Twitter- not for me

Comment by Aaron Ross on February 22, 2012 at 2:09pm

With regard to twitter as a way to develop one's PLN, see my post here: http://jewishedd.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html - I think that hashtags and their ability to expand your circles to include people and topics that you never knew about before is the key strength is this regard.  True, you can use discussion boards, but how many such boards are you going to follow?  And, let's face it, at this point some of the people that contribute the most to discussion boards are able to do so because of all that they learn via twitter.  In other words, even if you do not use twitter yourself, you are probably benefitting from it.

In terms of smartphone, I have one but barely use it for twitter.  As with most things, you have the choice to use it or not.

In terms of twitter in the classroom, if you strongly believe that technology has no place next to sifrei kodesh, then I guess there is not much to discuss.  I only wish that you could see some of the students in my school mapping our the shakla v'tarya of a gemara on Prezi or using voicethread to enhance their reading skills by providing additional opportunities that they would never have within the context of the classroom itself.

At the end of the day, someone who decides not to use twitter is not going to be hampered or left behind.  Twitter is a tool like everything else that has its uses, and for those who use it well it can be very powerful in a number of ways.  So Eytan, you are not wrong - but neither are the people who make effective use of twitter.

Comment by Noam Davidovics on February 22, 2012 at 2:17pm

As a person who tries to encourage teachers to use technology, but isn't someone that actually teaches a class, first let me say, if after hearing all the reasons why you should use it, you are not convinced, don't use it.  Don't force it into your class or teaching style.

That being said there are, in my opinion there are 3 basic advantages simple tech integration could bring to a class.

1) Instant assessment.  Either due to the fact that you can view their answers in a quicker more organized fashion or through simple autograding tools you can easily know which students are lost, which need more help, and which need to move ahead

2) Diffrentiated Instruction.  Either through project based learning or through online utilities, technology can  help each student move at their own pace for many portions of your class.

3) Ease of communication.  Via an online relationship you will find many students feel more comfortable asking questions, opening up, and being involved in class discussions.

Comment by Daniel Shor on February 22, 2012 at 2:18pm

Twitter seems to be one of the most polarizing technologies both in and out of education.  I agree that it is difficult, if not impossible, to bring twitter inside the classroom.  One way I have seen it used successfully is while the students are listening to a lecture or presentation (not in class, but something like an assembly) having them tweet about it to each other.  It helps the kids pay attention to details that they may normally miss (or space out).  Think of it as a classroom discussion rather than playing games.

On a side note, your post is primarily looking at twitter from the vantage point of the receiver.  Not all tweeting has to be about homework, your in-laws or he laundry.  What if you were sitting in a great lecture on education and you wanted to let your friends/followers, some of whom may be educators themselves, know what was going on at that point.  Maybe you want to make a quick note about the level of participation or agree/disagree with something that was said.  Sure you could just wait until you have time to write up a full blog post in a few weeks.  But in the mean time, the passion is gone and the details get lost or muddled.  Also, some people don't have the time to read through a long blog post but would respond to a quick tweet.  One of my previous bosses once told me that if you send a client an e-mail that is more than four sentences long, it will not be read.  The same could be said here.

I hope this helps you sort out your twitter issues.

Comment by Rivky Krestt on February 22, 2012 at 2:26pm

I echo the posters above.  I wonder, though, why you feel that there is no use for laptops in a classroom?  You don't have a student who has dysgraphia or has organizational needs? Not to mention the wealth of sources that are so much more portable in electronic form.  To be sure, books will always be primary and important in the study of any limudei kodesh but as the world at large moves more and more texts to the electronic format it behooves us to stay current, at the very least.

I encourage you to broaden your perspective about technology but if you don't like twitter, don't use it. The discussion about technology is not about one format per se it is about a whole different way of looking at information and how we integrate knowledge into our lives.

Comment by Terry Kaye on February 22, 2012 at 3:02pm

An example of how Twitter helped me: I just met Aaron Ross, we followed each other on Twitter, I saw Aaron regularly uses the hashtag #PBL (project-based learning), and now, by searching on that hashtag, I have opened up a new world of information about PBL for myself. 

Comment by Shraga Schofield on February 22, 2012 at 3:04pm

In general I agree. the hyper focus on "Technology in the Classroom" has become a 'foreign theology' in education. Never-the-less, it is a good tool if used correctly. I created a manipulative word document and use it in a group learning activity where the students learn/prepare the text on their own, before a formal frontal lesson, using the resources given and then need to copy and paste the textual passage into a table which requires them to analyze the text and demonstrate comprehension and synthesis of the information presented. For that type of activity the students are given a school laptop with the file 'downloaded' onto the desktop. At the end of the activity they then email/print for themselves the completed document to keep for notes.

The use of Smartboards also enhances the visual presentation of lessons for those students who need more visual aids.

Comment by Eytan London on February 22, 2012 at 3:11pm

Mr/Rabbi Shor,

In response to your use of Twitter in a lecture. I personally would find it rather rude if I looked up and saw a whole room of people on their phones. They could be tweeting, but they also could be checking how many points Jeremy Lin had last night. 

Comment by Aaron Ross on February 22, 2012 at 3:23pm

For an interesting use of twitter in the classroom, see here:  http://youtu.be/6WPVWDkF7U8.  Granted it is in college, but I think it is easily adaptable.

Eytan, your last comment reveals that you do not totally trust your students once you let them use tech in class.  If that is one of your hang-ups, then I would say that the instinct is correct but I disagree with your solution.  There are many ways to keep students on task in class while they are using tech.  Of course, even without tech, there are plenty of ways for students to be distracted.  Is going to the bathroom for 10 minutes or mindless doodling better or worse then checking in on Jeremy Lin?

Comment by Daniel Shor on February 22, 2012 at 3:24pm

Please remember that the use of Twitter in this way would be by design not happenstance.  I would agree that if students randomly took their phones out and started tweeting (even if it were about the lecture) that it would be inappropriate.  There are ways of doing it so that it is not rude.

 

To the appoint of abuse, if the tweeting is part of an assignment, it should be easy to see if students are “on task” or on ESPN since they won’t be listening enough to tweet about it.  Additionally, I was discussing the use of iPads in the classroom at a school in Baltimore and asked the same question about abuse.  The answer was that the student would lose the right to use the iPad (in this case the phone) and miss out on the advantages of using the technology as part of the assignment.

 

Remember, any tool requires oversight by the teacher.  There is no guarantee that a student will be looking in the Gemara when they need to.

Comment by John Morse on February 22, 2012 at 4:28pm

I would agree with Eytan, we are at critical mass as to technology in the classroom...and working in a school that does not allow cell phones to be out in the classroom because no, we do not trust them and with reason...I think it is a good thing to unplug occassionally and actually "listen" to one's peers. That skill seems to be suffering as we increase our technological skills. Other skills that are being lost are civility and social propriety. Should we all be twittering in class? Try doing it in a doctor's office? Should the doctor be twittering? Shul? The flip side is that technology can be used quite effectively to engage our students, which I do use consistently, hust not every day and would not allow twitter in the classroom if I could. 

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