It took me a few years to drink the Kool Aid, but I now absolutely LOVE Twitter! I mostly use it to collaborate with other teachers, get and share creative ideas, and for general PD. I feel like I've taken my PD into my own hands as I read tweets and links to blogs about amazing ideas from super-creative teachers from around the world. My reading is relevant to my passions, I can get answers to my questions in a matter of minutes, I can participate with presenters and other conference attendees in real time with back channels, and my posts are read by a much larger audience (which has led me write more!).
Our Twitter bulletin board is outside my classroom. If you zoom in to look at my student's first tweets, you will see that they're using hashtags (in turn thinking about nouns and main idea), addressing a specific audience (@mom, etc), and summarizing their idea in 140 characters or less.
This board has also been great for teaching online safety. I told them they may be addressing one person, but anyone walking by in the hallway can see it. So, we should never use our first and last name, phone number, address, or say mean things about others. My students took this so seriously that they would call me out on using my own personal information online!
The kids absolutely LOVE tweeting, and I feel like I get to know them better too. It's kind of like show and tell. For their first tweet, I had them write "rough drafts" on dry erase boards because I wasn't sure that they would understand the concept. It was unreal how quickly they caught on. Even my struggling writers and ELL students tweeted wonderful messages (with no help!). And they wanted to spell everything correctly too since so many people were going to see it. I can't say enough good things!
Our Twitter bulletin board is outside my classroom. If you zoom in to look at my student's first tweets, you will see that they're using hashtags (in turn thinking about nouns and main idea), addressing a specific audience (@mom, etc), and summarizing their idea in 140 characters or less.
This board has also been great for teaching online safety. I told them they may be addressing one person, but anyone walking by in the hallway can see it. So, we should never use our first and last name, phone number, address, or say mean things about others. My students took this so seriously that they would call me out on using my own personal information online!
The kids absolutely LOVE tweeting, and I feel like I get to know them better too. It's kind of like show and tell. For their first tweet, I had them write "rough drafts" on dry erase boards because I wasn't sure that they would understand the concept. It was unreal how quickly they caught on. Even my struggling writers and ELL students tweeted wonderful messages (with no help!). And they wanted to spell everything correctly too since so many people were going to see it. I can't say enough good things!
I told my students that maybe we would get a classroom Twitter account (a real one) if they get really interested in it so we can share our great ideas with the world! I do tell them every year that I am in no way encouraging them to get Facebook or Twitter on their own, and that the rules say you are supposed to be 13 years old to have an account anyway. I just want to show them how to be responsible and safe online by practicing with Vis a Vis markers on laminated strips of paper in the hallway.
Follow me on Twitter @WeverWorld and I'll follow you back. I'm always looking to connect to great educators who love to share! You can check out my detailed lesson plan by clicking on the Analog Twitter Lesson Plan button below.
If you have any questions or want to share your story, please comment below. I am obviously converted!
Follow me on Twitter @WeverWorld and I'll follow you back. I'm always looking to connect to great educators who love to share! You can check out my detailed lesson plan by clicking on the Analog Twitter Lesson Plan button below.
If you have any questions or want to share your story, please comment below. I am obviously converted!