Ah, Twitter. 280 possibilities to express what's on your mind. (Note: This is new. The limit used to be 140.) Except for when someone takes 10 "posts" to express their long rambling thoughts. Um - Hello! That's not what Twitter is meant to do! Get on Facebook, Instagram, or - hey, I don't know - BLOG about it!
I've actually been on Twitter (meaning, I created an account) since 2015. I never really embraced its use. I'm still not sure that what I'm doing now would be considered an "embrace" of Twitter either. However, last summer, I began using Twitter on a more regular basis after attending a Scholastic Reading Summit. I wanted to be able to follow some of the authors I met and learned from and this was the best way to do that. Subsequently, I jump on Twitter once or twice a week. Since the authors are basically the only ones I follow it's not a long feed to scroll through to see if I've missed anything interesting. I appreciate those who keep their political opinions to themselves but am quickly coming to realize that many people use Twitter as a platform to express their immediate DISpleasure with whatever current event is happening. I'd love to have positive conversations and suggestions be the norm instead of a constant stream of complaints.
All that aside, I've been on Twitter more often in the past week with this assignment, especially looking at what the other classmates are posting. There are quite a few great pointers for new technology and possibilities for e-tools that can be used in the current plight we all are experiencing. This is really the best way that I see Twitter being used for me personally as pertains to education. I work at an elementary school - grades PK-5. Very few of our students have phones, and those who do are supposed to leave them in their lockers/backpacks. Additionally, I'm fairly certain the age limit on Twitter does not extend to elementary age children. (A quick search shows that one should be 13 to sign up for Twitter. That's between the Twitter authorities and parental supervision, I suppose!) That being the case, as far as my use for Twitter in education, I can see a great use for networking and gaining ideas. If I worked at the high school level, I could use Twitter as a message board for students through a library-based account. I could garner feedback about subjects the students would like to research or books they'd like to read. There are lots of options as an e-tool at the upper level. At the lower grade levels though, Twitter really remains a resource for ideas between educators.
I've actually been on Twitter (meaning, I created an account) since 2015. I never really embraced its use. I'm still not sure that what I'm doing now would be considered an "embrace" of Twitter either. However, last summer, I began using Twitter on a more regular basis after attending a Scholastic Reading Summit. I wanted to be able to follow some of the authors I met and learned from and this was the best way to do that. Subsequently, I jump on Twitter once or twice a week. Since the authors are basically the only ones I follow it's not a long feed to scroll through to see if I've missed anything interesting. I appreciate those who keep their political opinions to themselves but am quickly coming to realize that many people use Twitter as a platform to express their immediate DISpleasure with whatever current event is happening. I'd love to have positive conversations and suggestions be the norm instead of a constant stream of complaints.
All that aside, I've been on Twitter more often in the past week with this assignment, especially looking at what the other classmates are posting. There are quite a few great pointers for new technology and possibilities for e-tools that can be used in the current plight we all are experiencing. This is really the best way that I see Twitter being used for me personally as pertains to education. I work at an elementary school - grades PK-5. Very few of our students have phones, and those who do are supposed to leave them in their lockers/backpacks. Additionally, I'm fairly certain the age limit on Twitter does not extend to elementary age children. (A quick search shows that one should be 13 to sign up for Twitter. That's between the Twitter authorities and parental supervision, I suppose!) That being the case, as far as my use for Twitter in education, I can see a great use for networking and gaining ideas. If I worked at the high school level, I could use Twitter as a message board for students through a library-based account. I could garner feedback about subjects the students would like to research or books they'd like to read. There are lots of options as an e-tool at the upper level. At the lower grade levels though, Twitter really remains a resource for ideas between educators.
Comments
Post a Comment