well, well, well...Twitter, eh? The fact that I have to create a Twitter account makes me shudder to my core. Now I'm no stranger to social networking. I'm an admitted Facebook addict, and though I have tried numerous times (unsuccessfully) to re-habilitate myself, my stalker tendencies always prevail. But that's Facebook; this is Twitter, and if you ask me, Twitter is just a whole new level of narcissism. I mean, really? Does anyone actually care where I am or what I'm doing at any given moment? Moreover, do I actually care what anyone else is doing at any and every second of the day? Sure, but nobody who has a Twitter account. And to be honest, I find it creepy that anyone might be that interested in me or my life. At least anyone who couldn't just call or text me to find out what I'm doing.
So those were my thoughts on Twitter before doing the reading for this week, and the readings haven't done a whole lot to change these thoughts. Figuring out a whole new techy thing does NOT sounds appealing to me, and even after reading the tutorial on C-Tools I still don't think I could proficiently navigate the Twitter website. That being said, I do think being part of a PLN could be extremely beneficial. Most schools do not have large Latin programs, so it's highly likely that I will be one of the only Latin teachers in whatever school I end up in. Having a large network of professionals teaching the same subject could be a great source of support and resources. I guess I'm willing to give Twitter a chance on this front, but I'm not going to be particularly happy about it.
One more quick note on trying to incorporate Twitter into the classroom. I could get on board with the argument for using Twitter for homework purposes. The 28 Creative Ideas for Teaching with Twitter had some interesting suggestions- creating a poll, follow politicians or current events, having students post responses to homework questions, etc. However, having Twitter in the classroom is bound to turn into one giant distraction. I just don't think it's possible to allow your students access to Twitter in the classroom and also expect them not to follow their own private networks and what not. I don't see this happening. So that's my rant against Twitter. But now that I have an account, ask me in 2 weeks and I'll probably go on another rant about how much I love it. I'm fickle like that.
Hey, I'm not on Facebook, so you are allowed not to be on Twitter once this term ends. :)
ReplyDeleteBut your larger issue - needing a PLN of folks who do what you do - is a big one. Having taught theatre, English, and librarianship, only one of those jobs was one where I had colleagues who did what I did. The rest of the time, I was flying blind. How awesome that technology could have reduced that sense of isolation!