Thursday, August 25, 2011

Twitter in the Classroom

So, I have started Tweeting with my students this week. I used our closing circle time to reflect on things the class learned or are excited about. I am still trying to figure out the best way to use this time effectively. My hopes are that after a couple weeks, I can have a couple kids tweet on their own about what we are doing in class. I will be monitoring this, of course. So far we have 4 followers, including 3 teachers and 1 parent. I invited the parents, but am hoping to get a bigger following after Parent Night.

I am struggling with how public this account should be. I am still inspired by Will Richardson, who encourages teachers to be public on the internet, with their students, as a way to build their PLN. I am hearing his argument, but realize I am dealing with children that are still learning the ways around the internet. This is why I have chosen to do this project as a class. I am keeping a close eye on everyone that asks to follow us and am not using any children's names or pictures on our account. We are pretty secure, at this point.

I am excited to see how this evolves. With another teacher tweeting across the hall, it has been nice to bounce off ideas and concerns. My hope for this project is not only to communicate with parents, but to allow their children to see how we can share opinions and learning safely with others on the internet. The children are so excited every time they see me reach for the iPad to tweet their thoughts. It has definitely gotten them motivated to share their opinions. I am going to find a place for each of them to go to share their thoughts individually, but that is another project for the future! Happy Tweeting!

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