Why Use Twitter?

As a mother of 3 and full time teacher - getting regular work done, on top of being a "mom" can be tricky. After reading, The Beginner’s Guide To Twitter, I feel more motivated now to explore using Twitter this summer! It seems that during the school year, it gets to be hard to juggle time for professional growth. Here are just a few reasons in a nut shell...

Because the social media tool will let you grow your personal learning network into a worldwide force able to mold your lessons and classroom projects into efficient uses of time that enhance learning for your students. Simply put, you’ll get more ideas on how to teach XYZ subject, how to deliver exit slips, how to meet other teachers with similar interests, how to get the most out of your next professional development, and much more.

This I have already been doing on a novice level. I interact with just a few educators that help me tear down my walls and speak to experts around the world. By using Twitter, we can set up meetings and share neat content!

Twitter has blossomed into a social media tool that lets parents keep tabs on just about anyone and anything. That means it’s pretty easy for parents to see what their children are tweeting from school, who they’re having conversations with, and what they’re thinking about. In this age of over-sharing online, the openness of Twitter is a good thing for parents.

I haven't yet had the opportunity to explore this with my personal children, but I have noticed a huge trend in the number of adolescent aged children - young adults using this platform more than Facebook. I do follow my nieces and some of cousins - who all happened to be up North. So, I am wondering if this is more of a Northern trend...

But where Twitter really shines is connecting students with the outside world. They’re given a chance to collaborate and learn online from the comfort of their own smartphone.

"Visual" from Pinterest

For younger students, there are better, more controlled tools out there that connect students in a safer manner. (Edmodo, Pinterest, and other sites that don’t have as much direct communication between people who may not have the best intentions toward younger students – to put it nicely).

Edmodo seems to be working within our set school district. I found it a little more challenging to break down the walls and create groups to the "outside." However, with a quick email, the IT department helped get my class to join a collaborative study on the Bald Eagle. That was very cool! I haven't explored Pinterest expect to communicate with a select few - as I'm overwhelmed with the "pins". A few times I was also surprised to learn how I personally could use Pinterest to lead my classroom discussion on inferencing!