Because Twitter is a microblogging tool, I don’t really see setting myself using it for educational purposes. I like the idea that kids are practically married to their phones and Twitter could make talking to them pretty convenient. I once assigned students to write a poetic text to a friend and then document the results. I suppose if students set up their twitter accounts for educational purposes, they might find it fun to communicate with each other on small tasks such as the one I assigned via text messaging, but in general, I think it is more exiting to them as a social network.
I am in the same boat as you Sommer... doubting the educational "powers" of Twitter. However, I appreciate you comparing twittering to texting because I hadn't thought of that. It's like an online cell phone - short and sweet messages that you can communicate to others! Not sure that younger kids would utilize it that way, but I could definitely see older students getting into that.
ReplyDeleteYou can get Twitter apps for smartphones to be able to follow tweets easily. You can also connect Twitter and Facebook (http://support.twitter.com/groups/31-twitter-basics/topics/112-linking-to-your-blog-or-website/articles/31113-how-to-use-twitter-with-facebook).
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