Teaching With Tweeter

http://teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/05/best-practices-in-twitter-enhanced-high.html

Today many of us in the classroom teaching fight student’s urge of using their cell phones in class. Why not embrace this trend and use it for educational purposes? Although “Tweeter” first came on the scene for ordinary people to follow celebrates day-to-day lives, tweeter is now being used for educational purposes.

This blog entry discusses the different benefits of “tweeting” in and out of the classroom. One of the benefits of using Tweeter is it allows its participants to receive constant feedback, something we as teachers sometime have difficulty doing since we are pilled with paperwork to grade. Another benefit is the ability to participate in a community where you feel comfortable among your peers. Often times I have found that students who are quite in the classroom, are more than willing to participate in online discussions. For example, in our last classroom meeting, we participated in a Tweeter discussion where we role-played and responded to a topic as to how our character would have to the situation.

I can visualize myself using this in a classroom by setting up a scenario like the French Revolution, having some students play the role of a peasants, noblemen, a member of the bourgeoisie, or even King Louis XVI himself. Last night I saw a glimpse of the potential Tweeter has in the classroom. However, the main thing I enjoyed about the article was how it discussed the communal aspect of tweeter, the constant feedback, and the positive atmosphere it lends it self to.