Thoughts and Feelings about Twitter

Only recently, have I realized that social media could be used in such a practical way that contributes to my professional growth. I must admit, I used to be very hesitant in the acceptance of technology and the big black hole it presented itself to me as. Perhaps this resistance stemmed from my lack of knowledge around “techyness” and the somewhat robotic culture it has created. After much reflection and many classes *cough* forcing *couch* me to explore to use of technology, I can honestly say my views have somewhat changed. We are not going to escape it, in fact, technology and all of it’s forms are only going to get more persistent in our everyday lives. Therefore, as teachers, this news and progression is essential for us to educate ourselves in. I believe we are an integral part of socializing the children brought up in this culture, so we need to teach students how to use technology and social media effectively as well as how to use it ourselves in order to demonstrate appropriate and purposeful use of it.

This brings me to twitter. I believe twitter is a great way to network and access many blogs and articles that are related to my interests and education. I activated a twitter account prior to this ECMP 355 class for that reason. However, being involved with UR STARS was actually one of the main reasons I started tweeting to promote education days and to relay insightful messages and accomplishments through this anti-oppressive community on campus. I am not a very “big” tweeter, and I do not know if I ever will be, however I find it useful in the ways I mentioned above, and much like blogging, I can see myself using it as a teaching and learning tool for when I have a classroom.

Participating in the Sask Ed. Chat last week was a new and educational experience for me. Speaking of progressional growth and development, this is a great way to be involved in current and relevant topics around education. The topic for this particular chat was about technology in the classroom, and there were many valuable take away messages and points I took away from other educators and colleagues. The process was very fast paced, but I noticed myself being completely engaged which showed me the effectiveness of twitter chats!