I don't own a cell phone.
I just got into Twitter about three months ago.
I know; it's ridiculous. I am the source of much ribbing among my friends. I have to have a "texting secretary" whenever people want to communicate with me. I was probably the only person at the Ohio eTech Conference who didn't have a phone or Twitter account, and my Administrator of Instructional Technology made a point of shaming me each time we presented at a conference. Twitter-shaming. What has the world come to?
I see the light now. Twitter allows me to connect with people I admire in my profession. It allows me to see into the thoughts of colleagues, researchers, innovators, and influences in education. It also allows me to make connections in the running community so I can learn from runners I admire and so I can promote my running blog.
Today I saw the 2:00 presentation Twitter: Micro-blogging to Increase Engagement, and I am eager to take my tweets to the next level with my students. I intend to use the ideas of Cheryl Boncuore (@cherylbonc) and Aurora Dawn Reinke (@AuroraReinke) to engage my Blended Learning Rhetoric and Composition students in their research of colleges and career choices. How exciting will it be for my students to connect with a professional in a field they are considering?
There are problems to consider. How will I make sure to keep my students safe in the TwitterVerse? I keep my blogs gated through Blackboard, but I can't control what students do through Twitter; I can only control what they choose to show me. Hashtags are a great way for me to think about monitoring and assessing what they do for my class.
My takeaway from this session is that Twitter can work for my Blended Students, and eventually I can extend its use to my younger f2f students. I am getting with the program; rather than be a Twit, I choose to Tweet.
Stephani Itibrout
Blended Rhetoric and Composition
@Itibrout
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