Sunday, June 14, 2009

Thing 31: More Twitter

Oops. The White House Twitter link does not work. That one looked interesting too!

I have to admit, I'm not a Twitter addict. It was interesting to setup an account and see how it works, but I feel like my life is too busy for this--especially since it often has less than important information in the tweets. Adding to my lack of enthusiasm for this tool is that Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows is addicted to posting. I think that is all he does. It was cool when he posted photos from his cell phone of shows he was at. That was sort of interesting.

I did put my Twitter badge on the site. I could see that as a way of recruiting more followers. Followers. This seems a little like a vanity pursuit for some people. I think the Counting Crows guy is one of them, although, in his defense, his profession is all about having followers. I have captive followers already at school . . . students. I suppose by getting them to follow a media account, I could get them more involved, but I think there are other tools I'd prefer to use.

I did add my name to the directory, but I'm not sure how long I'll keep this Twitter account. We'll see. Maybe I'll change my mind. The alerts would be helpful if I find some critical accounts that I need to stay up on.

OK. I'm at stage 2--presence. As I mentioned, maybe that will change. At least I know what it is and how others use it. Most teachers at school don't even know what it is. For that matter, students don't know what it is. I don't find that students tweet. They Facebook.

Twitter is . . . another web 2.0 tool that could quickly become a diversion, a distraction or an addiction. For some people, I think it is a pool of self-absorption. It does have potential as a tool for distributing bits of news or updates. I don't see enough people using it that way, but that's what I'd want to do as a user. For me, the jury is still out, but I will continue to monitor it as it develops. For now, it's still a crying baby.

1 comment:

Mark Peterson said...

So, I'm thinking that twitter can be used in the classroom. Microblogging to the max....use it as a formative assessment tool, tweet before you leave class as an 'exit ticket', tweet as you enter class to review what you should know.....