Journal 2: "Join the Flock!" and "Enhance Your Twitter Experience" (NETS 5)

Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock. Learning and Leading, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Join_the_Flock.aspx


McClintock, S. (2010). Enhance your twitter experience. Learning and Leading, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2010.aspx


Summary: Twitter is a social networking site that allows its users to communicate with one another by posting “tweets”. You can follow other users and get updates on your account of what others are saying. Hadley Ferguson, the author of the journal article titled, “Join the Flock”, discusses how this networking site is extremely beneficial in education and the process of lifelong learning. Ferguson states that this site is useful for building a professional/personal learning network (PLN) where users can discuss and exchange ideas regarding education. By using the network people in education can come together to establish a community based on communication and collaboration to enhance the experience of learning. In the article, Ferguson gives a few key pointers on how to begin building your PLN, such as taking the time to upload a picture for identification and fill out the biography section in order to attract people who share similar interests, then once your account is set up you can start searching for others with the same interests by entering in keywords to the search bar. Ferguson highly recommends using Twitter for links to websites and blogs as well as a source for discussions about what works and what doesn’t and why in education. 

Question 1: What are some other ways Twitter can be useful in education?

Despite the fact that many people are weary of using today’s technology to communicate with students, Twitter can be an extremely effective tool when communicating with today’s youth. The article discusses how Twitter can be used to enhance learning, so why shouldn’t students be able to take advantage of that as well, especially when today’s younger generation uses these social networks as their primary means of communication. Teachers could use Twitter as a supplemental learning toll for their students by posting links to articles and Youtube videos that are relating to whatever is being discussed that week in school. Another cool thing about using Twitter to communicate with students is that Twitter has a feature that will send “tweets” via text message so if students are away from their computers they will still be able to get updates and information regarding assignments and due dates. This can be a great reminder tool for students!

Question 2: Will Twitter fade out; become obsolete or outdated in the near future like other social networks have in the past?

We tend to see a trend when it comes to social networking sites. When they first come onto the scene there is a rush of popularity that fades out in a few years and another social networking site will become the cool new thing. There is always a chance that another site will come along that will steal Twitter’s popularity. However, there are so many ways Twitter can be used to communicate, that I believe it won’t become obsolete, but be put to use in different ways. For example, Twitter is now being used by businesses and other institutions to communicate to their staff and the public, as opposed to being used solely for personal reasons.