EDTC 300

My Unforeseen Love for Twitter

If someone came up to me three months ago and asked if I would ever join Twitter, my response to them would have been “No way.” I thought I already knew what Twitter was all about. In my mind, it was a space for celebrities to post funny comments and gain a larger fanbase or for Donald Trump to share his opinions on various topics and warn people of so called fake news, which I quite frankly am not interested in reading. Despite my feelings toward Twitter and its purposes, I reluctantly made an account for the first time a couple weeks ago because it was a requirement for my EDTC 300 course. I am happy to announce that I am now a proud Twitter user and enthusiast. You can check out my profile here!

Over the last week, I have found myself spending more time on Twitter than Instagram and Facebook combined. This absolutely blows my mind, as I used to spend hours mindless scrolling through both of these social media platforms. I have come to love Twitter because of the amount of relevant, educational, and genuinely interesting content I have been able to find on the platform. I enjoy posting on Twitter so much because the articles, links, and pictures I am sharing there are not just things I find cute or funny. Instead, they are real stories and resources that speak to my personal interests, beliefs, and educational philosophy.

One of the other reasons I love Twitter is due to the potential it provides for me to grow my personal learning network, or PLN. If you are not familiar with this term, here is a short video explaining it:

I have already begun developing my PLN and have been able to connect with tons of current and future educators through Twitter, most of which was thanks to the #Saskedchat. I participated in my first Saskedchat using TweetDeck during our EDTC 300 class last week. TweetDeck definitely helped me stay on top of things; however, I was still very overwhelmed. It was a super fast paced chat, and I could not believe how quickly my phone began to blow up with notifications from people replying to and liking my tweets. When it was all over, I realized that I had gained over 25 followers within the one hour the chat took place! It was an incredible experience. I believe it is one of the best ways to grow your PLN and connect with fellow educators. I hope to participate in more Twitter chats in the future, starting with #bcedchat on Sunday.

I can see how Twitter could be a great tool to use in the classroom, and this is something I hope to explore more throughout my time in university. I have never had a teacher who used Twitter for learning purposes, so this concept, much like Twitter in general, is new to me. I think Twitter could be used in a variety of ways in the classroom. I can see myself holding a Twitter chat, much like the #Saskedchat, during class to allow all students the chance to share their responses to a question at the same time. I think this would be engaging for students, and it would help with assessment because I could go back and look at their responses after the class had ended. In addition, a Twitter chat may encourage quieter or more introverted students to share their opinions without having to raise their hand or speak in front of a large group. I can also see Twitter being useful for reminding students of deadlines and for students to explore ideas for a project or assignment. Overall, I think Twitter is an extremely positive learning tool with unlimited potential. I am looking forward to learning more about it and continuing to use the platform to grow and develop my PLN!

3 Comments

  • Kelly Christopherosn

    Thank you for joining #saskedchat and sharing with us. It is always great to have new people join the chat as it provides new ideas and tangents for discussions. Twitter does a number of uses and definitely can be used in the classroom for a variety of different things including discussions, hosting other classes to discuss a topic – in a similar format as the #saskedchat, sharing assignments, due dates, and other classroom information with students. I believe the power is in the connections you make with others and how you can share and help others by offering ideas or helping them with issues. Like all social media, it has its dark side but I don’t believe you have to join the dark side. You can engage with others and help and support through connecting. Enjoy your journey into the Twitterverse. Come back and join another saskedchat soon.

  • Sarah Stroeder

    I wholeheartedly agree with what you said about the power being in the connections you make with others and how you contribute and share ideas on the platform. One great thing about Twitter is that you get to decide what content you see, based on who you choose to follow and engage with. And yes, I definitely look forward to joining another Saskedchat in the near future!

  • Kendyll Herauf

    “In addition, a Twitter chat may encourage quieter or more introverted students to share their opinions without having to raise their hand or speak in front of a large group”.
    I totally agree! Sometimes a medium such as Twitter provides confidence for those who wouldn’t speak up otherwise! Good point!

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