For the 4th Blog Prompt, I first have to say I am a big fan of Twitter. That was not always the case, as I assumed it was used by the histrionic type (for lack of a better word). I have since found that it is a quick way to spread ideas after class hours, but it doesn’t always work in the classroom at the moment. For example, it isn’t necessarily “instantaneous,” so a student may ask question and I’ve already moved on in a sense. Granted, I can go back, but the student might have asked something about a particular slide and not been specific enough. Further, if a student has their tweets restricted, I would not be able to see Tweets from them unless I follow them as well. This could create some privacy concerns. To get around that, students could create a “class” Twitter account.
In this article posted in March 2013, some pros and cons of using Twitter in higher education were highlighted. I think that debates can occur, such as what happened here, which would be fantastic to see in the class. It isn’t perfect in any sense and only so much can be said in 140 characters. Still, it does increase student engagement. I also like the idea that using Twitter is a way for students to understand the need to filter what they post and to make posts “matter” and be important for the discussion at hand.
I also think some students are not seeing the material posted on Twitter. I am considering making it a “requirement” of class. More students are using these forms of technology, and higher education needs to keep up with the changes. If students post or text or Facebook in class, and it is relevant to class, I say go for it. What is next? Time will tell.