ATPE and the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) recently partnered to present a webinar for gifted and talented (GT) educators called “Using Social Media and New Technology to Enhance Learning for Gifted and Advanced Students.” The Dec. 1 webinar was moderated by Ian Byrd, who teaches GT fifth graders in California and writes Byrdseed Gifted, a blog filled with ideas for GT education.

Byrd created the webinar with the beliefs that teaching GT students is a challenging vocation and that social media and new technology are “modern-day Muses” that can inspire deeper, more engaging GT lessons and teaching techniques.

During the presentation, Byrd drew on his classroom experience and his background in computer science. He spoke about the most effective online tools for educators, including RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds and programs for researching, archiving and sharing news, research and classroom tips. Byrd also demonstrated how educators can use Twitter to build online discussion communities and exchange best practices with professionals. There's a Twitter hashtag for almost any topic in education. (For example, searching #GTChat and #edchat will bring up weekly Twitter discussions on topics in GT education.) In addition to being free and accessible, RSS feeds and Twitter are tools that save time and encourage collaboration and idea-sharing among educators and students in classrooms around the world.

In Texas, up to 20 percent of continuing professional education (CPE) credit can be earned through self-study with the use of resources like these.

Byrd also introduced Texas educators to the rapidly growing world of iTunes podcasts, which are free and convenient digital audio and video files covering an array of educational topics. iTunes’ podcast library gives educators access to an expansive archive of downloadable episodes, lectures and other programs, including a few of Byrd's own favorites: the Discovery Channel podcast, “Stuff You Should Know,” and the the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams podcast.

Software such as Instacast and Podcaster allow educators to design, record and share their own lessons in podcast form or produce podcasts with their students.

Byrd also recommended iTunes U as an independent study tool for advanced high school students. iTunes U allows students to virtually attend classroom lectures in prominent universities at no cost.

Please note: Educators should keep district and school guidelines and social media policies in mind when using many of these resources.

View an archived version

You can access an archived version of “Using Social Media and New Technology to Enhance Learning for Gifted and Advanced Students” http://eventcallregistration.com/reg/index.jsp?cid=25894t11 and other ATPE-sponsored webinars at www.atpe.org/Resources/ProfessionalDevelopment/ProfessionalDevelopment.aspx.