"Tweeting"

          Until recently I have only thought of Twitter as a social site and not a means to communicate with students. In addition to discussing technology in this course, one of my former college classmates recently was honored by NYSFLT for her webpage design and I started to follow how she was integrating technology into her classroom, with both her students and their parents. One of the things that ways that she communicates with them is by using Twitter. The reaction to this use of technology has been overwhelming in her classroom and it got me thinking that maybe Twitter can be used in the educational setting and not just for social media.

          60 Inspiring Examples of Twitter in the Classroom has a wonderful list of ideas on how to incorporate it into a classroom setting. Two of my favorite suggestions are to use it as a bulletin board and as a means of communication with parents. I often find myself spending my “free time” (non-teaching time) emailing or calling parents. By using Twitter I could communicate with multiple parents at once. Of course there would be those that are not part of the Twitter world but it would be much less time-consuming I am sure if I used Twitter as a way to communicate with parents.

            I also really like the idea of using Twitter as a bulletin board for my students. We all spend countless time reiterating directions and going over due dates, etc. “Tweeting” these things would be a better way to get this information to my students since most of them LOVE the social network world! What a great idea this was!

            In the Teachers Guide to The Use of Twitter in Classroom there are some great guidelines to keep in mind when using Twitter with your students. You must establish “Twitter Etiquette” so students, as well as parents, are aware what is and is not appropriate. It may seem simple but proper language, politeness and quality postings should be expected and enforced. Since social media is an outlet for everyone to express their feelings, differing opinions should be accepted and discussed.

            Overall I think this social media tool can be a great outlet in the classroom if used appropriately.