Before this class I had only heard of twitter and thought it was just another way for people to connect. I really like twitter for searching about people who are involved in the same subject area as me and seeing what other people are doing. I know my school uses it to send updates and emergency dismissals and things of that nature. Since I really do not go on Twitter at all, I cannot picture incorporating into my classroom. I feel that with all the technology it can get overwhelming on trying to figure out what to use and when. I personally think for me, implememting anything with Twitter will probably not take place for awhile. I would love to get my students involved in a blog and creating animotos and digital stories and will most likely start there.
Do you use Twitter in your classrooms???? If so how and for what??
Laura, for your professional development, use Twitter's search feature to find information, and also search with #matchat as your search term. In this way, you will get a sense of what others post related to math. If links are provided in the Tweets you find, check to see if the resource is of value to you. If so, you might store the resource in your Diigo Library for future reference. When you yourself find an online resource that provides a Twitter option to Tweet the resource, consider using the option to share the resource on Twitter. You can place #mathchat after the Tweet line so your Tweet reaches a larger audience. As you get accustomed to the logic behind Twitter (yes, Twitter works in a logical way), you can start to follow people. Then you can check about once a week or more often if your schedule allows to see what these people have shared with you. You can also follow professional organizations such as the National Council of Teachers of Math. Do a search in Twitter to see if you can find the NCTE Math official Twitter account. Twitter can be a valuable professional development opportunity once one adjusts to learning how to use it in that way.
ReplyDeleteJudy and I had an awesome chat about the same thing 2 classes ago, because I feel the same as you - but her ideas on using it for professional development and also for research have me trying to give it a second chance (or an honest first one). Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that it can be overwhelming trying to think about what tool to use when and how in a classroom setting. I think Twitter can have its uses in a classroom, but if you are more comfortable with incorporating blogging and Animoto, it makes sense to start there. You don't have to use everything right away. :)
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