Since Mark Pesce spoke about Twitter at an education.au conference earlier in the year, I have been embarrassingly evangelical about this microblogging service.
Quite simply, Twitter lets you microblog pithy 140 characters posts, known as ‘tweets’, to your friends or followers. This often seems inane to the uninitiated but the growing number of influential educators and teacher leaders, as evidenced in this Directory of Learning Professionals on Twitter provides quite a wonderful professional resource. Using Twitter as an Education Tool has potential but more importantly, microblogging is a great way for educators to build Personal Learning Networks to stimulate professional learning.
The English Teachers Association has recently opened a Twitter accountand hopefully teachers will choose to use this tool to expand their professional networks. Every English teacher who ‘follows’ the ETA can then be easily discoverable by new members, as they in turn follow their colleagues. A growing timeline of links and contacts will expand rapidly.
There are a surprisingly large number of ‘toys’, apps, websites and Twitter oriented tools available for the enthusiast. Twhirl is an essential client, if you choose to always have Twitter easily accessible from your toolbar. Tweet Map allows you to see where abouts in the world ‘tweets’ are emanating and Betwittered is an essential iGoogle Twitter client (that will allow you to ‘tweet’ even if there is a filter at your place of employment). Increasingly, I am using Twinkle or Twitterific iPhone apps to access the service when away from my computer. Twitter Grader allows you to check out the power of your network and lists the Twitterati or Top Users.
I recommend Sue Waters tips for new Twitter users, this great reading/tools list and my bookmarks may be of use to anyone wishing to read more about Twitter.
I would highly recommend Clive Thompson on How Twitter Creates a Social Sixth Sense.
Hope to see you ‘tweeting’ soon and consider ‘following’ and more importantly from my POV, being ‘followed’ by Darcy1968.
Sue Waters
Twitter can definitely be very addictive and yet it isn’t for everyone. I know quite a few very experience people who struggle with twitter.
Would love to know what personality type is attracted. Or maybe it is just the interaction, connections and what they are trying to achieve are happening using other tools. For example I’m not a fan of Facebook and yet I know a lot of people gain from using it. Similarly there are many that use LinkedIn yet I don’t use it much.
Glad my post was helpful. I wrote it because we often forget that many are just starting out using it while we have been using it for a long time. Have you checked out Martin Weller’s twitter song?
darcymoore
Jo McLeay, an English teacher, makes some good points about Twitter and communities of practice:
http://theopenclassroom.blogspot.com/2008/10/twitter-as-community-of-practice-for.html
http://theopenclassroom.blogspot.com/2008/10/part-2-twitter-as-community-of-practice.html
darcymoore
and this:
http://theopenclassroom.blogspot.com/
darcymoore
http://theconnectedrepublic.org/posts/251
darcymoore
http://radar.oreilly.com/2008/11/why-i-like-twitter.html
darcymoore
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2009/05/18/the-best-resources-for-beginning-to-learn-what-twitter-is-all-about/
darcymoore
http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/