Twitter in the Classroom (Learning Activity 7-2)

I honestly had getting a professional Twitter account on my “should do list” forever now. I have not taken the plunge. I feel that I do a good job of getting information out to students and parents through Google Classroom and REMIND. Sometimes I ponder whether having too many different places for people to look would be overwhelming.

Five Pros:

Social networking in an educational setting

Sharing ideas and collaborating with colleagues

A source to get information out to parents/families 

Easy interface 

Links to many other resources/websites


Five Cons

Too many platforms for parents and students to check

Potential to be hacked 

Potentially someone following me that I would not want to know about my students 

Potentially getting retweets or posts on my feed that I would not want parents/students to see

Coming from a low-income school district, it is possible some parents do not have a twitter account to see information that I was getting out anyway

 
Professional Growth in Education 

I can see how Twitter can be used for educational growth similar to that of other platforms and blog following. It is a way to get ideas out in a quick way, and to see other educator’s work in one spot. Finding ideas of other educators and then tweaking them to make them suitable for your situation and students is key in survival of a teacher. Although there are pros and cons to any platform, I could see the potential for making anything that you can fully invest in work in the educational world.

Comments

  1. Mrs. OMarch 30, 2021 at 9:52 AM

    Quick is the operative word when it comes to Twitter; quick messages/posts/tweets and quick professional development! I love that it doesn't take too much time to get wonderful ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Much2LearnMarch 30, 2021 at 12:34 PM

    I agree that I would not feel comfortable using it for the classroom. Twitter is not used widely by the demographics in my district either. I prefer to use the school's LMS to post announcements - I like one stop clicking for announcements.
    I did think that following a chat was a learning curve. I ended up using Tweetdeck myself, and am still learning the ins and outs. I plan to keep trying - the participatory nature of Tweeter in real time is exciting, but it does lock you into a specific time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownApril 4, 2021 at 5:54 PM

    I understand what you mean about families having too many places to check for information. Just because a platform exists does not mean it is necessary to use. Some parents actually like having one specific "go to" spot they know always works for them. On the other hand, it is always important to remember not all families prefer the same communication method, so having a diverse way of spreading information should be considered.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mrs. BApril 4, 2021 at 6:37 PM

    I also wonder if putting things in too many places is overwhelming however, it allows you to reach people regardless of their preferred method of communication. I know there is no such thing as too much communication when it come to making sure we are communicating with parents but I do question when does it get to the point that parents stop listening if I am posting the same information is five or more places? I like your statement that there are pros and cons of any platform, sometimes I think it comes down to personal preference with the platforms you choose to utilize.

    ReplyDelete

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