Twitter

My first experience with Twitter was through Resources for Young Adults in the spring term. We were required to create an account and tweet about YA books. Due to the time constraints of being a full-time student and more pressing priorities, I haven't continued tweeting, but am interested in its applications to the classroom. I've heard others discuss the use of tools like, Tweetscan, Twitter Search, Twitscoop, and Retweetist as a means for students to research current events. Many educators (though I haven't found any at the elementary level) are finding Twitter to be a useful classroom-communication tool. David Perry, assistant professor of Emerging Media and Communications, University of Texas, Dallas had added Twitter to his syllabus and has been experimenting with assignments and general use since 2008. Even though he began his experiment as a skeptic, he has become convinced of the power of using Twitter in the classroom. Here are some of his observations: increases conversation surrounding class content; develops a classroom community; provides a sense of the world; provides immediate access to tools for tracking a word or conference; allows instant feedback; allows one to shadow a professional to get a sense of a field of interest; maximizes the teachable moment; and much more. You can access Dave's blog here and read more about his use of Twitter in the classroom.