I feel like a #twitteridiot. I don’t know why, but I cannot get into it. Perhaps it’s because I don’t have a strong social media presence, nor do I feel the need to. I don’t want to include my commentary for all the world to see, and I’m not so sure the world needs to read it. Since I have never participated in a Twitter chat, I have no comments about that. It intrigues me, but it also seems like a person must spend time attached to their device in order to engage, and that does not entice me. That said, I do recognize that it can be extremely beneficial as a professional development tool for educators to use as resource sharing or gain insight about workshops and PD opportunities. For example, my peer, Christine, shared a really great document with hashtags for educators to use.
Educational Twitter Hashtags
I think I will use those as a place to start searching for resources to use in both my ELA and Law classroom. I have found some very useful articles to use for current events in my Law 30 class, and that saves me some time instead of searching Google News. There has been a lot of information about the usage and implications of ChatGPT in the classroom, and that has been very useful. If I do continue to use Twitter, I think this is where it will be the most beneficial: professional development and resources.
Regarding what it might look like in my classroom in the future, I read a few great articles that piqued my interest like this one. However, I really liked this one as it’s short and to the point. I don’t think I’m quite ready to venture into the “live” tweeting, but I do think the connecting with other classrooms is pretty cool. I also really like the idea of editing others’ tweets. Students can always use practice in this area, so I think it’s a nice alternative to the proofreading I offer in my classes.
At the end of the day, I don’t think Twitter is for me in the sense of making my commentary known. I think I will stick to it as solely an educational tool for PD and resources.
How have you used twitter in the classroom? Did you find students were engaged with your activities?
Hi Laura. I am in the same boat as you on this topic – I am just not clicking with Twitter at the moment. I agree with your comment about being conflicted about putting all my thoughts onto the internet (she says as she documents her learning project on Tik Tok). I am comfortable with my use/posting on Instagram and Snapchat and I feel like that is my ceiling for capacity to participate in social media. I also agree with Twitter being an excellent resource for professional development and to stay informed with tech news because I always feel a tad behind in that department so I feel more in-the-know with my Twitter use this semester than I have in the past few years. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Thank you for sharing Laura! I am also not a Twitter fanatic. Like you said, I certainly see the value in it for professional use, however, find sharing my opinions on things less valuable. I also find sharing to a lot of unnecessary pressure in many cases. I really appreciate your resource on how to use Twitter in the classroom. I have not personally used it, however, do think of it as an option to help engage students in different ways in the future!