I've learned more about twitter than I ever thought I would. First, I didn't realize that I could use twitter on my smart phone. I seems to make sense now, and if I continue using it I will use it on my phone verses using it on the web. I didn't know that with twitter you had the option of replying publically or privately. I assumed it was like facebook everything except an inbox is viewed by all your friends or anyone if you don't set up your privacy manager. In the article from the New York Times entitled, Twittering Tips for Beginners, the author stated, "No other communication channel can match its capacity for real-time, person-to-person broadcasting." I think twitting could be used in the classroom if you were taking a pole or even asking a simple question. It would be a great way to get the students engaged in what ever you are teaching. I believe now after all I have learned that twittering could be a valuable resource to use in the classroom. One problem I see, at least at my school is our network blocks site like twitter. The networks I choose to follow on Twitter were New Scientist, National Geographic, and Discovery Channel US. I teach science and I love to read science facts to my students. This network has posted some pretty interesting facts and links to some great articles and I have only been using it for a day. I'll admit I would have never created an account if it wasn't a requirement for this assignment. I'm glad I took this class.
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/twittering-tips-for-beginners/
I also learned more about blogging also called collaborated communication then I ever thought I would. I love to write to express myself and the first thing I learned is that your blog can be seen by anyone who searches for your name. Because I am a teacher this was a little disheartening to me. I'm not saying I would post inappropriate material, but there are times I like to rant when I write. It's a way for me to vent. For now I'll keep those rants on my word journal. I learned that these collaborative communities, "are gaining a great deal of traction and are poised to enter mainstream use in primary and secondary education both as supplemental and as a primary classroom spaces." This was interesting to me I never thought of using blogs as a way to communicate with my students. I beleive now after all I learned about blogs that they could and will be a valuable classroom resource.
http://wp.nmc.org/horizon-k12-2010/chapters/collaborative-enviroments/
I also learned how to post a link to a blog so other people can follow articles or information your writing or commenting on.
I am with you - I learned a lot about twitter and blogging doing this project! What I once thought was non-sense (twitter) and a waste of time (blogs) has with this assignment become fun and interesting ways to communicate. My mind is spinning on how I can utilize these technologies not only for myself, but take suggestions back to the Career Center for viable ways for us to implement these communication tools into the classrooms.
ReplyDeleteHi Renee, I also learned more about Twitter than I ever thought and I ever thought I wanted to. I should clarify that last part so as not to invoke the ire of our professor. I was following the tragic events during the night of the execution of Troy Davis. While I was watching the real time video feed there were simultaneous tweets going on and I found them quite annoying because all the tweeters were saying the same thing I just heard and saw the reporter say! I am not a big fan of little bites - and bytes - of information because I feel that so much of it just so much fluff. That said, I am trying to change my attitude about Twitter. I do like your statement about engaging students and the fact is that students are more used to getting their information in these micromorsels of wisdom. While I do like the privacy settings, I will not use Twitter on a SmartPhone or indeed any type of phone. I spend enough time in virtual communication as it is and I prefer more substantive reading. That being said, your notion of using Twitter to conduct polls for instance strikes me as brilliant. I could well imagine a political science/civics teacher holding a mock election in their classrooms for instance since that is relevant in America.
ReplyDeleteBlogging however is a whole other ball game and I love it! I didn't want to cheat but I already do a lot of blogging but felt that just plastering existing blogs on here would not be in the spirit of the assignment. Like you, I like its collaborative approach and I chuckled when you commented that you were disheartened that you couldn't use blogging for ranting. Actually, since blogging is free you should set up a blog with an alias like Rantin' Renee and just rant with both barrels blazing!
I like the fact that blogging is poised to enter the mainstream. Learning is best done through collaboration and collaboration implies a Rogerian sense of understanding the perspectives of others. It is a stone soup approach whereby each chef brings a fun ingredient to the pot and the ensuing stew is hopefully a gourmet treat.