It started out with setting up Instagram and them asking me my interests. Easy enough. Cute animals? You know it! I click follow and immediately my feed is filled with stories about the Kardashians and I am watching a video about bras you can glue on to yourself for maximum control and support! How did I get here??? Well, it turns out the lady who runs the Cute animals page has a thing for the Kardashians and strange fashion choices. I've learned my first lesson--Twitter is not a cut and dry land and you can quickly end up somewhere you never intended to. So, I have to think and plan carefully before using it in my classroom. That's all I need on Parent-Teacher Conference night..."Mrs. Tisa, could you explain how your assignment caused my daughter to glue.."
Some initial thoughts, however:
- I could use this to send out quick reminders to students about upcoming assignments/events!
- I could find interesting cultural items from Spanish speaking cultures and use the links/pictures as supplements to my classroom without actually having to interact with students or have them interact with Twitter.
- I could use this as a way for students to reach out to me without having to give out my phone number. They could reach out with questions, etc.
- Bonus work: I could pose questions and have students respond for bonus points. I could re-tweet cultural posts and students could respond/reflect on it.
Long story short, there is lots of potential (albeit risky at times) here in Twittersville. I need to do more research, make more contacts, find true resources instead of glue loving, Kardashian fan girls.
