Do Twits have a place in the classroom?

Twitter is a hugely popular blogging site that has exploded onto the social scene. In my own personal life, I have used Twitter for some months to stalk celebrities and update "friends" on the mundane life of a graduate student. Is Twitter just for Justin Bieber though? Can Twitter be used in an educational context? According to some, the answer is yes. Many argue that social learning is most effective for students of this day and age. According to Social Learning: An Explanation Using Twitter, "social learning is about sharing thoughts, experiences, ideas, and more." Twitter makes this sharing very accessible and easy. One can tweet reactions, ideas, responses, links to media, and do all this while staying connected to friends, colleagues, and others who share the same interests. And the best feature of Twitter, according to some, it DOES NOT require a response from those using it. According to Claire Caine Miller, "The truth is, you don't have to post a message to get the most out of Twitter" (Getting the most out of Twitter, No Posting Necessary). By this, the author means that Twitter offers users a way of engaging with a literacy of their interest and the discussions of the moment from their virtual space. Twitter for some can be a seperate RSS feed to follow and "listen" to those who share the same interests and/or hobbies as you. A user can also create personal lists that represent his or her personal interests, whether personal or professional. Twitter offers a limitless amount of opportunities to get in touch and engage with those around you.

So what does this all mean for teachers? It's increasinly likely that the students who sit in our classrooms daily have a Twitter account. Can these be tools for teaching, alongside their tweets of "I <3 U, RPattz?". This user says yes, but with caveats. To quote a fellow educator and Twitter enthusiast, "Adopting a situated learning perspective, I have come to believe that the true power of Twitter and other social networking tools lies in their potential to extend learning beyond the boundaries of the classroom community" (Twitter, Social Networking, and Communities of Practice). I think the power of Twitter is reflected in it's ability to cut across boundaries and give students opportunities to interact and engage with information and people they might not otherwise have had access to. Another feature I am particularly fond of is this idea of 140 characters or less. Students are forced to summarize and reflect on only the most important points. This is a skill that will prove priceless in years to come.

As for my own teaching, I could see Twitter as a part of my daily routine. Students could post brief summaries of the class discussion or reactions to an article posted for homework. These summaries and reactions could be assessments or checkpoints of learning. Students can also interact with eachother and others in the community. They could create "Historical Twitters" and tweet as if they were George Washington or a student in the midst of 1960's protests. As with many other technological resources, there are security and privacy risks. Teachers must always be aware of this in creating assignments. Explicitly explaining classroom and district wide internet policies is a must, and making sure teachers have access to passwords and accounts is another useful precaution.

I think Twitter definitely has a place in the classroom, if it's meaningful. In my experiences with students thus far, if they are bombarded with technology or are forced to use it without a meaningful connection, the engagement is as low as it would be in a traditional lecture. Students need to have reasons for using such technology, and not just be asked to use it for the sake of using it. If Twitter is used right, I think it could change the way our students think.

To Schrute or Not to Schrute

The key to motivation is often elusive to teachers. Trying to find engaging and exciting ways to present materials, while still adhering to standards and teaching students the material necessary is challenging. Cool Cat Teacher Blog tries to tackle this question in a unique format. Her post entitled Why Aren't they Motivated? Does Looking at Dwight Schrute Give us the Answer? discusses the traditional role teachers play in trying to motivate students. She references a friends video featuring the ideas of Alfie Kohn, who discusses that disengaging tasks and meaningless reward systems create a system of failure for teachers who try and engage students. I think this is a really humorous look at a struggle teacher's face daily. In highlighting this post, I wanted to bring the most attention to how this could apply to professional development. Teachers and professionals often complain that professonial development is not engaging and this offers a look into how workshops can be more humorous and attractive for teachers. Personally, the post had me at Dwight Schrute and I think that most teachers would agree!