Twitter as your PLN

Image via CrunchBaseDo you Tweet?  I have to admit that I didn't think that I would have much use for it.  I joined Twitter in April and since then I have been pleasantly surprised to find how useful it can be.

Twitter is a social networking tool.  You can use it on your mobile device or on your computer.  Like Facebook, it allows you to connect to other Twitter users and communicate with them.  A Twitter message is called a "tweet" and is limited to 140 characters.  This may not seem like much, but what if some of those characters were an address to a web page?  That's why I joined.  I wanted to promote my website and announce when I had added material to it.  What I didn't expect was that it would turn into my very own personal learning network (PLN). 


The common misconception about Twitter is that it is full of short, random, meaningless comments.  To be sure, it has that; but when you join you are able to choose which Twitter users you want to follow.  You don't receive tweets from the entire Twitterverse, just the ones you want to follow.  I wasn't interested in what Lady GaGa had for lunch or any of that material.  The majority of accounts I'm following are educational technology related:  Edutopia, Classroom 2.0, Wired, Will Richardson, Daniel Pink, Steve Hardagon, Betchaboy, several that are Google related, and more.  For the most part, these people don't tweet the mundane parts of their day.  What I get from them are references to new material that I was unaware of.


Here's what I do.  A few times a day I'll take a minute or two and scan through the tweets I've received.  They only have 140 characters per tweet, so the messages are concise; this enables me to scan several dozen quickly.  When something catches my eye, I'll "Favorite" the tweet.  When I can, I go through my "Favorites" list on my computer because it's quicker than my phone.  

Here's a sample of what I've gotten in the past few weeks:

• I learned that Google Docs is now a mobile app for Android phones
• a video link from Steve Hardagon entitled "Why Students Don't Go To School"
• "20 Tips for Writing a Blog Post When You're Uninspired" from kikolani
• "Tips for Using Project-Based Learning to Teach Math Standards" from Edutopia
• From Will Richardson, a link to an article on how standardized testing is going to be used to evaluate NY teachers
• From jcalvert4, a website with 57,000 historic videos and 7 million photos; royalty-free and available for download for free.  Wow!

So how does that sound?  Why not try it for a week?  It's free and you can choose who you want to follow.  Twitter for me is a quick way to find material that enhances what I do.  What can it do for you?


Quick Twitter tip:  Use a URL shortening tool like TinyURL.com to shrink the length of web addresses in your tweets.  You only have 140 characters, so make them count.

Related articles

• A PLN Delivers Learning to Your Doorstep (usingdata.wordpress.com)
• Using Twitter and Other Social Media for Professional Development (shawnurban.wordpress.com)
• Exponential learning (cwilkeson.wordpress.com)
• Tearing Down Your Classroom Walls (freetech4teachers.com)

We've come so far....

I remember my first computer lab ever. It was my elementary school, Cathedral Grade School. We had a bunch of those "OLD" APPLE computers, the ones with FLOPPY DISKS and a black screen with the boxy green text. Wow! I've come a LOOOOOOOOOONG WAY baby and I'm having a lot of fun!

Image source: Issac G.'s Blogger

Gateway - After Class: Do You Remember When...

Gateway - After Class: Do You Remember When...: "When I was in elementary, we had a manual typewriter. It was difficult when a mistake was made because we used correction film. Today, thank God for Microsoft Office. The computer does all the work. For example, it deletes, spell check, Thesaurus, etc...

Do you remember when

I was growing up we had a polaroid camera. Now we are in today's technology with digital cameras where we could easily take photos and download them into the computer.

Technology memories

I remember going to the AV Room to watch the movie set up by my teacher. I also remember how comfortable my children were with exploring on the family computer. They were thinking of possibilities and I was worried about breaking the computer. I also remember carrying my small computer to school so my students could use it. Now I am optimistic about having enough computers for my students to use.

Do You Remember When...

When I was in elementary, we had a manual typewriter. It was difficult when a mistake was made because we used correction film. Today, the computer does all the work. It deletes, spell check, etc...

Emiliana Limtiaco

Technology is Cool

Seeing new technology enable me to see the other side of the world. I am very privilege to live in this era.

I remember using a typewriter at home when I had to do a paper in middle school. I hated when I made a mistake and had to use the delete button to erase. Having a computer and using word document makes life so much easier.

Gateway to Technology

I encourage all teachers/administrators that are not computer savvy to take this class. It gives an introduction to using the most commonly used programs on a computer (e.g. word processing, spread sheets, etc). No need to be intimidated by this technology. Open the gates of your mind and allow the computer technology to enter. If you understand how to turn on a computer, then you can learn how to use these programs. Great class!!!

Teacher

Hafa adai!
I am beginning to understand more about blog writing.

I look forward to continue with this blog writing and hope to be better as I continue to do so.

Just me,
Lydia Mendiola

Last Day In Class

Today is the last day in class, this should be the wrap up. I spoke to kids today and they are using their toys to text one another and when I told them I should blog you your assignments....well they didn't want. They feel that their toy is for their fun and what they want to do. One told me his phone was not up to the task.
Michael

I remember...

I remember a few film strips but VHS was what I remember most in my highschool. OMG! I hated typewriters. I would use more correction tape than ink ribbon. Thank goodness for computers.

Impatient young people!

After about 30 minutes on the phone with my mother. I promised myself I would never try to explain any procedures regarding the computer over the phone. It was frustrating and demoralizing at the same time. Worst of all the whole procedure was unsuccessful. I ended up just going to her house and walking her through the entire process again. She is 53 and has little experience with the internet let alone a keyboard. She still looks at the keyboard and doesn't know the difference between an mp3 and a jpg. I try my best to explain what the internet is, but she fails to grasp the idea.

I was very rattled by the idea, but then I realized that one day technology is going to start pulling away from me and I'm probably going to be nagging my kids to teach me how to keep up. Now when people need help I try my best to be patient and understanding. So that one day I hope someone can be patient and understanding with me.

In my school, I intend on making videos to cover rules and procedures. Here is a sample video of how I intend on using technology in my classroom. And how technology just jumped from a poster on the wall to a video they could watch. Just copy and paste it into the web address bar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-Nny6XBHIo

Hi Tom,
Thank you for inviting me to this blog.
Its really great getting all these information from you.
I look forward to experience this blog and learn more about it.

Thank you,
Mrs. Lydia Mendiola

Do you remember when...

Image via WikipediaIt' pretty amazing when you think about how fast technology is moving these days.  I remember it being a special thing when my elementary school teachers would lace up a filmstrip and turn off the lights in the classroom.  There would be that smell of dust on a hot bulb.  It was quite the treat if you were chosen to turn the knob.  Wow, high-tech!  You have to realize that the technology experiences your students have is quite a different from you own.

Do you remember the technology you had when you were in school?  Or do you have a nephew who tried to cram a record into a CD slot?  Share with us one of your experiences or thoughts on old vs. young as it relates to technology.

Here we go

Image via WikipediaThe professional development portion of Guam's Gateway to Technology program is about to begin.  I hope you are looking forward to your sessions with anticipation and not dread.  As educators, I'm sure you'll agree that learning is a continuous process.  I think we have plenty of worthwhile activities and discussions in store for you.  In this post, let me try to put some things in perspective for you.  Guam is facing more than one buildup in the next year.

The Gateway to Technology program is the result of a $24 million dollar grant request in 2008 to stimulate the use of technology in Guam's schools.  The grant is funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (AARA) and is meant to "encompasses the costs to acquire and support the different aspects of the plan: hardware, software, professional development and other services required to implement each strategy."  This would be a good time for me to point out that I am only involved in the professional development part of the plan.  I am an instructor contracted by the University of Guam.  I am not entirely aware of all aspects of the Gateway plan, its implementation, nor do I represent GDOE.  What I do know is that this grant is a much needed boost to bring Guam's schools into the 21st century.


You may not be aware of growing role that technology is playing in schools worldwide.  You would be mistaken if you view it simply as computer education or vocational training.  Educational technology is a progressive pedagogy that covers all subject areas and grade levels and it is spreading rapidly.  The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) currently boasts over 20,000 members who are made up of teachers, administrators, and developers from all areas of education.  A web search of "technology in education" will produce over a billion blogs, websites, news articles, and other resources.  It appears as if President Obama is on board as well.  The 2010 National Education Technology Plan "calls for applying the advanced technologies used in our daily personal and professional lives to our entire education system to improve student learning, accelerate and scale up the adoption of effective practices, and use data and information for continuous improvement."  Finally, technology plays an important part of all discussions related to education reform.

Still not convinced?  How about some statistics...  In a study released in 2010, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that the amount of time children spend with entertainment media has risen dramatically in the past 10 years.  They found that 8-18 years-olds spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes on entertainment media each day.  This includes TV, video games, music, and computer use.  They also found that "because they spend so much of that time 'media multitasking' (using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media content in those 7 hours and 38 minutes."   They also found that 74% of the student population have profiles on a social network, and 66% own cell phones.


Michael Wesch's survey of 200 Kansas State University students found that an average college student will visit 2,300 Facebook profiles, 3,800 web pages, and will write over 900 pages of email in one school year.  Yet  the student will read only 49% of the reading assigned and will write only 42 pages for school work.  They blog, IM, podcast, and use wikis;  however, 76% of their teachers do not.  This study was done in 2007!


Without a doubt technology tools play an important role in our lives and will continue to do so.  As educators we should embrace its benefits and utilize it in meaningful ways in our classrooms.  The students are already acquainted with much of this technology and so it is for the most part the teachers (and administrators) that need instruction in its uses.  What we hope is that you will learn how to implement technology in your classroom.   In your training you will be exposed to a large number of technology resources and techniques.  It isn't necessary to learn all of them; but each session you should be able to find at least one thing you can incorporate in your teaching.  Your goal from this should be to find ways to improve your instruction and to make your methodology more timely.  This is not restricted to the classroom but in your development as a professional as well.  This is an exciting transformation and I am glad to play a part of it.

Related articles

• The Future of Computer and Internet Use in Schools (education.com)
• How People Learn (and What Technology Might Have to Do With It) (education.com)
• Technology in Special Education (proactivespeech.wordpress.com)