Re: Educational Tool: Twitter

Emeri Gent [Em] — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:52:51 -0000

I prefer to look at social media as an educational tool because I am mostly distracted by the mumbo-jumbo of social media experts. Sure they understand their target audience but when it comes to being non-linear in approach, I am as non-linear as one can get. The distraction of this mumbo jumbo as it pertains to Twitter are the various studies, one showing teens don't warm to it, another showing that teens are now flocking to it and then another which shows Twitter's growth stats levelling off.

As an educational tool, since I am no longer able to view the world through the eyes of a 19 year old, I am 49 year old "Silver Surfer" operating adhoc as an online exploration. What I have come to understand is a growing premise I hold that young people do not need to be taught "social media" such as Twitter, or Disqus or whatever 2.0 is out there.

What they DO need to be taught (and I am trying to learn this myself) is how to be a teacher !

I believe that when teachers reverse the educational process and ask kids to show others the "How to" of social media, they will surprise us both with how they collaborate with each other and the depth of understanding of navigating this. This I believe involves both viewing social media as a challenge and a game. As a game, I think kids do want the rules laid out but in terms of the challenge.

As "teachers" however there is "teacher training" in terms of using social media wisely, of having a network of peers who are trust marks because there are "rules of the road" online which are just as important as "rules of the road" offline.

The fact that I found this site is only because I have taken the non-linear approach of exploring the web and even at my age, one does need to factor in some street smarts. The positives of discovery do outweigh the negatives of the web, but that is where "smart" becomes a collaboration and team work. Most of these smarts involves emotional intelligence as well as street smarts in terms of the unexpected.

If the folks at Twitter have not noted this educational outcomes with students, they IMHO are sleeping at the wheel. The kids here have given a great market research report about Twitter here. I don't think that I could teach someone how to use social media, just as I was so awful in my Tae-Kwon-Do classes because of my non-linear response to structured routines or training.

So for me the question I leave after my brief visit here is

How do I become a better teacher myself or learn how to teach?

I do not think kids or adults appreciate what is involved in teaching. Parents I often find are among the weakest links in education, especially when meet the teachers day comes around, but they really reveal themselves when they are dropping off their kids at school and trying to drive past other parents (with emotionally heightened road rage).

As a parent I should have learned "how to teach" years ago, but for kids today, and in an age of continuous or lifetime learning, the real deal I believe is how we help each other. The fact that parents and students do not know how to teach is something that needs to change. Then and only when teaching is a subject that people learn at school, that the act of collaboration becomes a brilliant transformation and perhaps a revolution for education.

Anyway I have yapped on enough here. Thank you for leaving open this space. I will be on my way but as usual leaving with plenty of food for thought and of course, with one more additional mission - to try to learn how to be a better or more well groomed "teacher" in my own life.

[Em]

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Re: Educational Tool: Twitter