Teachers Who Tweet

Back again.

Okay. Semester 1 is in full swing, or it will be once the Easter break is over. Time to dust off my teacher-hat, cause before I know it, July will be here.

I want to create my artist-as-entrepreneur course (or 3901QCA Commercial Processes course as its more formally known) in Semester 2, 2010, completely immersed in engagement.

I reckon the course outline should get students to

- create their own blogs

- assessment tied to posting & commenting

- sourcing and engaging with new materials (via blog posts)

- reflecting on their business ideas. 

If I tie it to assessment, so the effort-reward factor is present plus make it engaging, interesting & fun, I think it will be more successful for them (and me).

RIP Teachers Who Tweet. Is this blog dead?

No its not dead. Just in an induced coma. I'm teaching in second semester which is when I'll start winding up my brain and wearing my "teacher" hat. If you're subscribing via a feedreader, then you'll know when I'll be back. PS> Second semester is in July/August.

Research on Twitter

Being able to provide evidence of good teaching, particularly in higher education teaching is imperative.

Here is a list of current scholarly articles twitter (or more specifically micro-blogging).

It is a multi-disciplinary list & is created & maintained by Danah Boyd.

Can't wait to read more scholarly works by teachers using Twitter & other social network tools in the classroom.

Are you students studying Australian Politics? Part 2

I blogged a couple of weeks ago about @tweetMP - a site designed to engage Australia's Federal pollies to the twittersphere - to encourage & foster more honest, accountable & transparent government.

Since then of course, Mr Joe Hockey has been a very keen tweep - whose tweeting got him more than a few mentions on the floor as well!

I've also discovered another interesting user who's tweets you could incorporate into the classroom.

Annabelle Crabb respected journalist, regular on ABC's The Insiders and author, is also @annabelcrabb on Twitter. But not only tha,t she is also @crabbtwitsard (think Hansard in Twitter).

If you're tweeting during or about Question time then usethe #qt hashtag (think Question Time) and follow the tweetup using www.tweetchat.com

So while most of use can't be there watching the Question Time comings & goings, you could follow @crabbtwitsard & #qt, and if you have access to the cable TV, watch Question Time on A-PAC (Australia's Public Affairs Channel).

Incorporating blogging into my teaching.

As a higher-education teacher, I'm still working out how to incorporate blogging into the students learning activities. While I've been 'around' blogging for about two or three years (with varying degrees of success) personally, this semester was really the first time I've attempted to incorporate it into part of the learning processs.

I don't think its worked that well. With my learners I really needed to have spent the first week actually off-the-grid talking with students about how they learn, what they want & where they want to be. The second week (or perhaps second half of the first lecture) in front of an actual computer - signing up for gmail, getting blogspot accounts etc. At the end of this semester, I'm going to re-write the course outline so that blogging (including writing original posts & replying to posts) is part of assessment.

I'm also going to spend this off-semester period reading through this list of classroom bloggers - while they're mostly primary & secondary students, a quick read of the list tells me I'll pick up some great tips.

Losing track of your web time? minutesplease.com might be your answer

I'm terrible at getting sidetracked when I'm online. Sometimes its great because following links can take you to places you've never expected, but if you have a deadline to meet - this can be a problem.

@kristenswanson tweeted this tool , (Minutesplease.com) as a great way to keep track of your web time. Just set the time, the URL and you're away - you're guaranteed to ensure that you (&/or your students) stay on track.

Follow Kristen for more great tips for teachers.

Smarter Work: Why Social Networks Matter - A Slideshare Presentation

I found this presentation today, on slideshare.net. I love slides 14 - 16 in particular.

Sadly I 'sigh' quite often....

Smarter Work: Why Social Networks Matter

View more documents from Sacha Chua.

This is why teachers should tweet!

I logged onto Twitter the other night. I read this tweet by @lasic. I followed the link in the tweet, and after watching it I thought "yep, this is why we should tweet"....

 

Click here to see what I'm talking about.

Click here to sign up for Twitter, and while you're there, click here to follow Tomaz Lasic.

Share, Connect & Change: Social Network Technology & Indigenous People Teaching Resource

I've developed this document, partly in workbook style & instruction style for adult Indigenous students.

I think it still needs more images (and less text). It may also do to talk about more tools. The problem is - I feel like if I talk about all the tools, then it will be pretty much redundant as a document. This is why I'd prefer an online version only. But there are many students who are still struggling to engage with the interface. (Honestly, who can go past the "In Plain English" / Commoncraft videos as an introduction - there's no amount of text that can do that!)

So here is a Version 2 of my workbook talking about the basics (Twitter, Blogging & Google Reader). Hopefully if they get their teeth into these guys, then the rest will be a breeze.

Its just a draft. Would love feedback.

Share Connect And Change

View more documents from Leesa Watego.

Orono principal to use Facebook, Twitter - Bangor Daily News

Orono principal to use Facebook, Twitter - Bangor Daily News Shared via AddThis