TWITTER

I am new to the Twitter world.  I have had several people ask me if I have a Twitter, but until this class, I never got around to joining this social network.  Before experimenting with social networking with this class, I already had a Facebook account.  I decided that one social network was enough for now.  However, once joining Twitter and from a social networking standpoint, I do enjoy the fact that I can follow celebrities or tv channels homepages.  It is nice to be connected on a global level; where as, with Facebook, I only use this to connect to the people I have come across my life.

I also think that Twitter can be used within the classroom.  Just as the article on our technology website suggests, as a teacher, I could create a Twitter page for my specific class.  I think this would be helpful, for it allows all students to be connected and gain information as an entire class.  I believe ways that I could use this social networking opportunity would be:

• Create lasting communication.  Although I can communicate all my ideas, connections, and assignments in the classroom, Twitter provides a great way to write down all information presented in class.  I could certainly see myself posting class assignments online for parents to also see. This would re-iterate all that was told in class and passed onto the students to create lasing communication.
  
  
• Follow-up lesson ideas.  Using Twitter, as a teacher, I could post the "Big Idea' of a lesson before teaching it. For example:  If I am teaching the "Four Types of Sentences" to encourage writers to use all types of sentences in their creative writing, the day before the lesson, I could post this tweet on Twitter:  "Can you name the 4 types of sentences?  BONUS:  What kind of sentence did I just demonstrate?"  This could get the kids excited about the lesson before entering class while giving them the chance to use a media outlet they enjoy.
• Sharing links.  I love to implement technology into my classroom and encourage my students to use the internet to explore what we are learning in class further.  However, I have learned that when working with links, students and parents do better if they can actually click on the link and link to outside websites instead of having to recall them from memory.  I could certainly post follow-up ideas to lessons and provide links to outside resources for further study.  

APPLICATION TO MY CURRENT CLASS:
Overall, I think Twitter is a great resource.  Although I am a new member to the Twitter world, I think I certainly would use this as an educational resource.  I currently teach Musical Theater at the Wyoming Art Center.  Since this is an after-school outside of the classroom type class, I am always looking for ways to connect to my students and their parents online.  I think implementing a Twitter networking site would be a step in the right direction.  It is a trendy art center with students who are always looking for the most up-to-date resources.  I certainly believe that I post information about what we are learning in class, as well as document our journey through the semester.  I can already think of some creative touches, such as:

• Pictures of the students performing in class
• Choreography videos that shows what we have learned so students can practice outside of the classroom and then come prepared to class
• Audition Information for local theaters:  I am always encouraging my students to take what they have learned in class and use it within the children's theaters in the area
• Sheet music for songs that we are learning in class
• Examples of Monologues to use at auditions
• Follow-up questions to lessons
• Introductions to upcoming lessons 
• Overall communication to parents and student families

 I look forward to using Twitter this fall with my Musical Theater Class!!