Twitter a Strong Tool for Learners and Teachers Alike

 Twitter can be a useful tool for teacher development as well as teachers reaching students in new and creative ways. Twitter serves as a valuable microblogging tool that almost all young students are familiar with, as a result it would not require any extra time to teach the students how to use this free service. The article Teaching With Twitter provide many examples of professional development as well as examples of fun ways to make tweeting a part of the classes' assignments. some examples included how while attending conferences teachers can have discussions in the audience before the speaker ever finishes his discussion. The article suggested a fun activity like having students tweet while in character from a book or an important person from history.

The second article How Twitter Can Be Used as a Powerful Educational Tool provided more examples of actual scenarios in which teachers have taken advantage of this new tool. To me the most profound example given was the connection made between the teacher and the Egyptian citizen, it lead to a cultural exchange between his school and someone living through a revolution.

These articles give some great ideas on how to use twitter for professional development, but for me I think my favorite way is using twitterchats to make connections with educational professionals from all over the world. While I find it a crazy fast paced discussion I think with time and experience using this tool it's possibilities are endless for new teachers. For classroom uses I enjoyed the examples given in the How Twitter Can Be Used as a Powerful Educational Tool article, my favorite being the example of the math teacher at the baseball game. I thought this example encompassed a really creative way to reach her students at the same time it allowed her to see how excited her students were to use twitter in this way. For me I see use in the future of any tool that can allow me to connect with experienced educators and allows me make a better connection with my students.

Twitterchat a Crazy Fast Paced Conversation

I followed the #ELTchat on twitter at ELTchat the experince was new for me and it was crazy fast and at times hard to keep up. For me I think this will be a valuable tool because while you are there people are willing to help you understand the topic they are discussing if you are ever confused. I believe after i get used to it, I will greatly enjoy this tool. I think the access to education professionals from all over the world with different levels experience trying out new ideas they suggest can make them a valuable resource.

The chat I followed was discussing students taking responsibility for their own learning. The conversation started with a discussion about autonomy for the students and evolved to using peer review strategies and the students comfort level with them. At which point their was suggestions on how to make it more anonymous. The conversation was constantly evolving and at times hard to keep up with but the community was very familiar with each other which makes for intense conversations.