I’m always interested in ways to incorporate technology in the classroom. I like the initial idea that this teacher has taken to bring twitter into the classroom however I am concerned that students’ ability to communicate verbally may suffer. Social skills, confidence, and an ability/willingness for students to simply say what they feel is lacking in K12 and University classes NOW! Ask any teacher on any level and I think they’ll tell you that students are terrified to have an original thought in class these days. They would rather parrot the ideas of someone else or say nothing at all.
I feel like adding twitter to the mix may increase classroom participation because it reduces the anxiety of public speaking but it may also hinder their ability to communicate their ideas to people when twitter is not the medium of communication. Again, I appreciate the directions, but I am cautious about the unintended side effects of this latest treatment for the participation dilemma.
Your thoughts ?
2 responses so far ↓
If you use this medium in order to continue sidebar conversations and debates, I think it would really help out in the classroom, there are always good conversation squelched by the time factor in the classroom, but I think it should be a tool used outside of the classroom to continue conversation not to initiate conversation during class.
One of the biggest problems I face in the classroom is “piggy-backing”. I tell me student all the time how important it is to choose your own ideas/thoughts/answers. I’m not totally sure if twitter is a great educational device, but some form of blogging could help continue educational awareness outside the classroom.
I also think the use of twitter can have a double side effect. I think that student MAY voice their own opinions more frequently on a blog or webpage do to the fact that in some form they are shielded from embarrassment and ridicule. Their online/nicknames may make them feel like their anonymous or even animated.
I could also handicap them within their writing & reading skills. The American language is already difficult enough with its rules and exceptions. In addition to the many different dialogs, slang, formal, informal, text language. Students tend to practice language use wrong and it continues to hinder their abilities to read, write, and speak correctly.
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