Twitter

I first thought Twitter had to do with updates on what Ashton Kutcher had for breakfast.  I  haughtily discounted Twitter as a way for starstruck fans to keep up with the banalities of celebrity lives. It seemed the perfect medium for celebrities who could easily reduce their thoughts into 140 characters or less ("I get to go to lots of overseas places, like Canada" - Britney Spears).   Five years later, I have opened my own account and humbly realized that Twitter cannot be ignored as a relevant and influential information tool for teaching and professional development.

Will Richardson recently stated at a conference that  "Twitter is my most often used professional development tool"  (TannerVision). Twitter allows me to communicate and follow administrators, superintendents, the CBC, teacher-librarians around the world, and colleagues within and outside the school district. Tweeters are generous, unpretentious, and I feel a comfortable feeling of collegiality following the posts of people I don't know but respect. Twitter is very easy to use and its brevity is appealing as compared to Google Reader or reading websites.  Twitter is better than following blogs because you are sharing real-time with the people you follow / follow you.  This is a great advantage to keeping up to date in educational news.  Also because it is brief, I don't waste time skimming text-dense blogs or websites. On the down side, it is easy to get caught up following anybody and everybody (ie: Barack Obama).  I think  I read a suggestion somewhere that one way to avoid Twitter overload is to open multiple accounts and sort them into professional and personal interests.

Twitter and Libraries

Many libraries are using Twitter to promote events and resources.   I think that the secret of having a successful Twitter account is to always be updating it.I found one interesting article, Computers in Libraries,  that suggested that the best way to use Twitter is as an interaction tool instead of a one-way communication channel.  Tagtmeier writes:

" a successful Twitter campaign honestly connects with its followers. Many experts have said in previous blogs and articles that the successful Twitter account for a business, or in this case a library, will engage with its audience instead of making general informational announcements. This means connecting with your users in ways that reflect their own postings. Make your posts relevant to them" (Tagtmeier) 

A twitter account seems like another great 2.0 strategy for libraries to use.  While events and new books  could be posted on a library website or Facebook account, it is worthwhile considering using Twitter to appeal to mobile patrons who have and like Twitter accounts.  Also, posting library events on Twitter allows your school librarian colleagues on Twitter to follow your updates.  This can work well for me since I work at the only secondary school library in my district.  It is important for me to be able to network with teacher librarians in other districts for ideas library lessons,  programs,  and events.

Library Uses of Twitter announce new books remind volunteers of training sessions recruit more volunteers hold contests to win book prizes (ie: identify characters from books, first lines, etc.) let teachers know about library booking levels announce library closures promote monthly themes (ie: Drop Everything And Read) ask for book recommendations promote library clubs Since people often look to see who a Twittering person or institution is following, libraries can add resources to the list of accounts they follow (Milstein 2009). Answer "Ask A Librarian"  questions Encourage followers to share links Announce new information literacy lessons

Using Twitter as a search engine

Many users are using Twitter as a pointing device to URLs instead of a communications channel by sharing links to longer articles, discussions, posts, and videos (Johnson).  Instead of searching for electronic content using Google, students can search the "passed links"  from the Twitter community. 

Example :  Here is a possible Social Studies 11 search for  " Alternative Energy"  using Twitter:

Using Twitter as a source of information

Researching alternative energy ? Ask Al Gore !

Twitter is another example of how the internet has broken down the barriers between the public and experts. Students can find the Twitter accounts of recognized experts and gain real-time access to their opinions and current projects.  As yet another component of critical literacy, students can evaluate existing webpages and double check their findings by accessing people they trust through Twitter.

Twitter for social causes

Twitter has been used as a way to support social causes.  Because of the interconnected nature of Twitter users (Tweeps) one tweet can potentially be read by thousands of members.

These are a few examples I found of social movements influenced by Twitter:

• Twitter has been a key information source during the revolutions in the Middle East (Egypt, Tunisia, Lybia)
• Twitter users were critical of Microsoft's attempt to link fund raising for the Japan Earthquake with promoting their Bing search engine (Self-promoting Bing tweet has Twitter world sputtering)
• An 2009 anticommunist uprising in Moldova was organized via Twitter.  
• Twitter has become  widely used among political activists in China.  
• Celebrity Twitterers  have directed their vast followings toward charitable causes (in Kutcher's case, the Malaria No More organization) (Johnson) . 

" My life doesn’t have to begin or end with my home and office. That’s the most amazing thing about Twitter. You are now a part of the global village and what you say and do matters. And you can be a part of social change, albeit in a small way. Either by retweeting a social message or by replying to one."  (Vikas Sah)

More Educational Applications  of Twitter

Keep parents updated during class trips (ie: Overseas trips) Hold Pro-D discussions amongst teachers and administrators Students post tweets about real-life observations related to they are learning in school (ie: Geography students post weather observations) Foreign language practice (Tweet in French with your classmates and the teacher; Follow news or  celebrities in the target language) School events and clubs can be posted on the school Twitter account Use Twitter as a search engine by using its search function to find relevant websites Engage in real-time communication with experts on a variety of subjects (ie: career exploration, global warming scientists, authors of novels students are reading) Following breaking news about a relevant subject (ie: revolution in Egypt)

Conclusion 

source: 100 Ways to Teach with Twitter

Since I am a new to Twitter, I am sure I still have a lot of ground to explore.  I am already enjoying it as a professional, political and recreational tool.  I personally find it more appealing than Google Reader because I can quickly follow more people / groups on Twitter than on blogs.  I was pleased with the results when using it as a search engine for serious topics.

There are many articles on how to use Twitter in educational contexts.  I am not a confident user of Twitter yet but the ideas I posted here are the ones that I think I can teach others to use.  In case I want to explore the uses of Twitter further, I'm parking the article 100 Ways to Teach with Teacher here for myself:

Works Cited

Johnson, Steven. "How Twitter Will Change The Way We Live (in 140 characters or less). (cover story)." Time 173.23 (2009): 32. Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. Web. 25 Mar. 2011.

Milstein, Sarah. "Twitter FOR Libraries (and Librarians)." Online 33.2 (2009): 34-35. Consumer Health Complete - EBSCOhost. EBSCO. Web. 23 Mar. 2011.

Tagtmeier, Curt. "facebook vs. twitter.. (cover story)." Computers in Libraries 30.7 (2010): 6-10. Consumer Health Complete - EBSCOhost. EBSCO. Web. 25 Mar. 2011.