Are you in the field of education? If so, are you on Twitter yet?
Recognizing that Twitter-use is not yet widespread in education, I hope to convince you to consider it.
First, some necessary context:
- Thoroughly educating all children to the extent we wish is not straightforward. The more you teach and learn, the more evident this becomes.
- Because the world keeps changing and children keep changing, all educators must keep learning. Educators must learn from many sources to ensure their professional judgment, applied endlessly each day, is rooted in as much knowledge as possible.
With this in mind, here is one of the fundamental barriers to the excellence we all want to see in education: Educators are so busy educating that little time remains to constantly learn and grow from all the various perspectives out there.
Educating is demanding work. Educators are committed, passionate professionals who learn as much as they can and apply it to their practice. But, oh how lovely it is to come across a medium that allows us to significantly increase our knowledge base with the little spare time we can find.
Twitter serves many purposes, many of which have no bearing on professional learning. However, the fact that I can readily access relevant articles, blog posts, videos, resource suggestions, youth commentary, TED Talks and information about the world we live in from credible sources with a flick on my iPad or sweep of my mouse sends shivers up my spine. Sitting down to Twitter each day is like sitting down to the proverbial treasure chest. Rare is the day I don’t find a gem that I would have never otherwise come across—something that challenges, excites, supports, or just introduces a whole new line of thinking.
Ongoing learning matters, especially when it has the potential to make you better able to do what matters. Time, and the wise use of it, also matters.
Where these converge is where I find Twitter.
If this perspective is new to you, I encourage you to check out Twitter, for your interest in education or anything else for that matter. And if new perspectives will help you do what matters to you, enjoy the gems you’ll find there.
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How do you use Twitter in your professional development and teaching? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Related:
A Look Ahead to the Educational IT Challenges for 2012
Apple and Digital Textbooks: A K-12 Educational Revolution?
The Five Educational Legacies of Steve Jobs
Paul Keery’s articles and IT for Every Classroom columns
Lifting of Ban Means Classrooms Must Use Technology Smartly
Dialogue Magazine New Literacies Edition
About Andrea Fanjoy
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