Eye on IT: Using Social Networking and Social Media – Practical Ideas for Teaching and Learning

In this podcast, Ewan McIntosh, a teacher and speaker regarded as one of Europe’s foremost experts in digital media for public services, tells us how social networking can help teachers share knowledge and best practices in the use of technology in the classroom. He also explains how synergies created by online social interaction can contribute to student engagement and success.

Excerpts from the interview:

“Some very compelling research shows that youngsters who have healthy online social lives also tend to have much healthier offline social lives than those who chose not to engage in social networking.”

“Given the right media literacy of the individual concerned, social media can provide youngsters a really interesting space to share writing, to share thoughts, to reflect on quite serious issues, and to reflect on aspects of life.“

If you liked the podcast, you can also check out these links:

• Ewan McIntosh’s New Tech in Practice Bookmarks (You can create an account in Del.icio.us, a free social bookmarking web service, to store, share, and discover bookmarks from other people);
• Follow Ewan on Twitter;
• Edubuzz.org Learning Network for teachers, parents and students;
• Ewan’s My Canada Teachers on Twitter;
• Ewan’s Blog, Education Keynotes and Masterclasses.

You can reach Ewan McIntosh by email at ewan(at)ewanmcintosh.com.

To produce this podcast, Ewan McIntosh was called in Edimburgh, Scotland. Skype, a software application computer to computer (no long distance fees), was used and the call was recorded with CallGraph (free recorder). The podcast was edited in Audacity (free audio editor).