Unpacking the Benefits (2/2)

Salvete omnes and happy Ides of October. Because of my recent experiences with Twitter chats, I have become increasingly eager to learn more about the potential of using Twitter for more professional and academic purposes. In the article titled, “Using Twitter for Professional Development”, Brian Paul Hill states that as educators, “We have to be consumers of information. Constant consumers of information. Information that is current and important. If we aren’t doing this, then we become stagnant in our work and complacent in our profession.”

It is clear to me, through the conversations I took part in and the articles I read, that Twitter could possibly be one of the most accessible and effective tools available to educators.  Similar to Mary Poppins’ magical bag, once you get involved using Twitter professionally, the possibilities available to you are practically endless. You are suddenly able to network, collaborate, and share tips and resources with educators all over the world.

Twitter can also become a powerful teaching tool within the classroom for many of the same reasons it is an excellent tool for professional development. Since Twitter is a microblogging platform, one obvious use for it could be to remind students about homework or the topic of next class. Another use could be to review the most recently learned lessons by tweeting out target questions and links to articles that provide a more information or a deep analysis on the topic. An article, 15 Ways to Use Twitter in Education, provides additional ideas that encourage students to continue actively thinking about the class lesson and activities.

A while back, (I think it might have been my first post), I discussed how I would utilize blogging in my L2 classroom. In that post, I admitted to the personal stereotypes that I held about blogging and I will be admitting to them again as I conclude this post about Twitter. It is clear to me now that Twitter is much more than a social media platform where users life tweet about themselves in 140 characters or less.

With the advantages of connecting you to a global network of teachers as well as encouraging students to continue to actively think about school and formulate concise responses to questions in an effort to better demonstrate their understanding, Twitter has the potential to become a great educational tool both for your professional development and the development of your students in the classroom.