This week I have officially stepped into the Tweeting world! Out of all the tools I have thus far learned about, this was the one I saw as having the least promise for being useful to an educator. Those I knew who used twitter focused on keeping up with their favorite movie star or music entertainer. Worse yet were those who simply tweeted updates on what they ate for breakfast or other mundane information.
Although I am just getting my feet wet, I now see several positive benefits of using the tool for educators. Used in conjunction with the twitter4teachers website, I am suddenly connected to a large group of teachers to share ideas with, ask questions, and discuss information I feel is important. In reviewing what teachers are doing on Twitter I found a few who used the site as a means of communication with students and parents. Others used the site to inform followers when there was a new update to their website or blog. One person used the site to find another classroom to connect with for a project. The most promising use I feel were those who asked for help or advise....and received it!
There is a short slide show from a Canadian educator on the uses of Twitter in the classroom. She even lists a few educators she feels are worth following. One of the items from the slide show that stuck in my mind is you can always unfollow someone if you find you do not like their tweets. Keeping this in mind I chose a few handfuls of individuals to follow.
Like with anything, good things take time. Right now my twitter network is small, but with some time and effort I can foresee the investment being worthwhile.
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I think what you talk about with trial and error with Twitter is going to be a big part of figuring out who is worth following and who is going to talk about their breakfast choices. I am still trying to find other teachers that can help me connect to expand my network. I believe this is going to take some time. I also agree with what you said about this seems to have the least educational value to me. I see how it can help but I don't feel comfortable with it so far.
ReplyDeleteI was a little skeptical about using twitter like you. I always thought it was used to keep up with celebrities etc. I never new how useful twitter could really be. Following different educators especially ones in your content area is really helpful. You can easily bounce ideas off of them and get many great ideas from them. Thanks to a tweet by heatherie73 I am going to be using a website from her tweet in my classroom. I now see how great of a tool this can be if you use it to your advantage. I am so glad that I signed up for a twitter account and look forward to continually use it.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your reflection! You are understanding Twitter already......and you listed some great ways other teachers are using Twitter.
ReplyDeleteVal,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the sideshow. I found it really useful, and could see using it at a staff meeting or using it for a professional development opportunity. It summarized Twitter and its uses, and makes it easy for someone to explain how to use Twitter in the classroom. I agree with you that it will take a while to form a network on Twitter and find people that are "worth" following.