Twitter in the Classroom: a Discussion

Nice chat today on the Today's Meet backchannel. Try it out if you haven't used it.

I'm going to run more sessions like this. It's easy and fun and I really appreciate the open conversation. I'm thinking it could be a standard feature here on the blog.

Here's a snippet of the conversation. I haven't edited it at all, so pardon the mis-spellings. [Ed. Add 6:12PM: Actually just redacted parts that related to stuff earlier in the chat... didn't make sense in this snippet. You can find the whole chat until about 1:30AM EST at Today's Meet. Have to find a better way in the future to archive transcripts of these chats. Ideas?] We were discussing how Twitter is different from other tools and what that means in terms of the classroom.

From the 'Twitter in the Classroom' chat:

Let me play devil's advocate for a minute, Shelly. Couldn't you do the same thing with a message board? john at 1:22 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

...

Message board is clunky. And nothing is as powerful as Twitter Search for organizing communally-driven information. Shelly_at_TP at 1:23 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

Think of it this way: Twitter is perfectly asymetrical. Shelly_at_TP at 1:23 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

Well said. john at 1:23 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

Twitter allows students to think quickly on their feet Jody at 1:24 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

we need a virtual workshop for admins to show how harmless Twitter is Jody at 1:24 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

I also like the 'looking over the shoulder' aspect to be able to follow the mistakes students are making live as they make them. Shelly_at_TP at 1:25 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

and how powerful it is.... Jody at 1:25 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

Allows for individualized immediate formative assessment - exactly the thing we know works to educate kids & exactly the thing hardest to do Shelly_at_TP at 1:25 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

@jody, until admins can have control/moderation of what goes out on Twitter, they are going to see it as a danger. john at 1:26 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

Twitter = Formative Shelly_at_TP at 1:26 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

...

I think the fear is actually tied into a way of thinking about assessment as well. Shelly_at_TP at 1:26 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

The fearful are afraid that formative assessment might actually be demonstrated to be more powerful than testing. Shelly_at_TP at 1:27 PM, 15 May 2009 via web

Yeah, I think this would make a nice standard feature. Thanks to the folks who stopped by today.