Tweet...Tweet...Tweet...

The world of micro-blogging, 140 characters or less… that is smaller than a text.  How can this tool possibly be useful within the classroom? Although I signed up for Twitter over two years ago, I rarely ever used it, simply because I felt like there was no purpose.  However, after reviewing how useful it can be as a resource and also as a classroom tool, I guess you can say I have seen the “twight”?

Micro-blogging allows for constant, quick interaction and feedback, live!  With the instant gratification sensation that students are constantly exposed to, Twitter is a great tool to feed this sensation.  Because Twitter is never closed, constantly being updated, commented on, replied to and refreshed, by millions of people around the world, someone is surely currently “tweeting” something that your students are passionate about. 

Making learning relevant by using a technology tool that they associate with socializing is essential in incorporating a successful learning environment.  In my future classroom I could see using Twitter for a variety of assignments.    Some of the ideas I found in this presentation really interested me. 

§  Anagram games: posting 5- 8 letters and seeing how many different words the students can create

§  An internet scavenger hunt, with findings posted through links on to Twitter.  This could be used for collecting information on a new topic, the findings could be shared and celebrated the next day in class to kick off a new unit. 

§  Tweeting chapter summaries.  Lets be realistic, we text about our lives in 160 characters or less on a daily basis, students will learn how to summarize chapters in 140 characters as well. 

§  Tweeting with the experts.  Being able to propose questions directly to an expert in the field is such a valuable resource and exciting experience for the students.

§  Creating a Twitter account for historical figures.  For example, George Washington could tweet about his wooden teeth and how it feels to be the first President. 

§  Students can create a Tweet Story.  Each student contributes one Tweet, 140 characters, collaborating in building an original class Tweet story.   

§  Finally, Teachers can post Tweets that need to be revised, students can offer what parts need to be revised and explain why. 

Twitter is also a great tool to develop an educator’s professional career as well.  The networks created within the Twitter community are great resources.  As this article explained, Twitter is like a more social RSS feed.  People are constantly posting new information that you can filter and read for knowledge, quickly.  Twitter has many filtering options similar to an RSS feed. 

Twitter has already made strides for educators and in the classroom with students.  I am just excited to implement the Twitterverse into my classroom and professional life for fast paced knowledge at my fingertips. 

And I also LOVE this! 

Mod6: RSS... Reading @ Super Speeds

When I cam across this blog post, I thought to myself "wow, this would have been very useful for my other grad class", and just as I finished thinking about how helpful it would be, I also realized that using this web site, and others like it would have lowered my grade.  Why? Well, the teacher was not as forward thinking as those tech savvy teachers we have been encountering during our blog searches and the teacher wanted everything on paper.  This assignment was stressful and boring, both for us creating it, and most likely for the teacher grading it.

The unit our group was creating was based on habitats which is exactly what this post is about.  Entitled, "Draw that Habitat", the admin of this blog did a fantastic job of explaining how teachers can use this tool, and also how to change its usage based on how many computers you have available, etc.  Check out this post here.  Like I said in my comment, I like that this tool incorporates a familiar character which most young students would have watched on their own TV during recreational times.  Incorporating a fun recreational character into the classroom and learning environment may led to a more enjoyable and meaningful learning experience for the student.  

As I continued reading ilearn technology I also realized that  this blog is great to have in my RSS.  This blog is a great idea generator for topics in the classroom.  ilearn technology basically spells it all out, which is a huge time saver, and its all on the web, which makes it fun for both teachers and students.  

I know RSS doesn't stand for Reading @ Super Speeds, but after learning more about why and how to use it, I think it is a proper re-name.  I am very excited about using my RSS feed to stay more informed on a very general level; news, technology, teaching, travel blogs and more.  But I like that I can read my RSS on a broad level, or only specific blogs.  The versatility of this tool is exciting and I think will help me as en educator stay educated and up to date.