Blogging and Twittering
Teachers who are hesitant towards Twitter or Blogging are usually concerned about kids posting inappropriate content or the security of the content. However, if used properly these can be very useful in an educational environment. The utilities are just like anything else. I can remember decades ago, my teachers did not want televisions installed in classrooms because they said everything on TV was junk. In today's society, it is hard to find a classroom without a television or access to streaming video.
If a teacher moderates a blog, that teacher can provide a valid mechanism for students to communicate with the teacher and their classmates at any given time. Communication doesn't have to occur only during class. In a blog, threads are created where teachers can post a topic for discussion. Students can comment, much like a discussion board. The blogs also provide the teacher with the ability to act as a monitor and approve all posts before the comments get posted. This ensures that the the comments will be appropriate at all times. Collaboration on projects can be encouraged, students can learn from not only the teacher, but from each other.
Twitter is another method of communication teachers may want to embrace. While Twitter does not allow for the amount of collaboration a blog can, it does provide a great method to post announcements, updates, and quick communication out to the masses in an instant. I know of one soccer coach that communicates his entire practice schedule and game schedule through Twitter. He his team that it is the responsibility of the kids and the parents of the kids to have Twitter and check for Tweets. "The purpose of Twitter is to share information with the public" (Doctor 2012). Therefore, if a teacher uses Twitter for their students, it is important for the teacher to always remember that the information they put out there may be retweeted and possibly shared out to the masses. The teacher needs to be cautious because anyone who is following the teacher on Twitter will be able to read what gets posted, and that may not be just the students. Another downside of Twitter is that it is difficult to have two way communication. Twitter is more meant to serve as a method of posting and not two way communication. As long as the teacher is aware of the limitations and the risks, "No other communications channel can match its capacity for real-time, person-to-person broadcasting.” (Pogue 2009). Both blogging and Tweeting canbe an excellent method for teachers to engage with their students.
For this assignment I have chosen to follow EdTechTeacher21. This is the Twitter name for Ed Tech for Teacher which is a website that posts about all the different Ed Tech conferences that are going on across the country. I would like to be able to attend one of these in the future, so staying up to date with this site by receiving their tweets will help me to be able to know when I may be able to attend one of them.
References
Doctor, V. (2012) Twitter
For Beginners: Basic Guidelines Before You Start. Retrieved January 24, 2015,
from
Pogue, D. (2009) Twittering Tips for Beginners. Retrieved January 25, 2016, from http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/twittering-tips-for-beginners/?_r=0
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