Twitter has been a topic for educational Bloggers for several years now. I believe that those educators using Twitter are drawn to those posts, while other educators, not using Twitter, are driven away. Maybe the problem is the emphasis, or focus of the blog posts. Maybe the focus should be on relevance and no mention of twitter. Are educators relevant in our technology-driven society? The obvious answer is that some are, and some are not. A more important question is which of these two groups is growing?
I earned an advanced degree in Educational Technology over 30 years ago. From the day that I received that degree, things have evolved at an unbelievable pace, driven by technology. Not one piece of the hardware or software, that I used to earn that degree, existed five years later. How does any educator keep up with the changes not only in technology and methodology of the profession, but the content of subject matter itself, as well as worldwide change? The world today is not the same world of even five years ago. How do educators keep up with all these changes? Relevance today is much more elusive to educators than when public education was conceived and introduced. We have gone from incremental changes over long periods of time to huge almost systemic changes, in some cases, in a matter of months.
In the distant past, teachers were able to maintain their relevance based on printed journals, newspapers, and magazines. Annual or semi-annual workshops often tied things together. Change was slow and it was simpler to keep up with things with these simple methods. As change began to speed up, the methods of maintaining relevance remained unchanged. The methods of information have now almost totally shifted from the print media to the digital media. Web sites and blog posts have replaced education journals. The print media, as an industry, has drastically shrunk in size, as digital the media has expanded. Educator relevance has fallen behind as a result of a fast-paced, ever- changing, technology-driven society, combined with an antiquated method of relevant professional development. The evolution of change is faster in the world than it is for the system of educators who teach about that world.
Educators need a better way to communicate about change in order to maintain their relevance. Collaboration may be the key to this problem. If we could connect those educators who have managed to maintain their relevance in this new reality to those educators who need to be brought up to speed, we will be well on the way to needed reform. Educators could connect, and discuss what works, and what doesn’t. If we only had a way to share the websites, or, better yet, free online webinars? If we only had a way to engage educators in real-time discussions on topics of education not going on in their school settings? If we only had a method to provide the latest methodology in things like blogging, BYOD, the flipped classroom, portfolio assessment and authentic learning? If we only had a way of doing all of this with little impact on precious time?
Too bad an application of Social Media like Twitter was developed for such a frivolous purpose. It was set up so that people could quickly send stupid, unimportant information to other people. It allows celebrities to conduct meaningless discussions with fans. It allows fans to keep up with up-to-the-minute facts about any celebrity they have an interest in. It enables an exchange of useless and silly websites, blog posts, videos, and live, celebrity interviews. It is really a waste of a good application.
If only an educator with the highest of degrees would invent such a collaborative tool for educators to do all of the same collaboration with real valuable education stuff? Maybe, until that time arrives, when a prestigious application designer develops a prestigious education tool for education collaboration that receives the approval of all educators for use in their noble endeavors, maybe, just maybe, we could consider using TWITTER. It might be the quickest and best method to acquire and maintain the relevance necessary to be an effective educator.
I must admit that this post comes from the frustration of listening to the many excuses from educators who choose not to use Twitter. Relevance is the prime consideration for using it. Twitter is used by many educators as the backbone to their Professional Learning Network. Why would any educator argue for his or her irrelevance? If Twitter is not for all educators, what applications or methods are they using to maintain relevance?
Tom, as always an interesting take on the use of social media. I like the idea that people are holding out for a more serious platform. I am not sure what the advantage of that would be except to inflate people’s sense of purpose. The nice thing about this platform is that it is so well integrated that you can follow those that you feel have something professional to say and periodically take a break to see what Justin Bieber is up to. Is that not sort of like having your cake and eating it too?
I agree with you Dan, the twitter platform allows you to follow and comment on people about current trends and issues in education, also you can be very personable and follow your favorite entertainer. Modeling this especially for students, you are teaching good digital citizenship. Twitter can be educational in an educational setting but also you can have fun with it as well. I think it’s a great all around useful social media platform.
I often wonder why good teachers don’t want to be great teachers. They complain about professional development and don’t want to learn anything that might help them be a better teacher. Using Twitter, they have ultimate control of anything that could really help them be that great teacher. It’s no wonder that students don’t want to learn from these teachers.
Once again excellent insight into technology and education. Thanks for sharing!
Isn’t it great that I saw this post through Facebook? Great plug for social media. If anyone needs proof of teachers collaborating on Twitter, please check out the following conversations happening all the time:
#ozengchat – Tuesday 8.30-9.30 Sydney Australia time. English teachers & others chatting on a range of educational issues (rarely technology as such!)
#histedchat – Wednesday nights 8.30-9.30 Sydney, Australia time. Similar to above, but for History teachers/enthusiasts.
#ozprimschchat – Primary school issues and ideas.
#tmsydney – Twitter stream for all TeachMeets held in Sydney and relevant ideas/comments about them. Linked to http://tmsydney.wikispaces.com (also #tmmelb, #tmbris etc)
Thanks for the post!
The first step to collaboration is the elimination of isolationism. Yet isolationism seems to be a built in part of teacher psyche or culture – both with and without technology.
Without technology: My first six years in an open pod setting, I still taught as if I was in my own little classroom. We all did. Three years ago it occurred to a colleague and me that we could combine our classes for mini-lessons and teach together. We naturally began debriefing lessons, discussing student learning, suggesting implications for instruction, and improving our practice.
With technology: When collaboration became natural, Twitter and social networking was an obvious next step. No matter where I work, I will be connected to others in my physical school and in my PLN network.
I wonder if there is a correlation between those who have a collaborative school environment and those who regularly use Twitter.
It isn’t about the tool, but the use of the tool. With Twitter, if you are interested in the Famesque, then you can follow them. If not, then not. Twitter works for short, non-threaded conversations among 2-5 people at a time, much like a cocktail party setting. But it can also be used as a link to longer thoughts or conversations or threaded forum discussions.
People who refuse to use a tool based on hearsay and prejudice are, well, technological bigots and deserve the scorn we tend to heap upon them.
Recently I’ve noticed an upsurge of educators near me joining Twitter. Also, I like the fact that Twitter includes a wide scope of professions and points of view–that makes for a fertile ground of ideas.
Reblogged this on TepTech and commented:
This is a topic I feel very strongly about! Tom does a great job articulating the importance of professional development and how Twitter has become a crucial part of the process for educators to move forward.
I wonder what will replace Twitter in 5 years. Will its replacement be more universally adopted by educators for PD? My crystal ball tells me yes.
[…] Twitter has been a topic for educational Bloggers for several years now. I believe that those educators using Twitter are drawn to those posts, while other educators, not using Twitter, are driven … […]
Tom,
I must admit that I too thought Twitter to be a mere social platform for those who wanted quick access to generally irrelevant information. What I did not know until recently was that educators have taken a platform that could purely frivolous, and used it to to expand the power of the Personal Learning Network. I’m still a student working on my teacher’s certificate, but am already connected with educators who are in the trenches, and from this collective there is so much to be learned. So here to Twitter, and the next platform that will take its place.
[…] Twitter has been a topic for educational Bloggers for several years now. I believe that those educators using Twitter are drawn to those posts, while other educators, not using Twitter, are driven … […]
Thanks Tom, I too use the argument that Twitter is one of the key elements of my Personal Learning Network. I try ( sometimes in vain) to convince people that they choose to follow who they want and can avoid the rest. Mesterman gives us a great example of how educators can have a live chat conversation and share links and ideas. As I often work alone the twitter community is invaluable for providing an insight into a bigger sphere of educational and technological discussion and love to use it at conferences to share insights with a wider audience. It is only by using a tool that you start to see what it can do for you, it is a bit like the ” no thank you ” bite my neice insists her children take when they resist new food. I can’t understand people refusing without at least giving it shot after all it costs nothing to try.
In this article from Education in Chemistry magazine, Alom Shaha argues that teachers who don’t embrace Twitter as a form of professional development risk being left behind: http://www.rsc.org/Education/EiC/issues/2012January/those-who-can-tweet.asp
If called on to defend my use of Twitter in the classroom (or evangelize it), I connect Twitter to digital literacy and digital literacy to literacy. Through reading and writing digital texts, votes will be won and lost, $ will change accounts, and voices will be heard and suppressed. Excited to find this blog.
[…] Again; Relevance, Why Twitter by Tom Whitby […]
[…] The relevance of twitter for educators. […]