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I searched the internet to find ways to use microblogging (like Twitter) at school. Here I introduce you some of the articles/pages I found with my own comments.
I think there’re a lot of similar advantages between blogging and microblogging as educational tools. That’s why I’m now trying to find more specific issues concerning just microblogging.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2286799/Can-we-use-Twitter-for-educational-activities:
“Twitter can be used as a viable platform for metacognition.” If the pupils have to write their twitter-updates about school works and learning, they really have to think carefully what they’ve done or how they feel, while there’re only 140 signs to use.
“For reference or research”. I think the best parts of microblogging compared to blogging are on this area. It’s faster and easier to find new, helpful information this way. Twitter is also an easier channel to connect people than ordinary blogging, I think.
“Teachers make themselves available”. I think that’s a very important aspect. Of course teachers shouldn’t be available all the time but pupils may feel comfortable about reaching their teachers via Twitter than for example calling. And through Twitter you can send a message to each whenever you want to. Well, as the article points out, that can be a bad side, too. Pupils can intrude teacher’s private life then, too.
http://terry-freedman.org.uk/artman/publish/printer_1122.php
In this article you can find some very good points of view and criticism, too. You shouldn’t be too optimistic about microblogging. Multitasking during the lessons can be very disturbing for most of students. A teacher may have a really pretty picture about using for example Twitter as a helping tool in classroom, but in the end it may just distract pupils and they miss the point teacher is trying to tell them. As a becoming special educator I’m happy that in this article also students with special needs have been noticed.
http://adifference.blogspot.com/2007/07/twitter-ephemeral-learning-tool.html
“For me, the pedagogical virtue of twitter (or anything like it: jaiku, pownce, IM, etc.) is how it can be used to make students’ thinking transparent; to the teacher and each other.” This is something that seems very useful and scary to me at the same time.
“While I give a lecture students tweet their thoughts about it to each other. Comments that clarify or question what I am saying. They can also tweet any confusions they have as they arise”. That seems like a very frightening picture to me. I prefer real face-to-face discussion in classroom. And who really could be able to listen to the teacher lecturing and use microblogs at the same time? If I was meant to do those tasks together I would just get nervous and confused. Darren Kuropatwa suggests also in this article that mobile phones could be used in classroom, to help twittering. That’s something I’m strictly against! There’s no possibility the teacher could make sure that pupils aren’t, for example, just sending textmessages to their friends..
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I agree with you that in a usual classroom with a few pupils face-to-face conversation is much better than twittering. But maybe the pupils can just note their questions to twitter instead to a piece of paper. In that case they can be seen by the whole class (e.g. after class) and can be answered next time if time was to short. Another aspect could be to place those questions without interrupting the one who’s talking (does not have to be the teacher).
Comment by Ralf May 8, 2009 @ 3:29 pmHow do you think about using e.g. twitter with your class outside the classroom. One idea could be that the pupils post questions they have concerning the homework. So the teacher could notice them and react.