The twitter-teacher advantage



In his book Walden, Henry Thoreau states: "our inventions wont be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but an improved means to an unimproved end." Twitter could be a platform that typifies this.


I am a bit of a Luddite when it comes to certain social media in the classroom. Although Facebook is an easy target to pick apart, new studies are backing terms such as the 'comparison trap' within the sophisticated profiles and interfaces that lends to low self esteem within students and adults.  

Among others, scholar Jose Millan from Spain provokes with "Teachers tend to suffer from the 'shiny penny syndrome', that is their attention (and efforts) gets caught by the latest technology or device". 

How does twitter break the mould?

The simple nature of twitter has lead to a constant surge of teachers utilizing tweets in educational fields. That is its key as 'Principal Twitter' Ian Sheninger explains on developing a new school policy on social media:


"I put it out there on Twitter. I used a hashtag with the initials NMHS for my school...I got so many responses. Some were linked to policies, but then other people actually e-mailed me their entire policy." Sheninger demonstrates the power of the search engine generated by passionate educators, not an algorithm. Lisa Nielson (of Innovative Educator Fame) calls the online twitter presence "Confined within a 140-character limit for each post, it encourages members to find ways to present a clear and concise message to the public. This has alot of appeal not only for younger users who can educate themselves direct from intellectuals".


Where to begin?


Teaching with Twitter: Teachers embrace social media in class


How twitter is a rich collaboration with teachers: Using twitter to talk about teaching

A wonderful article on "getting started with this whole twitter thing" 


The nuts and bolts of practical teaching with twitter


Tom Whitby's What if School Was More Like Twitter


Twitter provides a terrific way for teachers to get an unlimited stream of feedback to & from students over a period of time on any subject. Students and teachers are using Twitter in a variety of ways (read the specific examples here). Early research points towards the high propensity of risk taking (as in a student participating in class discussions), breaking barriers of the dreaded raising of a hand in class, a questionable method to build ones character. 

Twitter has not only bolstered my pedagogy of transparency with colleagues and students, it has simplified my articulation and an"anywhere, anytime" exchange with like minded educators that span the globe.


This has directly impacted my students...and they have barely begun with this platform and share more ideas than ever.

If this is for you, try these:






Learn from the best and explore the current directory of Canada's formost 'edu tweeters'

Bolster your toolkit for bridging a possible parent gap with Social media for parents


Can twitter rescue introverted students? 

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