

On Twitter – tech-savvy educators to connect with

@web20classroom – Steven W. Anderson; technology educator
@hrheingold – Howard Rheingold; prolific author & educator
@rmbyrne – Richard Byrne; teacher & educational technology blogger
@tonnet – Milton Ramirez; educator, blogger
@edutopia – info for what works in public education
@TipsForTeachers – Joel Heffner; instructional tech for teachers
@frankiesuther – KSU student; education technology
@Twilliamson15 – Todd Williamson; science teacher, tech junkie
@hmundahl – Hans Mundahl; educator; experiential learning & technology
@21stcentskills – Shawn Kimball; student-centered technology integration specialist
@akamrt – Gregory Thompson; progressive educator, EdTech blogger
@carl_young – Carl Young; English educator at NC State
@halavais – Alex Halavais; associate professor in interactive communications
@stevehargadon – Steve Hargadon; educational technologist
@c4lpt – Jane Hart; social learning consultant
@kate__k – Karen Schweitzer; former teacher, MIT grad, working for an education startup
@scmorgan – Susan Morgan; teacher; educational technologist
@daveandcori – David Andrade; physics teacher; educational technologist
@cliotech – Jennifer Dorman; Account Mgr for Discovery Educator Network; adjunct prof
@InnovativeEdu – Lisa Nielsen; mgr in Office of Instructional Technology, NYC DOE
@cmalamed – Connie Malamed; author & eLearning specialist, Information & Visual Designer

you can also follow this list, made by @ShellTerrell, and connect with over 300 educators worldwide

Live Chat on Twitter

#edchat – every Tuesday Night from 7-8pm EST; to learn more click here

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Anyone aware of other good resources to provide teachers an entry point to social media, please let me know! I don’t want the list to get overwhelming, so simple, concise resources are best.

@venessamiemis