Twitter in the Classroom

Many of my past blog postings have questioned whether public education is sufficiently preparing our students for the challenges they will face in the global economy of the 21st century. Specifically, I wonder if we are doing enough to provide students with opportunities for authentic use of technology in the classroom. As I continue to read and learn about both the technology our students use, and the ultra-competitive workplace they will face in today's "flat world," I am becoming further convinced that we have a responsibility to not only insure our students achieve our state standards, but to provide avenues for this learning to occur that allow for student use of Web 2.0 tools.

One way to begin providing these types of opportunities is through the use of social networking tools in the classroom. I'm sure most people have heard about Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Plurk, Ning, etc. Most of us use these social networks as a way to catch up with old classmates, or keep in touch with family and friends. However, there are some very innovative teachers who are finding ways to incorporate these web tools to provide authentic learning opportunities for their students.

I have read quite a few articles lately highlighting the use of Twitter as an instructional tool. One article I found particularly interesting was from a Latin teacher who used Twitter as an assessment tool. Another is from a professor at Marquette who has her students use Twitter to develop marketing campaigns for class. In both cases, the educators found Twitter to be an extraordinary tool to facilitate learning in a new and unique way. It also provided the students with an authentic learning opportunity using Web 2.0 tools, which will prove invaluable to them in today's global economy.

As educators, we often worry about getting involved in such sites due to our concern with inappropriate use. However, sheltering students from these opportunities does nothing to prepare them for future use in the workplace. In fact, there are many arguments to be made for the positives of educators taking an active role in the world of social networking. I recently read a post on the Tech & Learning Blog listing "Nine Reasons to Twitter in Schools." I encourage all educators to read this post, because it might just convince you that we can't afford not to take advantage of the opportunities provided by social networking.

I would be interested in hearing examples of using social networking in your classroom. If you haven't used these tools yet, how might you use them? What worries you about using social networking sites?