Blog Two: Twitter (Professional Responsibilities)

 

    In today's technology savvy world, educators like myself are constantly seeking innovative ways to learners and make the educational experience more exciting and relevant. Twitter, a popular social media platform, can be harnessed as a powerful tool to enhance teaching practices from kindergarten to post-secondary. In this blog post, we'll explore how Twitter can be used in my future teaching practice, with a special focus on its application for kindergarteners, as I am currently placed in a Kindergarten class for my practicum.

For Kindergarten, Twitter can be used to help build digital literacy and communication skills.

• Virtual Show and Tell: Kindergarteners love to share their favorite toys and stories. Twitter can be used as a platform for virtual "Show and Tell" sessions. Encourage parents to help their children post pictures or short videos of their chosen items, providing a description or story. This helps young students practice communication skills and build confidence.

• Collaborative Stories: Foster creativity and collaboration by starting a tweet-sized story. Begin with a sentence or phrase, and have parents and students take turns adding to the story in subsequent tweets. This encourages imagination and cooperation.

• Weather Updates: Teach weather-related concepts by having students observe and report on the weather from their homes. Create a class weather report with the help of parents, incorporating weather-related vocabulary and basic data collection skills.

While Twitter's application for kindergarteners focuses on developing foundational skills, older students in grades 1-9 can explore more sophisticated uses:

• Daily Reflections: Encourage students to reflect on their daily learning experiences in a tweet or two. This promotes self-awareness and metacognition.

• Literature Discussions: For older students, Twitter can serve as a platform for discussing books or articles related to your curriculum. Assign specific chapters or articles to read and use a class hashtag to facilitate the discussion.

• Research Projects: Have students share interesting findings and insights from their research projects on Twitter. They can also follow relevant experts or organizations for additional resources.

• Current Events: Engage students in discussions about current events, encouraging them to share news articles and express their opinions. This helps them stay informed and develop critical thinking skills.

• Collaborative Projects: Encourage group projects where students collaborate with peers on Twitter. They can use direct messages for communication and create project-specific accounts or hashtags for tracking progress.

• Digital Safety and Responsible Use: It is also a great tool to teach students internet safety and how to find reliable resources

    Incorporating Twitter into your teaching practice for grades K-9 can be an exciting way to foster digital literacy, communication skills, and engagement in the classroom. Remember to prioritize online safety, privacy, and appropriate online etiquette when introducing social media to your young learners. With thoughtful guidance and supervision, Twitter can become a valuable addition to your teaching toolkit, benefiting students of all ages.

Join me on Twitter you can even click on the bird above to be redirected to my account!

Thank you for joining me once again in another blog post! ✿

With Gratitude,

Alexis