Teaching Twitter

"The biggest problem with communication is the illusion it has taken place." -George Bernard Shaw

Photo taken by Nicole E. Muchowicz, Illinois, 2014

An "Old Soul" Uses Twitter 

Many times in the past, by a variety of people, I have been referred to as an "old soul". I'm not sure if the phrase was meant to connote wise, or  serve as an observation that I have a passion for history and seeking out antiques. I appreciate vintage aesthetics. I prefer taking pictures with a manual camera and developing film in a dark room instead of using a digital camera and uploading pictures to iPhoto. I prefer reading a book bound with paper and filled with ink, so I can breathe it in as I read, opposed to reading on a Kindle or Nook.  I love the sound of a vinyl record filling the room with real music opposed to listening to an i-Pod (even though, I will absolutely listen to music on any device).  I do not have a facebook. I do not have an instagram. Until enrolling in the course, "Integrating Technology into the Curriculum", I often had a sour grapes attitude when it came to technology, despite its many advances and benefits. However, once I began to use technology to communicate effectively, I began to let my guard down.  I found the benefits of creating an online Professional Portfolio to be extremely useful in organizing my professional goals and achievements.  It also gave me a professional presence and confidence.  This technology blog and Blogger have been a great way to express myself and use technology and communication symbiotically. Overall, I was beginning to actually enjoy using technology.  I found many of the tools to be easy to use and accessible. The only technology tool I was unsure of in the beginning and throughout my encounter with was Twitter. When I heard that our graduate course was going to be signing up for a Twitter account, I was intimidated.  I had never used Twitter before. I never had any interest in signing up for Twitter.  Alas, I could not make a judgement based on ignorance and I did sign up for Twitter. Twitter, I found, was also under the umbrella of Professional Learning Networks that teachers can use to explore resources and discuss ideas. The following are some of my experiences... Here is a link to My Twitter Feed. 

Screen Shot taken by https://twitter.com/nicolemuchowicz

My Twitter Encounter
As a teacher, it is important to know your students; and students know Twitter. I found it interesting to explore some of the same resources my students had access to and to experience the community and type of communication that came along with it. I enjoyed playing with the aesthetics and designing the layout of the site as I started to build my profile. There were plenty of opportunities for creativity.  I immediately felt part of a community, as our graduate course "Integrating Technology into the Curriculum" had its own page where we could share our Twitter findings. Seeing the educational influences and discovering the personal teaching philosophies of my peers through their Twitter feeds was meaningful. I realized Twitter could be a valuable Professional Learning Network for me.  Networking, not only with others, but with the ideas and philosophies of others is a great way to improve as a teacher, or any occupation.  Sharing the experience with my peers also helped me through the growing pains of navigating Twitter and made it fun. (See photos below)

Screen Shot taken from https://twitter.com/nicolemuchowicz

Screen shot taken from https://twitter.com/nicolemuchowicz

Twitter and #EdChat

Another aspect of a Professional Learning Network that Twitter had to offer were scheduled or impromptu chats for professionals.  Here, individuals could share their insights, philosophies, links, and policies, all concerning the same content matter. The Professional Learning Network chat that I participated in was called #EdChat. It is a chat room hosted by Twitter, where educators can discuss policies, curriculum, hot topics, and anything else under the sun concerning education.  I had never participated in a chat before, and I was prepared for it to go fast but I wasn't prepared for what actually happened...

Screen shot taken from https://twitter.com/nicolemuchowicz

....I entered the chat room and introduced myself as a new teacher.  My first response and recognition within the chat room was that "New Teacher Chat is on break this week." I immediately felt out of place and unwelcome. Return to sour grapes. Thank you for the information on the new teacher chat schedule, but I believe that new teachers also happen to be teachers with insight and wisdom to share, as well as, veteran teachers. However, I decided to remain within the chat room and see if a) anyone else would address me and b) if I could offer anything to the #EdChat tableau. As it turns out, I did....

I offered up some of the things I was passionate about. Such as the Ted Talk with Chimamanda Adichie on "The Danger of a Single Story", which influenced me as a teacher and human. 

Screen Shot taken from https://twitter.com/nicolemuchowicz
(The link is embedded in the above paragraph)

Screen Shot taken from https://twitter.com/nicolemuchowicz

I shared some ideas about teaching that I had learned through my own experiences and related to my own personal teaching philosophies.  I even suggested some teachers follow the link to some research based findings involving Khan Academy. The link is related to a study on an Oakland, CA that used Khan Academy to greatly increase their performance. Here is the link to check it out yourself: Khan Academy-Oakland, CA Case Study

Screen shot taken from https://twitter.com/nicolemuchowicz

I felt that this would be a great resource to share with other teachers, and I think some of the fellow "tweeters" agreed.  I even got "retweeted"! 

Screen shot taken from https://twitter.com/nicolemuchowicz

Gained Insight and Resources:

One resource that I found while networking on Twitter came from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Their tweet, which I promptly "retweeted", included a wise quotation and an article link. The article discussed how debate and communication between students can lead to even more effective teaching practices. The link to the article is: Harvard Graduate School of Education Article.

Screen shot taken from https://twitter.com/nicolemuchowicz

The above quotation inspired me and let my imagination run a course of possibilities. It is even something I would hang up in my classroom to encourage students to speak up and have all voices heard, for each voice is important. Within the article, a teacher in the field speaks about the value of debate, conversation, and communication between students, teachers, and the world. I can now appreciate Twitter as a resource for communication and extended ideas in the educational field. I will consider it a way to connect with student perspectives and ideas to influence students, but I still cannot see myself as a constant "Tweeter".  My tenure with Twitter was brief, but educational, and I must say, I am glad I participated and became enlightened in regards to another educational tool.