TWITTER
This blog entry will focus on Twitter as a mobile application and how it can help people learn.
As of February 2009, only about 18% of Twitter users accessed via mobile device. However, in the first half of 2009, access to Twitter's site via mobile increased by a whopping 3500%. In the future, we may see a majority of people tweeting and reading tweets via mobile devices, esp. if devices like this Twitter Phone start selling. EDUCATIONAL IDEAS
For collaborating with other students on Twitter, tweets will need to include hashtags, which are specific words or symbols that each person in the group adds to each of his/her tweets (e.g., #thisisahashtag).
Here are some possible educational ideas to use Twitter via mobile devices:
Tweet ideas to your group or class during off-school hours from anywhere.
During a field trip, have students tweet observations.
Group research project - a group of students can separate and visit remote locations (library, museum, other school, etc.) and then tweet back anything of interest to the rest of the group.
During an event, students can tweet comments about the event live from the event location.
Conduct an educational treasure hunt. This video below shows an example of Tony Hawk's treasure hunt where he hid 60 skateboards in different locations all throughout the world and then tweeted hints to their locations. A Twitter treasure hunt can be easily made into an educational activity by creating educational puzzles to serve as clues to each piece of treasure.
Unlike my friend, Kristi, when Twitter came out I was instantly intrigued. But not from an educational standpoint. I will confess, I was one of the first million to follow Ashton Kutcher. I got wrapped up in his competition against Larry King & CNN. And I'll even make another confession...I tweeted while attending a few Foo Fighters concerts. The overall appeal of Twitter lasted about 2 months and then slowly faded away. For me. Much like MySpace, I kept being called back to Facebook. Even with tools such as tweedeck that allowed me to maintain both FB and Twitter (and MySpace, LinkedIn and more), it became information overload and I had to back off.
In revisiting the idea of Twitter in online learning, I have to say that it makes sense to me. Many of the ways that Twitter can be used in the classroom can also be applied to the virtual world. Granted, tweets are limited to 140 characters, but a lot can be said if phrased creatively (and then there is always resorting to text talk which helps narrow down the number of characters).
How exactly can Twitter be used in online education?
Communication - much like texting or blogging, Twitter allows the option to send direct tweets, which lets students communicate with other students and the instructor without having to share personal cell phone numbers.
Collaboration - small groups can set up group applications by using Tweetworks.
Take a Poll - another cool Twitter application that allows for feedback, PollDaddy.
Sure, there is a learning curve - just like any good Web 2.0 tool, an instructor has to be willing to take the time to figure out how to best utilize the features. And much like the Apple iPhone (which I do not have), it seems that new applications are being created every second. Such is the world of Twitter. It's not so much that following tweets will provide one with earth shattering knowledge, but the option to share links to newstories, real life updates, California state budget information as it happens or the latest football score makes Twitter a direct connection to here and now.
If you are an online instructor who is interested in checking out what Twitter has to offer, here are some tools to help get started:
Twhirl - similar to Tweetdeck, this helps connect various social networks
Quote URL - this site helps to group different Twitter updates from different people into a single page and then provides a permanant URL. This would be something that would show how much each member of a team is actually contributing, which is key with collaboration projects.
TwitPic - this site lets users share photos (really a cool tool for those who tweet via mobile, but I'll leave that to Randy)
If you a student searching for words of wisdom, check out Twitter Professors for a list of 18 people to follow for a Real Time Education. While I do not personally follow any of those listed, the gentleman who wrote the online article makes a really good point: "Never before in history has it been easier to glean from the knowledge of others who will give it away to you for free."
What is Twitter about really? Status updates in the simplest of terms. But if used for the power of good, it is about the sharing of information. And with information comes learning. And the desire to share that information with others...and then they tell two friends, and so on and so on...
TechHeds Video Cast on Twitter - silly, but informative
I still have a lot to learn about Twitter, but the fact that we can post a question for all to see (those who follow and those who lurk) opens up the feedback possibilities to a whole new level. I came across a blog from an educator, and thought this is a creative way to track the various ways that Twitter can be used in education - Twitter Bingo. Challenge yourself - print out a copy of the Twitter Bingo card and have a go! And if you still can't quite grasp a visual on how Twitter branches out, check out Flowing Data, 17 Ways to Visualize the Twitter Universe.
Granted, my tweets are not worthy of an audience (yet), but if you are compelled to follow me, here I am http://www.twitter.com/mstai68 .
I have to admit I was hesitant to hop on the "Twitter" bandwagon. I figured if obnoxious Hollywoodites were crazy about a micro-blogging tool that it couldn't be that beneficial to education. Right? I was negatively biased from the start, thinking Twitter was just a way for everyone to announce what they had for breakfast or the latest Foo Fighters' concert they attended.
Knowing our collective intelligence was going to touch on the importance of tweeting in learning, I figured I need to start my own Twitter account. I posted a handful of my own Tweets and started following others. To my surprise, I found Twitter a great way to keep abreast of learning technologies. And then I stumbled across this:
The DigMe program at the University of Minnesota embraces the research that shows that "people will need critical media literacy to succeed in 21st-century society" and encourages high school students in underprivileged areas to use digital media (including Web 2.0 tools) combined with critical thinking skills in their classrooms. Many high school students and college-age students are using the digital media anyway. Teachers in this program embrace the tweeting, wiki posting, Facebook status updates and such and use it to reach out to the students, connect with them on a personal level, and deliver course content.
I was wrong. I am starting to dig Twitter and the ways it can be used to enhance education.
Some Twitter Uses in the Classroom
Teach while you're away. Gone a lot from your classroom? Be there virtually for a Q&A session with your students. It worked for this instructor.
Create a classroom community. This UT Dallas professor requires his students to use Twitter to post messages and questions to the class along with requiring them to follow his Twitter feed. This casual and intellectual virtual connection between learners and educator has helped to create a positive learning community.
Streamline class communications. Want to reach your students sooner with class announcements and assignment reminders? Twitter is a great option in lieu of email that saves you time as a teacher. Read more.
Stimulate discussions. . . During class. One professor from Pennsylvania State University @ University Park encourages his students to tweet comments, questions, related articles, etc. during his lectures. Chaos? Maybe. But this virtual way of "passing notes" has led to deeper understanding and application of course content.
The options can be simple but are plentiful. See 50 other ways to use Twitter as a useful teaching tool.
Twitter has the capability of fueling learning when students are directed to use it in productive and collaborative ways. Check out this article for some more reasons why you should consider using Twitter in YOUR classroom.
MOBILE BLOGGING (MOBLOGGING) What Is Moblogging?
Posting to your blog via mobile device. Moblogging is hugely popular with teens and young adults, who tend to post photos of celebrities, friends, or themselves.
Educational Use
However, moblogging can also be used for educational purposes. Some ways that moblogging can be used in a classroom include:
Group Projects - groups of students or even entire classes can moblog together on a collaborative assignment.
Here is a video of a class of Australian high school students moblogging as part of a group assignment:
Documenting a process - students can take photos during the creation of a project and document the process by moblogging.
Field trip summary - students can moblog while on a field trip
Special event reporting - student can attend special events and moblog while they are there
Moblogging Sites
There are several sites that you can use to moblog, including:
Most popular blog sites (Wordpress, Blogger, LiveJournal)
Moblog http://moblog.net
Flickr Mobile http://www.flickr.com/tools/mobile/
Tumblr http://www.tumblr.com
LocoBlog http://locoblog.com - location-based mobile blogging site that uses GPS to include location information in your moblog (very cool!)
MOBILE WIKIS
A mobile wiki allows you to view AND input wiki information via mobile device. There are a handful of mobile wiki sites now and no doubt many more to come in the future as mobile internet access becomes widespread. Here is a directory of mobile wikis: http://wikizap.mobi
Educational Use
Group Projects - group activities can use mobile wikis to store information about projects
Individual or collaborative note taking (e.g. using PicoWiki) - wikis are excellent for storing notes, and mobile wikis can be used to store notes from any location.
Mobile Wikipedia - students can create new Wikipedia entries as a group even when they are all in remote locations.
Mobile audio wikis - speech-based wikis that access information via voice.
MobilED is a good example of a mobile audio wiki that is helping South African students learn. This is how it works:
1. A user can search for a term by sending an SMS message to the server.
2. The server then calls the user.
3. A speech synthesizer will read the article found in the Wikipedia.
4. If the term is not found in Wikipedia, then the user can submit his/her contribution by dictating it to the system.
To blog (or wiki ) or not to blog (or wiki). That is the question. I am a personal fan of blogging and I have used a both wikis and blogs as a student in classrooms. Besides this blog, I contribute to five other blogs. I find it quite entertaining and fulfilling as I connect with those in cyberspace who share similar interests and passions as I do. I personally think it has helped me to be come a better writer. Based on my personal experience, Web 2.0 tools can be used as effective teaching tools in the classroom. And, let's face it. Chances are your students, even those at the primary level of schooling, are familiar with the concept. In fact, I can guarantee most middle schoolers are using wikis, such as Wikipedia, to gather information for their research papers.
Wikis and blogs are about reading, writing, communicating and collaborating. Blogs and wikis are easy to use and there are multiple free blogging and wiki hosting sites available on the web.Specifically, Educational blogging helps students find a voice, creates enthusiasm for writing, engages students in conversation and learning, and empowers students.
Like any technology, educators need to be careful to use these tools in a way that will benefit their students and enhance their learning - using them for entertainment or just to add some "variety" to your classroom isn't enough. Educators need to make sure they are encouraging a learner-centered classroom with blogs and wikis and not just a technology-centered classroom.
Consider the suggestions in this wiki article and this blog article on how to create a collaborative and interactive classroom using blogs and wikis.
