To tweet or not to tweet - that is the question
 Critical Reflection 1
Some people think that social media shouldn't
have a place in the classroom, but it can actually be a very important part of learning
and developing for both teacher and student. Twitter, for example, allows teachers to communicate
with thousands of other teachers and exchange ideas and resources quickly
across the globe (Creative Education, 2017). It can be a place to find
resources from other classrooms which are exactly what you need for your lesson.
On the other hand, an educator could have access to ideas that they had not yet
thought of, and discover different methods and resources to teach content to
their own students (Miller, 2017).
Overall, twitter is an important part of the
development of personal learning networks (PLN) in the teaching community. A personal
learning network is a space that is personally constructed around our learning
needs and interests, that allows us to develop knowledge and skills
(Richardson, 2008). In the world of technology PLNs are essential to advance and
develop ideas with further understanding and collaborate with others with the
same interests (Richardson, 2008). It also gives a voice to others that would
otherwise not be heard (Warlick, 2009).
I have recently participated in the creation
of an online PLN within the area of teaching and education. I was interested by
the idea that twitter could have such a big impact on classroom development and
was unsure of how important it could be in my study and future career,
as I have limited knowledge about online PLNs. I was surprised to find a variety
of useful resources and ideas from other educators, which they have willingly shared
to the people within their PLN.
Since the creation of my online PLN, I have
been excited every time I discover a classroom resource that looks useful,
however I am challenged by the idea of sharing my own ideas online. I hope that
as I progress in my study, my hesitations towards sharing my thoughts will
change.
Overall, twitter has proven to be a great source
of information for my study. Warlick (2009) has had a great influence on my
understanding of the importance and use of a PLN, and the ways that I can use it to my advantage in my own classroom in the future.
- Eliza  |
References
Creative Education. (2017). 10 Reasons teachers should give
twitter a go. Retrieved from http://www.creativeeducation.co.uk/blog/10-reasons-to-tweet/
Miller, E. (2017). Teachers on twitter: why you should join
and how to get started. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2017/apr/20/teachers-on-twitter-why-join-get-started-social-media
Richardson, W. (2008). Building your own personal learning
network. Retrieved from http://audio.edtechlive.com/cr20/BuildingYourOwnPLN.pdf
Warlick, D. (2009). Grow your personal learning network.
Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ831435
|
Hi Eliza,
ReplyDeleteI have finished reading through your blog post 'To Tweet or not to Tweet', and thought I'd give you some constructive feedback.
Firstly, the layout and overall structure of your post create a very enjoyable and smooth-flowing read, with pictures that relate to your ideas and stand out quite nicely. In terms of content, I really like how you defined Personal Learning Networks (PLN) and explained its advantages thoroughly, with great journal articles backing up your information. In particular, I found your reference of Richardson (2008) to be especially interesting, in regards to PLNs being a great way to collaborate with others.
In the future, you may like to look into the ethical issues surrounding Twitter, and potentially 'dangerous' tweets. This may shed light on the topic of Twitter, and the idea of 'To Tweet or not to Tweet', as there are some interesting cases where people have gotten themselves into trouble for their tweets. An example of this is shown in an article by the New York Times (2017) where a news reporter was fired for anti-Muslim tweets. You may also wish to check out the journal article in the reference list by Mikal, Hurst & Conway (2016) that shows the relation between Twitter and mental health issues such as depression.
I also found it very effective how you included your own personal experience in relation to using Twitter, as it made your points more clear and powerful. Including personal evidence is quite important in personal reflections, as stated by UNSW Sydney (2015), and you have done this well.
- James Lindall
References
How Do I Write Reflectively? | UNSW Current Students. (2015). Student.unsw.edu.au. Retrieved 21 September 2017, from https://student.unsw.edu.au/how-do-i-write-reflectively
Mikal, J., Hurst, S., & Conway, M. (2016). Ethical issues in using Twitter for population-level depression monitoring: a qualitative study. BMC Medical Ethics, 17(1), 1-3. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12910-016-0105-5
Victor, D. (2017). Breitbart News Editor Says She Was Fired After Anti-Muslim Tweets. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 21 September 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/05/business/media/breitbart-editor-fired-tweets.html?mcubz=3