Wow Week 5 and Twitter!

There was a lot of reading and viewing tutorials this week on Twitter and how it can enhance education.  Twitter for education?  This idea has challenged my assumptions about Twitter!  As with many people, I assumed Twitter was used to follow super sports stars and celebrities. Truly I thought people who used Twitter had a lot of time on their hands!

Twitter can be used to enhance learning, share ideas around the globe and harvest the best ideas.  I can find and follow people who come up with original ideas and are willing to share.  I can share my ideas.  I like to compare Twitter to texting...short burst of information, no longer than 140 characters long.  I like the analogy of Twitter as a river.  Blogger Kathleen Morris says you can just "lurk" and read tweets but she suggests "the more you put in, the more you get out".  For me this statement suggests as a tweeter, I need to collaborate and share with others to get the most out of this cool tool.  It does worry me though, that I may tweet something which has no relevance or my information is incorrect and I could embarrass myself in cyberspace.  Of course though this is part of the learning process!

Hamilton, C. (cc) 2008

Another good experience I have had with Twitter is the ability to follow people and  see who they are following.  This helps to build up my list of people who are interested in similar information.  I don't however need to find people who agree with my point of view.  To grow my own PLN, I think its important to find opposing views and  subject area specialists whose ideas can change the way I think. 

I think the capabilities of Twitter will help digital literacy.  I don't need to post a lot of information and I can quickly skim through the tweets. It won't close the digital divide we have where some people do not have access to the internet because of technology.  As I have posted previously in remote areas of Northern Ontario, the internet is not reliable as it relies on satellite and if the satellite is down then there is no internet.  Many people assume that everyone has access to a computer.  As Ribble (2015) says "...not everyone has the ability to use all the tools that this new digital society provides.  Because of socioeconomic status, disabilities, and physical location...these opportunities are not equally available..."(p.24).  But those with equal access I think will find the Twitter tool a great resource for learning.  I just needed to dismiss my own assumptions about Twitter and how it can be used in education.

Hamilton, C. (cc) 2010

Here's another thought about using Twitter and all other technology tools, reading!  I found this posting on the importance of reading and how to encourage it.  

One of questions asked this week is will I use Twitter to build my PLE?  Of all the tools I have discovered, I believe Twitter is a definite yes to add to my PLE.

Christine


Morris, K. (2015).  Using Twitter to Build Your PLN retrieved from http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/pln-challenge-3-using-twitter-to-build-your-pln/

 Ribble, M. (2015).  Digital Citizenship in Schools 3rd edition.  Oregon:  ISTE