Twitter as a professional development tool is an excellent choice because I get to choose who I would like to follow on Twitter. I choose like minded people therefore their tweets are in alignment with what I am looking for. For example, I follow Syndey Hoffman and she tweeted an article that provides alternatives to traditional book reports. I love this because I enjoy out of the box thinking for classroom assignments and this article provides that. Due to a lack of time I would never have enough time to sort through all that is available online, therefore, by relying on those I follow, they help give me access to things I value.
I would attempt to use Twitter in my classroom because it is a fun and interactive way for my class as a whole to interact online safely. I imagine my class tweeting about a place-based project we are collaborating on. Or they could request resources for assignments such as this that was tweeted.
The #SaskEdChat was very interesting and fast paced. I have to admit, I felt completely overwhelmed with it at first. I felt I had to read every single comment that appeared on my screen and the comments were coming very quickly because there were so many people participating. I loved the learning environment though. I want to participate again! I like that chats are safe and convenient, we can stay at home rather than rushing out the door for yet another meeting. I appreciated that the chat was moderated therefore I felt that comments would not get out of hand/ inappropriate.
I actually like Twitter. I can see why Katia finds it so useful. At first I had a hard time understanding its purpose and role in my life because there is so much content available. I was reminded of Katia’s comments though: take what you can for now. I can save the rest for later! I can do that! My favourite thing about Twitter is that I get control over who I follow. This sounds simple enough (all platforms give you this option!) but it is significant to me because I choose like minded people that help me ‘sort’ the internet for practical and useful things in my career. Other platforms do not do the same level of ‘sorting’, even with AI.
Jana Ross 