Twitter in a classroom.

After reading several articles on what people think about “twitter.” I got a better understanding of how this social network works. In the article How Twitter Creates a Social Sixth Sense by Clive Thompson he talks about the fact that twitter gives people the chance to get to know others just by reading their daily posts on what they are doing. He goes on by saying “monitoring the lives of total strangers is fun.” I guess in a way it gives you a better perspective of who your friends are, and what they are doing; people “begin to develop an almost telepathic awareness of the people most important to them.” I also got a chance to read articles on how educators can use this site to have students post links, questions and a chance to interact with other students. “This is a way to create a community of kids who then will write the longer pieces [like blog posts] for each other,” states Kati Ash in her article Educators test the Limits of Twitter Microblogging tool. In her article she explains how many teachers around the nation believe that twitter is constantly showing them new tools and better ways of doing things using technology. I personally believe that there exist a million ways educators could use twitter in their classroom. For example I would have my students communicate their reactions to the material we are studying in class, have them write updates on what they did during their weekend, share their thoughts on specific books or topics, share personal stories, as well as their studying techniques. I would also give the students the opportunity to get to know their classmates on a personal level as well as other kids around the nation (pen-pals). After reading several suggestions on how twitter could be incorporated in a classroom setting, I can’t wait to put their ideas into practice and see how well my kids could adjust to this network and make a good use of it.

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/magazine/15-07/st_thompson
http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2008/06/24/01twitter_web.h02.html

Reaction to tweets

Well I recently signed up for my twitter account, and so far I find it very similar to the social network of “facebook.” As I was searching around for people that I would share similar interests and ideas I came across very unique individuals. I notice that people post all sorts of “tweets,” some of which are very interesting and helpful and others not so much. People talk about absolutely everything, their careers, daily life routines, questions they might have, personal problems, etc. At first it was a little difficult to try to find people that use this social network for educational reasons, but I think I am getting the hang of it. I have actually found very interesting educators and I love reading their new posts and read what they have to say about certain topics that interest me. Can’t wait to continue searching and getting to know more people and learn something new from their “tweets”!!

RSS Feeds

After reading chapter five I learned a little bit more about what RSS Feeds are and how they serve as a great way to have access to new ideas and have access to useful information. I completely agree with the author when he states that “RSS is a technology that will change your life.” Well when I was searching for educational blogs, I found one that I really enjoyed and it definitely caught my attention. The blog talked about a technology teacher whose current job is to support other educators integrate technology in their classrooms, and promote “universal design for learning.” Most topics in her blog talked about technology, education, mission statements, and diverse instructions. The blog also offered a wide variety of resources, reading lists, and her favorite sites. I noticed that she also constantly posts new things she has learned from her own personal experience as well as what she has learned from co-workers and different workshops she has attended…well if you are interesting in checking out her blog, here it is, hope you enjoy it as much as i did.

http://www.bethknittle.net/WP_Blog/