Journal 8 Have You Tweeted Today? - NETS-T V

Fingal, D. (2009). Have you tweeted today? Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(2). Retrieved on October 20, 2009 from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=September_October_No_2_3&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4381&ContentID=24192&DirectListComboInd=D

Diana Fingal's response to John Ridley's commentary on the "faddishness" and vacuousness of social networking sites like Twitter points out useful applications of the medium for educators and administrators. Students and teachers can follow experts to get nearly instantaneous responses to questions or concerns from research experts they would otherwise have no contact with. Twitter can be used by educators as they are teaching in their classroom to clarify an issue or teaching strategy or to check in with a mentor teacher on how to switch gears as they are actually teaching a class. Constant collaboration is possible with Twitter, along with instantaneous feedback.

Educators attening conferences or workshops have found Twitter to be useful in determining worthwhile sessions to attend, and less interesting sessions to avoid. The advice at the end of the article is to give Twitter more than a weekend tryout before determining its usefulness to you. Use it with a class and as you are teaching a course to find ways that it can enhance communication in your classroom. And, yes, I have tweeted today.

Ridley, J. NPR Morning Edition, "Keep Your Tweets to Yourself": www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104033836

John Ridley boasts of never having used the faddish Twitter social networking site to issue a single tweet, or to waste his time with useless personal information from people he doesn't know or care about. He believes Facebook and Twitter raise serious issues about public disclosure of private and personal information.

I agree with him about the disclosure of too much personal information on Twitter and Facebook, but don't find these sites completely inane or totally useless, as John Ridley characterized them in his commentary. They do offer a quick means of communication between students and teachers, researchers and experts, colleagues in the work place, and even political candidates and their constituencies. While Facebook and Twitter may not be enduring entities that experience long life in the world of technology, they can be useful tools for communicating in today's technological society, and as such should not be so lightly dismissed. Several respondents to the commentary pointed out that these sites do have options for setting up varying levels of privacy and also for restricting public access, so that not "every" entry is broadcast for all to see.

Webblogged, "A Cocktail Party Filled with Educators" by Will Richardson: http://weblogg-ed.com/2009/a-cocktail-party-filled-with-educators

I think Will Richardson's analogy of a cocktail party is a strong one. He uses it to make the point that Twitter is an excellent means of following and learning from educational experts, receiving feedback on and thinking through complex ideas, and engaging in metacognition, thinking reflectively about the process of learning and all that implies. When he states it can also "establish yourself as a person. A real person," he goes one step too far for me to follow.

In speaking of the benefits of using Twitter, all of these educators emphasize the benefit of communicating with experts and people who are "smarter than you". Twitter is also an excellent forum for communicating with beginners who need help, people who are not technologically savvy and are trying simply to stay afloat in today's world of technology. I think this too is a very strong attribute of this social networking tool.

Why is Twitter important to today's educators?
For all the reasons outlined above, Twitter is important. Students are comfortable communicating with Twitter and do so on a regular basis. This important source of learning should not be overlooked in the classroom. For educators to stay abreast of technological advancements and current technology tools can help with lesson planning, maintaining records and open communication with parents, students, colleagues, administrators and community members. Once the learning curve has been established, I'm sure many creative strategies for using this technology will open up.

Where can a beginning techie start?
Start by signing up on a social networking site. Connect first with a family member or friend who already uses Twitter or Facebook. Ask or answer a simple question, and that's all there is to it. That's an easy way to keep in touch with someone and learn a new technology at the same time. One further benefit of Twitter is that the posts are very short. You can follow many different sites quickly and easily all in one place without having to open multiple emails. The first step is always the hardest, but you never know what exciting directions it will take you.