Community reviews for Twitter

If a teacher is not on Twitter quite frankly they are behind. School districts that block it are behind. This is not only a great learning tool for teachers. It can also be a great tool for student engagement. IF YOU ARE NOT ON TWITTER PLEASE START!

I love the fact that connections that wouldn't be there otherwise can easily happen on Twitter. There are many, many possibilities and potential with the use of Twitter in a school setting. Management and digital citizenship teaching opportunities are consistent with its use in the classroom. Be careful and purposeful with how you present and model Twitter's functionality. You never know where Twitter may take you and that can be a very powerful experience.

Twitter is my number one tool - if I had to pick one tech tool if I'm ever stranded on a desert island, this is it! I love that it's open and widely used so we can connect with anyone across the globe! While some people are concerned about security, I feel that this is a place where educational value outweighs those concerns, and I truly believe that this is a great teaching opportunity to discuss digital citizenship and safety.

What I really like about Twitter is that it allows my students to communicate with each other and with the wider world. Privacy and safety is my biggest concern and how to manage the usage with my students. The students really enjoy using twitter to comment on projects and to connect with outside people. It is an opportunity where they don't have to write in complete sentences and abbreviations are allowed.

Twitter forces us to choose strong words and hook our readers immediately. It also allows asynchronous discussions of topics by organizing responses by hashtag. It's a tool that many students use anyway. Rather than fighting the technology, we need to harness it to develop new learning strategies. Students need help choosing the appropriate tone, voice, and words. Teaching digital citizenship through Twitter can help accomplish this. Like any technology, students need to learn to be good digital citizens, and parents need to be educated on the strengths and weaknesses of the tool.

I like that students are already familiar with Twitter, so they feel comfortable using it. It is an easy tool to use and most students already have an account.

I don't think this site has a lot of application in the school setting. i know students who have used it to bully other students.

It's a GREAT way to get information out to many different people at one time. It is not appropriate for my K-5 students though since we do not want to expose them to the vast, sometimes inappropriate, environment that is Twitter. However, if you want instant access to loads of information that is pertinent to you (in my case, educational technology, library science, literary information, etc.), it is amazing. Best of all, I can send this information out to all interested teachers and parents (and students through their parents) and I make sure the information is current, relevant, and pertinent. I can see how this would be a much better teaching and collaboration tool in upper grades and college by using hashtags to organize discussions. But for me, taking in and pushing out info is what I use Twitter for and it is extremely effective.

Twitter provides a platform on which teachers can learn from a professional learning network. They can choose to follow those people and companies that interest them. By doing so, information will flow across their feed (timeline). When they see something that interests them, they can interact with the person or company that posted the information.There is a wealth of information out there and so many people that are willing to share. Often times, when I have a question, I am able to post a note to Twitter to ask for additional resources. Within minutes, people are sharing what they know and actual experiences that they have used with students. Another way that Twitter has been beneficial is in the area of professional development. I have learned tremendously from being able to participate in Twitter chats. Here is a complete listing of the educational chats that are available. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiftIdjCeWSXdDRLRzNsVktUUGJpRWJhdUlWLS1Genc#gid=0 A few that I enjoy following include California Ed Chat (#caedchat), (#21stedchat), and (#patue). Each of these chats occurs at a certain time. There are so many chats out there where different topics are discussed.

As a working journalist and a teacher. Twitter is absolutely excellent for teaching current events. In this fast pace world, it gives students that instantaneous rush that they crave. And the content can be adapted to any and all learners. For example a Special Needs student can follow the programs and activities tailor-made for them. I just love teaching them what this avenue of Social Media can bring to their lives.