Journal 2: "Join the Flock" NETS-5
Ferguson, H. (June/July 2010). Join the flock. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), Retrieved from
http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2010.aspx
Ferguson
states that the reason for becoming a part of the Twitter network is to develop
a PLN which is a professional learning network. This then transforms Twitter
commonly know as a place for social networking into a community of learning. An
educator may build communication and collaboration dedicated to making learning
fun. To build this community, it only takes a small commitment of
creating an account, but the amount of time put into it depends on the person.
The tools to help one build his or her own community of learning are creating
an account, learning to follow people who share same interests, tap into other
network lists of people, learn and read from people you follow, give by
retweeting which means repost something interesting another person said, then
later expose oneself by participating in conversations, and finally tag a tweet
by using hashtag. Hashtag allows one to post a tag to the streams of the
educators who follow that hashtag. The best part of building this
community is that one is learning from people who share the same interests as
oneself but can also learn from those who have more information on topics that
one wants to build on. Having a network means that the availability of
information is constantly streaming meaning that it is always there and one can
also go back to certain posts or conversations. Ferguson also comments on
how twittering helps one succeed because of the network one creates. The
PLN or professional learning network is at one’s hands available when one needs
help on strategies for class. If one posts a question, the whole network of
followers are there to reply with any information they have.
Question 1: How can twitter be implemented in a classroom
where resources such as computers may be limited?
Twitter
can be implemented into the curriculum by creatively finding solutions to
limited resources in a school. Some students may not have access to their
own cell phones or internet at school but the school can provide a learning
environment where online networks can be accessed. For example, a teacher
may ask for permission to have class at the school’s computer lab once a week
and if that is too much he or she can request twice a month. The request
is subject to negotiation. While at the computer lab, the teacher can
show students how to set up and use twitter accounts and then create their PLN
based on what she is teaching from the curriculum. If he or she is
teaching the class how to analyze and interpret stories then the twitter
account can be set up on discussion of a specific story.
Question
2: How can students succeed through the network they create?
Through
the network they create on twitter, students can discuss a specific story by
posting their own thoughts on the story and creating a discussion forum. They
can also choose to follow others who are educators and have uploaded
information about different opinions on a specific story that is being
discussed. Students then can retweet what their classmates post thus
creating an environment on learning. One strategy of teaching is socratic
seminar where discussion is opened by one person and all classmates
participate. Twittering is a form of socratic seminar teaching except
that it is online. Students become learners and educators in an online
world where the teacher can remain the overseer and give students the power to
control their own learning.
