As technology is becoming integrated into classrooms more and more everyday, the way in which we use this integrated technology is vastly evolving. Instead of using computers to type up written work, we are using them to research information and communicate with others halfway across the world. Its mind-blowing! As I've been researching various educational outlets, I've noticed another exciting change - Twitter. For those of you that haven't become avid tweeters, Twitter is an online social media platform that allows you stay connected with others. It allows you to post small messages of 140 characters, and post them for the world to see - almost like a smaller version of Facebook. To learn more about Twitter and how it works, visit www.twitter.com.
So why Twitter? Oddly enough, Twitter has been utilized in the classroom to stay connected with one another, as well as to stay connected with the world around us. But how? Well, Twitter can be used in many different ways while in the classroom. These ways include (but are not limited to):
So why Twitter? Oddly enough, Twitter has been utilized in the classroom to stay connected with one another, as well as to stay connected with the world around us. But how? Well, Twitter can be used in many different ways while in the classroom. These ways include (but are not limited to):
- Enhancing the Student Teacher Relationship: some teachers like to use Twitter in the classroom to stay connected with their students. As technology and social media is all the rage right now, utilizing this within your classroom can allow students to apply their personal interest and prior knowledge to their learning.
- A Way to Stay Informed: some classrooms create a class Twitter account and follow various news outlets, allowing them to stay informed on the current events of the world (eg. National Geographic, CTV News, etc.) This allows then to gather information about the world and what is happening in the media today.
- Connect With Other Students and Educators: some classrooms create a class Twitter account to showcase the activities and lessons they have been learning - this is a great way to stay connected with other educational programs to expand the students learning and to gather new ideas.