Twitter Me This, Twitter Me That…
True confession: Contrary to popular opinion, I am not a social butterfly. I am generally quite reclusive by nature, and social networking has always held little-to-no appeal for me. That is, until I was shown the error (and limited thinking) of my ways by many colleagues at NECC 08.
Take it from a long-term social networking hold-out, Twitter has proven to be the most powerful tool for professional development I have ever experienced. Social Networking for the sake of socializing seemed to be a waste of my precious non-working minutes. However, blog posts such as this Edutopia piece, “Twittering, Not Frittering: Professional Development in 140 Characters” really helped dispel my concerns about wasting my time on the application.
My first order of business after creating my personal profile, was to begin searching for folks to learn from. I began by following the folks I met at NECC08 who already use Twitter as a tool for professional development and collaboration. Then I looked at the folks they were following and added many of them. Durff’s Blog gives some common sense guidance on making good “follower” decisions. Within minutes of engaging in the conversation, I had bookmarked at least 15 links to applications that would have an immediate and direct impact not only on my own learning, but also that of my students and colleagues.
Of course, as with any application, there are draw-backs. Twitter is limiting. You are confined to the 140 character format and the real-time timeline makes conversations difficult to follow sometimes (which is why I also Plurk). One of my favorite bloggers, wrote a great post, “What I Hate About Twitter”. I really appreciate this post by Will Richardson, mainly due to the conversation it inspired. You will see the true value and depth of the piece if you read the comments section, which brings us back to the power of all social media as a professional development tool. It is, quite simply, about the conversation. Well used, tools like Twitter can help you “hook up” with amazing folks from around the world in the 140 character format, but through links can lead you to collaboration in the deeper format of blogs, wikis, webconferencing, webcasting and other applications that I have not yet had the time or opportunity to explore.
Bottom line: Twitter is indeed the most powerful tool for professional growth that I have experienced. I now have access to a world-wide Personal Learning Network that is ever-growing, ever-changing, and ever-challenging. My learning is no longer limited to budget, location, or availability. I have the world in my laptop, on my couch, in my living room. Give it a try – your world will never be the same.
February 6th, 2009 at 2:57 am
I couldn’t have put it better myself. I’ve ever shunned the likes of MSN, AOL, ICQ and other “social networking” platforms and my Facebook account is rarely used. Twitter is something more. I was going to blog about Twitter, but if you don’t mind I’ll just post a link to yours!
February 6th, 2009 at 3:36 am
[...] Here are a few blog posts that describe the Twitter experience and the benefits of being “connected” much better than I could. Common Sense Classroom [...]
February 6th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Why, thank you Michael! I am honored that you would want to link to my post.
It’s nice to know I was not alone in my formerly misguided opinion about Twitter. I am currently reexamining my avoidance of Facebook. I don’t really intend to actively participate, but I am beginning to see the value of being able to check-up on my students who have pages of their own.
My main concern is the safety of my students. They don’t understand the possible dangers of communicating with people they think they know, as cyberspace can feel deceptively secure. I find myself considering establishing my own account just so I can keep an eye on things, in case their parents are unable to keep a watchful eye.
What do you think?
February 6th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
I try to keep facebook for family and friends and don’t really use it much. Last year one of my students (8yrs old) wanted to add me as a friend on Bebo. I told him that I didn’t think it was such a good idea… but i’d be happy to do it when he’d left school.
I think you should look for some information about cybersafety and the permanence of the “digital footprint” that children leave behind rather than onitoring their Facebook use too closely..besides, if they’re savvy enough they can hide stuff from view in Facebook.
February 6th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Thanks for the advice teachernz. In my mind currently, it is one more thing that I’m unsure of, for the very reasons you’ve just mentioned. My rule of thumb is when in doubt…don’t.
I have a great desire to trust all that I have taught my students about web safety, as well as the example I have set for them by guarding their identities by using “web names” instead of anything even closely resembling their own. We talk a lot about our digital footprints and how once we put something out there – it is out there. One day I did a search of kgustin, and showed them how many of the links that came up were things I had written. That really seemed to be an eye-opener for my little friends. One child asked, “Have you ever said anything bad on the internet?” I explained that I always try to use nice words when I talk to anyone I meet, it doesn’t matter whether it is on the computer or not. That way I never have to worry about someone might find when they search my name.
We use the isafe curriculum for teaching web safety, and I keep hoping for more parent participation. If we had that, I probably wouldn’t be so concerned.