Twitter as a Powerful Educational Tool. Think Twitter is just a waste of time?
Think again. Its organizational structure makes it an effective tool for connecting with students and others online. On Feb. 10th 2011, the world was transfixed on the protests raging in Egypt. We all watched as thousands gathered in Tahir square, where they had been for the past several weeks, to listen to a speech by President Hosni Mubarak. Many figured this would be his resignation speech. What Mubarak might not have known is that while he was trying to maintain his iron grip on power, thousands of Egyptians were tweeting about their frustration with the dictator. Through our previous articles, we have introduced you to three pillars we believe are essential to be Web literate.
At first glance, Twitter doesn’t appear to hold much value. A hashtag is nothing more than a word or phrase (with no spaces) that is preceded by a # symbol. I wonder if the people in #Egypt are buying this? Mrs. Days later, at yet another game, Mrs. Crowdsourcing Hashtags for Connected Educators Month. Last year, Getting Smart Staff produced a list of our top 50 hashtags for connected educators.
In celebration of October’s Connected Educator Month (#CE14), we are curating a list of your favorites! That’s right, we want to know the social conversations you’re plugged into to stay connected, engaged and smart in all things EdTech. How to SubmitTweet @Getting_Smart with #SmartCE | Email editor@gettingsmart.com It was two years ago when Terry Heick at TeachThought inspired us to sort through and post our favorite hashtags. It was also two years ago when #CE14 began its journey of reaching 14 million educators. Also for #CE14, in the spirit of ASCD’s theme of Educator Professional Development & Learning we are hosting three Twitter chats, focusing on skills, knowledge and resources necessary for connected educators. Last year’s Getting Smart top 10 and 40 other greats: #EdChat#EdTech#DigLN#SmartSeries#EdPolicy#BlendedLearning#OnlineLearning#EdLeaders#STEM#EdSocial More greats: A Teacher’s Guide to Twitter. Twitter is apart of my life almost every day because: - It’s a great source of news. - There are rich conversations among educators and edtech people. - People post entertaining, interesting, and very useful links. - I enjoy the easy interaction with others from around the world.
Most people start off in a rocky relationship with Twitter. It doesn’t seem to be as easy or as useful as everyone has said, it takes awhile before you find your niche, and there is an overwhelming amount of information to deal with. But, just hang on – it’ll be worth it!!! This is a guide to help teachers, or anyone for that matter, have a smoother and more enjoyable experience. It is, by no means, the most comprehensive list of tips but hopefully it’ll be helpful. Getting Started Managing your Life on Twitter Finding People to Follow This can be the biggest challenge at first.
Not Getting Overwhelmed You’ll hear people talking about the Twitter “stream”. Tweeting Other Ins and Outs @replies. TeachPaperless: ISTE 2010: You Have Seen the Future. Twitterforeducation - Educational Uses of Twitter. 50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom. Many critics of Twitter believe that the 140-character microblog offered by the ubiquitous social network can do little for the education industry. They are wrong. K-12 teachers have taken advantage of Twitter’s format to keep their classes engaged and up-to-date on the latest technologies.
The following projects provide you and your students with 50 ways to Twitter in the classroom to create important and lasting lessons. 1. Tweet about upcoming due dates or assignments. One of the simplest ways that teachers can use Twitter in the classroom involves setting up a feed dedicated exclusively to due dates, tests or quizzes. 2. Subscribe to different mainstream and independent news feeds with different biases as a way to compare and contrast how different perspectives interpret current events and issues. 3. The modern-day classroom has to account for a variety of learning styles in... Making ESL students feel welcome at their new school is vital to their success...
10 Amazing Ways For Teachers & Tutors To Use Twitter In Education. Twitter like all other social media is a virtual Aladdin’s cave.
It is a gateway to riches. But just like in the story, this Aladdin’s cave is also booby-trapped. Use it right and you will come away with the genie of knowledge ready to do your bidding. Use it wrong and you will be a casualty of wasted time. So, ‘rub’ it just right. I remember my own school days. Haven’t heard about Twitter? Let’s check out the amazing ways 140 characters are helping to light the lamp. Why Should Teachers And Tutors Use Twitter in Education? Before we get to the actual uses teachers are putting Twitter to use in their classrooms, let’s see in brief why Twitter is a good enough study tool. These six reasons aren’t the only benefits of course.
Hashtags and Learning Set up custom ‘classroom’ hashtags around lessons and topics. Hashtags also make it easy to follow interesting topics related to the curriculum or anything else that might broaden a student’s knowledge base. Quickfire Recaps and Quizzes.