1. Twitter
1.1. Twitter can be used in a number of capacities in education. The area in which I work in education is very much in the forefront of local, state, and national government focus. Especially with the shift in how public schools are funded. Laws are literally changing daily. Legislation is passed and bills are discussed on an ongoing basis. Twitter is the best way for me to stay abreast of changes to how we instruct and provide services to homeless and foster children.
1.1.1. #Fostercare, #CDE, and #Homelessyouth are frequent networks I am a part of on Twitter that help me to find and share information on educating and improving outcomes for children who find themselves in these situations. This is a wonderful tool to connect with other professionals on these topics. I also connect with my Connections Mentors through Twitter to exchange articles and information.
2. Flipboard
2.1. Flipboard is one of my favorite applications to use. The app organizes relative information to match topics of the user's interest. Current news stories, articles, and publications are updated continually. The user simply populates the categories and chooses items they want to see in their Flipboard. Once the personalized Flipboard is completed, the user can engage with the information generated. The user can comment about various feeds and websites. This is a wonderful source for inquiry and discovery.
2.1.1. It feels as though there are an endless amount of categories one can choose from when searching and generating a Flipboard. I have shared information found on Flipboard with colleagues. Flipboard curates of publications of a related topic for you. All you have to do is flip!
3. YouTube
3.1. YouTube is my go-to source for short and informative video and video demonstrations. I typically engage with YouTube as a consumer to embed in presentations but also for my own learning as well. At times, hearing and watching a lecture supports my learning of a new concept.
3.1.1. Some of my favorite YouTube channels are John Hopkins Urban Health Institute series, The ChildTrauma Academy, and BuildOn.
4. TEDx Talks
4.1. Similar to YouTube, TEDx Talks features lecturers on a plethora of topics. Tedx Talks allows for anyone to watch and engage in the global community of information and learning. Innovation, exploration, discovery, and the generation of ideas and perspectives tend to be the main focus of most talks. Usually TEDx Talks revolve around two notions. One, the Talk may be about something completely new, something no one has heard about or second, the topic may be familiar to the audience but a new perspective may be proposed or introduced.
4.1.1. There are various types of TEDx Talks but the type I mostly engage with is the "issues" talk. These talks tend to involve a particular social issue. Childhood poverty and educating trauma exposed children are Talks I have most recently watched. I share these Talks with my Connections Mentors during staff development trainings.
5. Pinterest
5.1. Pinterest is a tool to help inspire and organize these inspiration all in one place. For educators, this is a fabulous way to quickly find an idea or resource and 'pin' it to your designated board. Pinterest can be used to collaborate with others. By sharing boards with your colleagues, you can share in ideas and even add their ideas to your own board. The format is a bulletinboard type of configuration. A person engages with the pin by 'liking' it or repining to their own board.
5.1.1. When I was a School Psychologist, I frequently used Pinterest for ideas on techniques to use with children who experience depression and anxiety at school. There are websites that are oftentimes attached where one can purchase items like sensory toys. In my current position, Pinterest helps me to connect with resources on childhood issues related to homelessness and abuse. There are simple graphics on how poverty and trauma impact brain development and book resources and even where to purchase them. I have a network of collaborative partners from different school districts and counties throughout the state who share their Pinterest boards with me. This has been a wonderful and quick collaboration tool.