Pinterest, Twitter, & Facebook for the Genetics Teacher
For many teachers and students, a return to the classroom in August and September means a sudden decrease in screen time – whether your favorite device is a laptop or PC, a tablet, smart phone, or another mobile gadget. But you don’t need to go cold turkey: Many resources from Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code’s website are being posted regularly on social media sites! You and your students can browse ULC’s postings on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest – a quick and convenient way to keep up with new and creative teaching and learning materials related to genomics.
Facebook users can search for “Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code” or go directly to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/unlocklifescode/ Other Facebook sites refer to genomes, codes, and similar terms, but this is the one you want! Recent homepage postings feature Rosalind Franklin’s birthday, a link to “Tools for Teaching,” or to “Interactive Learning Tools for Teachers, Parents, and Students” – all immediately available on the ULC website. Stellar teaching and learning resources have been posted regularly to this Facebook page since early 2014!
Or maybe you like brevity – 280 or fewer characters are plenty for you! On www.twitter.com, Twitter fans can update their genomics info at “Genome @UnlockLifesCode.” Rosalind Franklin’s birthday and interactive learning tools are also noted here (more briefly, of course!). Tweets from ULC feature the Resource of the Month and re-tweet genetics topics covered by newspapers, universities, and such sources as “Discovery World,” and “Dr. Biology.” As one posting noted: “defining a gene can be complicated in a tweet.” However, even the briefest tweet may lead you to YouTube videos or sources with more time and space for complex topics.
If you prefer pinning to typing, you can visit our Pinterest boards now appearing on: https://www.pinterest.com/unlocklifescode/. The most popular board by a wide margin, “Recent Genomics News,” currently has pinned genomics media stories from sources as diverse as NPR, USA Today, Wired, BBC News, The Verge, and The New York Times (e.g., DNA might be used to spot bad beer or to thwart art forgers – who knew?!). On all of these social media, you can “follow” ULC or specific subtopics, getting regular notifications about new posts and tweets as soon as they appear!
ULC is using social media as another way to inform teachers about new and valuable instructional resources and supporting materials. Each approach has a unique advantage or appeal: Facebook’s strengths are sharing and community; Twitter’s brevity makes it faster and easier to stay current; and Pinterest has organized themes and attractive graphics. Through these platforms, teachers gain rapid and convenient access to ULC’s newly created materials as well as information from other websites and contributors.
About the Creators:
The social media posts associated with “Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code” are primarily generated by a team of creative ULC professionals at NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute. This group of experts communicates ULC content not only through the exhibition website but also through popular and user-friendly platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter, in order to enhance timely and easy communication with the teaching community.
Take a look at our Twitter tweets!
Check out or Pinterest boards!
Our Facebook page is here!