Blastoff into the Twitterverse!

Although not as catchy, a better title for this post might be “Preparing for Liftoff.” My first experience with Twitter has basically put me onto the launch pad. I don’t think liftoff into the twitterverse will actually occur until I begin teaching my own classes and microblogging with educators on a regular basis. After all, situated learning, one of Twitter’s greatest benefits, really depends on established social interaction between the twitterer and the twitterverse. Nevertheless, ideas from educators who are currently using microblogs in their teaching have stimulated my thinking about how I might use Twitter in my future ESL classroom. Here are a few thoughts sparked by those soaring through their self-created twitterverses.

A simple activity shared in Twenty-Nine Interesting Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom is word play. I could twitter my students in English and ask them to send synonyms for specific vocabulary used in my tweet. Taking that idea further, students could consult with their Twitter networks to get more examples of proper vocabulary use.

Another great idea shared in Back to School: Ideas for Twitter in the Foreign Language Classroom is to use Twitter for formative assessment purposes. If I ask my students to post daily tweets in English about a specific topic or to poll other twitterers about a controversial issue, I would have a record of dated posts that I could use to assess an individual’s progress over time. The accumulation of quick writing samples would also allow me to identify shared writing and language problems, and to adjust my teaching accordingly. I could also ask students to tweet me with their feedback on activities.

Other benefits of using Twitter in language education include expanding language learners' communication with native speakers and increasing students' interest in the target language culture. As a homework assignment, I could challenge my students to use Twitter to identify five recommended cultural activities in a U.S. city. In their research students would likely encounter tweets that scaffold their language learning and enhance their interest in local and U.S. culture.

At the end of the day, it’s fairly easy to be convinced of the advantages (for both teachers and students) of having visible, documented, situated learning at your fingertips. For me, the challenge of Twitter lies in making micro-blogging a regular and ordinary part of my life. The next obvious step is to start sending tweets and get comfortable with Twitter etiquette. As a professional it’s important to remember that having a willingness to share experiences and discoveries is what makes collective knowledge possible. Over time meaningful connections with edutwitterers will develop, but first there must be a commitment to launch into the twitterverse.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…