Saturday, July 16, 2011

Still not sold on Twitter...

Class yesterday flew by, and I'm pretty sure I got whiplash from the whirlwind of technology.  Every time I finally felt like I was catching up we switched gears to a new topic.  Once I finally got the hang of HootSuite it was actually pretty cool, although I think if I use it in the future it would be for Facebook more than anything else. Everyone was "tweeting" at once and there was no way I was going to be able to keep up with everything so I didn't even try.  Instead, I made my obligatory tweet to the class and then focused on trying to find a good PLN for Latin teachers.  I wasn't able to find one specifically for Latin, but did find a few for foreign/world language teachers in general, so I added the #WLTeach stream and we'll see what happens.  To be honest, I haven't returned to Twitter or HootSuite since leaving it after the first half of class yesterday, but after Anotonia's discussion I can at least appreciate the usefulness of PLNs and will consider the fact that Twitter might have some merit beyond what I originally thought.  

Moving on from Twitter to Reader, something I found extremely useful! I'm still not sure about this whole blogging thing, but I can say I don't hate it, and I really like that I now have a way to easily access the blogs of my cohort (and can quickly add anyone else if I so desire) without having to go to C-Tools and then Wikispaces.  I still haven't added any blogs outside of my classmates', mostly because I kind of missed that part of Kristin's presentation while I was still fumbling through the setup of Reader.  But I can definitely see myself getting on when I have some free time...so next year...and browsing for blogs of interest to me. 

As for these product reviews, I'm completely clueless about my product, but am excited to have a fun new tool to explore, and best of all I not only GET, but am required to tell everyone exactly what I think about it.  Who doesn't love voicing their opinion? I'm also pleased that I'll be working with Brianne, as her cinnamon rolls are delicious and I'm expecting more tasty treats every time we work together.  So thank you for that in advance, Brianne!
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3 comments:

  1. Ben BleckleyJuly 16, 2011 at 10:20 PM

    Twitter has taken me a while to get the hang of. I think I first signed up a few years ago, and have only really started tweeting regularly this summer. For that reason, I don't have much of an active PLN - I follow many educators and they follow me, but when I do ask a question, it is rarely answered. So in many ways that's frustrating. But I know many who have found it useful.

    I have seen Twitter used in the classroom however, mostly as a homework tool, but I also saw something online the other day: http://bit.ly/ncHgtR I think the strongest potential for Twitter is it's ability to break down classroom walls and continue the learning and discussion outside of class and outside of school - that students could continue talking about what was discussed in class at home - that's our greatest wish as teachers, after all.

    If nothing else, are you following these? @latinlanguage, @latinwordaday, @Aesopus Could @latinwordaday be incorporated into your classroom?

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  2. BrianneJuly 17, 2011 at 12:17 PM

    I also like HootSuite, but am a little frustrated by the lack of German-specific resources. Hooray for uncommon languages!

    I am also loving this Google Reader thing. I'm all for convenience.

    Our product review is going to be awesome. It will finally motivate me to put Microsoft Office on my computer!

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  3. KristinJuly 17, 2011 at 7:57 PM

    Holler if I can help with Google Reader ... I'll be in the Brandon Center early tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete

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