7/16/14: THANK YOU JON

This is my last mandatory entry for this summer’s COTL5. I am not sure if I will keep on writing after this but if I do not, I want to thank all the readers and followers for taking the time to read my blogs this month.

I would like to wrap up with a few ideas on how to use social media in Geology classes and what I might try next. Before that though, I owe Jon a HUGE thank you for making me doing this in the first place.

For the last few months, myself and a few colleagues at MPC have been learning the basics of online teaching and how to use (or not to misuse) the available current tools. I have been using USGS Twitter feeds in my Moodle website for when we talk about earthquakes, have used live feed/skype from NASA to see in class the launching of rockets or real time offshore research operations, and have online weekly journals where the students have to research and update geological information in a state of their choosing. That is as crazy as I have gotten..

I would like to add some type of ‘controlled’ geological blog, or maybe a geo-wiki, which will give my students more freedom but it is something I have to think carefully as I can foresee a few problems re: privacy. I would also like to have all my students following (Twitter) USGS, NOAAA, maybe NASA, so they are all updated with the latest events. In a regular class, only half of my students have the technology for that so this is something that will have to wait.

Lots of great ideas and looking forward to the future with social media!