Twitter

Twitter is an interesting extension of some of my previous discussions of how social networking can be used in the classroom and for professional development.  On the surface, it's got a lot of the same features as other social networking sites: you can connect with people from all over the world, share thoughts and ideas, develop an online identity, learn how to evaluate source validity, and have fun.

However, as Silvia Tolisano points out in her blog post What About That Twitter Thing?, many schoolteachers and administrators don't recognize the value of Twitter quite as easily as I do.  She does a great job of summarizing some of the most common anxieties: people found it overwhelming, irrelevant, or asked, "Who has time for that?"  She makes two important points defending Twitter:

• You can customize it.  You don't have to view thousands' of people's thought in a huge, never-ending list if you don't want to.  You don't have to know how delicious Susie from Nebraka's dinner was.  You can carefully select what you see based on your own interests and goals for using Twitter.
• You don't have to 'dive-in.'  Becoming part of the Twitter community can be more passive than one would think: you can just read tweets without responding at all.  You're not expected to become a Twitter maniac (or, at least, not overnight).
  

Many of these common concerns are likely part of a larger experience with other social networking sites.  Twitter truly is different in my eyes, and serves some of our needs a little better than other social networking opportunities.  Darcy Moore's Twitter Love Song points out the fact that "The network is always with you" with Twitter.  It's true, you can access twitter anywhere: your phone, your computer, your iPod.  Now, that's also true with other social networking sites such as Facebook, but I'd argue that twitter's format- it's rolling 'ticker' of short messages (140 characters or less)- is best designed for on-the-go access.  There are no distractions- just a list of information.  What's more is that if you're on Facebook, you're probably 'friends' with any number of people- family, coworkers, friends, etc- whose "newsfeed" posts (by no fault of their own, mind you) provide you with useless and uninteresting information.  "Dave commented on Shirley's photo."  Twitter is an opportunity for you to select what types of information will be there when you open it up on any given device.  If I want information that's coming from educators about relevant issues in education, I can tailor it this way.  I can even follow the US Department of Education and keep updated on what's going on in education policy.

One thing I noticed in Darcy's Twitter Love Song is the amount of people who mentioned turning to Twitter for help.  You don't hear that everyday about social networking.  I myself had never thought of it this way.  People mentioned that Twitter allowed them to get almost instantaneous responses to their questions, and also that it helped them find answers to their questions without having to look very far at all.  What's lovely about this is that Twitter gives searching for answers via technology a more human side.  We all know that many 'answers' are really just information from a single source.  With Twitter, we can receive many answers from many sources, and watch a conversation about those answers unfold before us.  It's an opportunity to develop a nuanced understanding of many sides of an issue- provided that you're following a variety of interested and diverse people.

Video Reaction Post

Though it might be a little bit corny, this video makes an important point: many teachers don't know how to use technology to engage their students.

I'll admit, the admonitions put forth this video are no surprise to me.  One reason our schools are failing our students is that they do not provide them with enough resources for organization, showcasing their work, or critical reflection; technology provides a number of resources that, when applied correctly, can facilitate those important elements of an enriching education.  What was most interesting was the highest rated comments some other users have posted.  I'd like to respond to those, in addition to this video.

• This concerned parent has a great point:  Technology can often seem isolating.  As a user of Facebook, I often notice the superficiality of conversation and social pressures online communities can cause.  There's a body of literature supporting this point, most notably MIT professor Sherry Turkle's book Alone Together.  There's certainly no question about the value of human interaction between students, their parents, their teachers, and their peers.  
• However, I don't believe this video is suggesting that technology should be used as a replacement for anything, but rather as an additional resource.  We should not forget that there are students whose parents do not have the ability or time to spend with them reviewing homework assignments or important concepts.  Many students are unable to spend additional time at school with their teachers because they need to be at home, working, helping out around the house, or taking care of other family members.  Technology gives students a way to connect to and reflect on academic material outside of the classroom, and it is a teacher's responsibility to give his/her student as many ways to connect with the class material as possible. This, of course, includes blogs, videos, podcasts, and other sources that provide an interactive, engaging experience beyond their textbook.
  

• This comment's author seems to be suggesting two things: 1. Students and teachers need to be reminded that their gifts arise from themselves, not technology, and 2. The experience of using a computer is somehow less 'organic' than taking the time to use pencil and paper.  
• I'd like to address the second point first.  This video points out that the use of technology is a skill that is extremely 'natural' for our nation's youth.  For myself and other students in the twenty-first century, typing something is less time-consuming and easier than writing with a pencil.  It's a tall order to suggest that using typing as a method of thought-to-word-making does not allow room for "deep personal reflection." One of the students in the video asserts: "I blog," referencing a tool used for deep reflection.  Furthermore, typing allows me to edit my text as I write.  On a piece of paper, I'm much less likely to consider re-wording or re-ordering my sentences because of the format's physical limitations.  By typing I can carefully construct my thoughts on 'the page' (web-based or otherwise), and I have more room to do so.  I stop writing when I feel it is useful to stop, not when I reach the bottom of the page.  Also, let's not forget that the pencil-and-paper method was, at one time, created as a technologically advanced, more efficient, edit-friendly tool for writing.  Do inkwell pens on parchment leave more room for personal reflection than pencil and paper?  Both methods allow room for physical interaction with text and for deep reflection. The purpose of the video, it seems to me, is to emphasize that few have 'forgotten' the utility of pencil and paper, but many have disregarded the utility of computers.
• To address the author's first concern, I think the video makes it clear that technology is nothing without human creation, and therefore is a lovely way to emphasize human achievement along with technological achievement (which is simply another form of human achievement in engineering and design).  I'd argue that while it's physically powered by electricity, content on the web celebrates humanity and human's ability to create incredible works of literature, digital art, and critical thought.  I find that a common misconception about technology is that it accomplishes something for you instead of you accomplishing something with it.  As described in the video, students want to use technology to create their own great works.