Journal #2: "JTF & EYTE"

Journal # 2: Join the Flock and Enhance Your Twitter Experience                   

 Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock. Learning and Leading with Technology, 13-14. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Join_the_Flock.aspx Ferguson, . (2010).
Enhance your twitter experience. Learning and Leading with Technology, 14-15. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/Leading_and_Learning_Docs /June_July_2010_Join_the_Flock.sflb.ashx

Summary: Learning and Leading with Technology introduces the idea of professional learning communities (PLN). Taking the time to build a community is not only a commitment, but it is a process. Setting up an account, learning how to follow, watching, listening, and providing information that is useful (for followers) are the beginning steps of using a PLN effectively. For beginning Twitter users, Hadley Ferguson breaks down the concept of “tweeting” into user-friendly steps. In order to enhance your Twitter experience, use hashtags, to narrow down the stream of information and engage in conversations specific to your own interests. For example, using the hashtag #ed422 allows me to receive and correspond with colleagues about current assignments, questions, and/or request feedback as needed.

Q1. If Twitter is such a great communication tool for educators, should students be encouraged to “Tweet” in an academic setting?

A1. I appreciate the idea of endless streams of information. I appreciate the idea of being able to narrow down your search by applying specific tags. However, having the ability and maturity to analyze what you read, communicate and correspond using technology, and interpret information appropriately, would be difficult to monitor in an educational setting. If restricting Twitter (specifically for academic purposes) in the classroom was a possibility, than using it to communicate, research, and collaborate would make sense. However, given the current trends in education (i.e. budget cuts, class size increase, program cuts) teaching and interacting on Twitter in an educational setting seems unrealistic.

Q2. Exposing yourself through technology can be intimidating; how do you get over the self-assessment and really say what you mean?

A2. It is an innate instinct to be self-conscience, think before you speak, and edit what you type. It is difficult to “put your ideas out there” because the fear of rejection, judgment, and/or criticism is a possibility. I agree with Ferguson however; unless you begin tweeting your thoughts and following/gaining followers, you will never gain confidence. If you use a tool confidently, share it with confidence