Last week, I shared an inquiry into tech use provocation that teachers can use with their students to consider its effects on them as individuals, as families, as communities, and as a world.
I also spent part of last Monday running some PD sessions at my old school (one on inquiry, and two on tech use).
The most rewarding moment during my tech sessions was when teacher told me as she left, “You made me think differently about Twitter!” Mission accomplished!
Of course, Twitter is just one piece in the puzzle of effective and innovative edtech, but there really is something special about it when it comes to becoming global citizens as teachers and students! So this week’s provocation is going to consist of examples of how Twitter can impact student learning, a worthwhile possible investigation for both teachers and students…
- Example 1: These 3rd graders found this animal skeleton on their campus. Study “Approach C” for their Twitter use example.
- Example 2: 7th grade teacher, Pernille Ripp, searching for refugees to Skype with her students. See the breathtaking results of that Tweet here.
I am looking for people who are willing to share their experiences as refugees or working with refugees in a skype call with my students
— Pernille Ripp (@pernilleripp) October 11, 2016
- Example 3: This 5th grade teacher started with the tweet below with a link to a Google Slides global collaboration…
Looking for some help @whatedsaid @ShiftParadigm @mrkempnz @stuartkellynz would you be so kind as to retweet this so we can reach globally? https://t.co/Ty0oSTl4Dl
— Olwen (@notjustup2u) September 28, 2016
…and a month later, here’s a glimpse of her class investigating it:
G5 #inquiring #reading #migration stories from @twitter slide share #learning to connect locally & globally @whatedsaid #pypchat #IBPYP pic.twitter.com/v9Ff51TdrP
— Olwen (@notjustup2u) October 28, 2016
- Examples 4/5: And here are a couple of current ongoing requests to which you can contribute today:
Yr6 student in AUS wants to know how people play around the world https://t.co/rQ5bboSYTk – Please add and share! #edchat #aussieED #ttplay
— Dean Kuran (@Mr_Kuran) October 26, 2016
#PYPchat @langwitches @whatedsaid Please help T for PYPX, by completing her survey about how we use our imaginations https://t.co/LW942XRuhT
— Jina Belnick (@JinaBel28) October 25, 2016
Provocation Questions:
- What do you notice about the way these individuals reached out to others on Twitter?
- What do you notice about each of these teachers’ Twitter profiles?
- What do you notice about the resulting responses?
- Why do you think some got more responses than others?
- How do you think these students benefited by reaching out to the world through Twitter?
- What do you think are the challenges of using Twitter as students and teachers?
featured image: Mister G.C.