Tweet! Tweet! In the Classroom

I have been tweeting for at least six months and I have been very guarded about using twitter in the classroom. I’m not saying that I didn’t think it should be used in the classroom. I am just saying that I wasn’t sure how I would use it. I wasn’t concerned about privacy, necessarily. I was more concerned about  a blurring of boundaries. For this assignment, I decided to create a new twitter name that could be used for academic and professional purposes. I immediately decided to follow professional organizations in counseling, mental health, higher education, and diversity. I also followed some professors who use twitter to see how they were using twitter. I sent a tweet about some technology tools and about a conference in my field. I am still wrapping my mind around how I might use this, but I am starting to get excited about it.

I see twitter helping me in the classroom in several ways:

1. Students can get a sense of who I am as a professional so; they get a multi-dimensional view of the profession. This can help students get a broader idea of the career opportunities and the profession, in general.
2. I can re-tweet posts that are related to the field or that may spark interest in students.
3.  I can send announcements, links to videos, blogs, articles, etc. without clouding their email and they can decide what they want to do with that information.
4. I can encourage students to tweet about things they encounter throughout the week that are related to this course. This can help students begin to apply the knowledge they are learning. 
5. Twitter can be used to foster communication after class.
6. Using twitter in class can be a platform to talk about the professional and personal boundaries, how they may blur when using social networking tools, and ways to manage that.

I am sure there are several ways to use twitter and I will be experimenting with this throughout this semester. I am also thinking about ways I can use it in class. I’m not sure how I feel about students tweeting in class. I am on twitter and I can guarantee you that if I am tweeting in class, I may tweet for class, but I will also be tweeting my friends. So, I am still thinking this through.  

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