If You Give a Tween a Twitter...

If you give a tween a twitter, he'll probably want a hashtag to go with it.  But he won't know what a hashtag is.  Or what to tweet.  So you'll give him a prompt.

If you give him a prompt, he'll probably want to to tweet an answer, so he'll jump right in and start writing.  But if you give a tween a twitter, he only has 140 characters.  So he has to slow down.  And think.  And decide which words are best.  And he's not sure which words are best.  So he'll probably ask a friend.



Tweet tonight's homework.
Dogs haven't eaten any of my students' computers...yet.

If he asks the friend, the friend might not know.  So they'll ask another friend.  And maybe even someone they aren't friends with.  They might start a conversation with the new girl they just met two days ago.  And they might laugh a little at the funny words they're using.  And that new girl might make a friend.

If a tween makes a friend, she just might feel a little better about starting middle school, a little more willing to come to school each day, a little more courageous in answering questions and raising her hand and putting herself out there.  If a tween makes a friend, she will probably feel happy.

If a tween feels happy, and has a friend, and you ask her to tweet, she'll probably do it.  And later she'll want to see if anyone has followed her.  So she'll log in from home.  And she'll see other students' answers to prompts.  And she'll reconsider her original position.  And even if she's nervous about raising her hand in class, she'll probably feel okay about replying online.  And she'll retweet someone.  And someone will reply to her.  And retweet her.  And she'll have an virtual discussion with her peers about schoolwork, without even realizing that she's learning.

If you give a tween a twitter, they'll probably think about your class after they leave the room.  If you give a tween a twitter, he'll and work with friends and reflect on word choice.  If you give a tween a twitter, she'll actually want to do the assignment because it's FUN.

The 21st century educator:
Hooked in and unhinged

If you give a teacher a twitter, she will probably want a glass of wine to go with it.

The teacher will probably think of a news story in which a stupid teacher did a stupid thing and social media was involved.  And they'll think, "Isn't social media BAD?" and "Won't I get in TROUBLE?" and "Hashtag?  That sounds illegal."  And they'll probably long for the good ol' days of mimeograph machines and overheads, a time when life was simple and "tweet" was an example of onomatopoeia.

If you give a teacher a twitter, it will probably take a while for them to feel comfortable.  But if the teacher gives twitter a try, they'll probably get hooked.  They'll probably start by following their colleagues and tweeting about weekend plans.  Then they'll probably click on a link to a video or a infographic or a picture.  And they'll think, "that's really smart."  And they'll find something they can use.  And they post something insightful that gets retweeted.  And maybe they'll catch the attention of someone who knows what they're doing, and they'll have a, "Oh my god!  @RickWormeli just replied to my tweet!" moment, and then there's no going back.

@allinoleary @mzcotillo ... Just sayin'.

If you give a teacher a twitter, they'll probably realize that there is a vast online community of passionate, engaged, and not at all creepy or unprofessional teachers who are "out there" sharing ideas and best practices and focused on what's in the best interests of students.  And teachers will probably find it inspiring, and exciting, and empowering.  And they'll probably start counting their followers and comparing their total with their colleagues in a bizarre sort of competition of who is dorkier and cooler at the same time.  

This blog has spread primarily through Facebook and Twitter.  So now we ask our cool and dorky readers - how are you using social media to your advantage?  Comment below - we won't make you stick to 140 characters. #CRL