This week’s blog is all about twitter, tweeting, following, replying, and most importantly my overall experience with twitter so far.
So here we are, in the digital age, with enough knowledge to get a PhD at our actual fingertips. And what do we use it for? Well… to look up funny memes, and cat pictures of course (: . Until I enrolled in a global educator class at my university, I really thought “hey, that is really what twitter is for, and it serves that purpose well.” Personally, I never was a huge twitter user but occasionally I would check in to see how some bands were doing, or see some celebrity drama, and maybe to catch the occasional funny meme. But since using twitter as a future educator I have discovered a whole world inside a realm of twitter that I never even knew existed.
My first real encounter with using twitter for something other than leisure was when I was assigned to participate in a twitter chat. In the assignment we used a hashtag, which is essentially a word or phrase that allows others to find applicable content, to find a group of like minded people to discuss ideas with. In my twitter chat, immediately I must have been given 7-10 different apps that could help future students learn to the best of their capability. Needless to say, I was blown away with the ease of finding this new information. For the first time I felt as if I was apart of this crazy twitterverse, and not just some observer.
I feel like the other part of twitter I have really enjoyed is the connectedness I now feel with people I follow. In reality, I have never met any of these people. However, I have learned so much about what they value as educators, their interests, and their views on the world. This is something that really can’t be accomplished in a regular online classroom setting. For that, I am very appreciative.
One of the things I really don’t like about twitter is how it has become so apart of American life. People are checking their cell phone and staring at a screen for hours a day to see what someone has said, or commented. As humans, this is not the way we are meant to live out lives. Twitter is a great tool to help people become more aware of global issues, and become global citizens. But I feel it is more important to be conscious of your own life most importantly, be aware of the life you live in the moment. IF the internet were to crash tomorrow, would you be satisfied with the connections you have made in your personal life? I believe genuine human connection is what makes life worth living, and if you’re consistently staring at a computer screen, you are missing the essence of life. TO GO OUT AND LIVE! In the picture I posted, someone is in a beautiful serene environment. Instead of living in that moment and truly taking in what it means to be one with our universe, they are snapping a picture for twitter, or instagram content. It almost degrades what it means to be human if we are constantly posting pictures to keep up with others.
My experience with twitter has been great so far, and I love some of the things it provides. It’s ease of use, ability to connect people from all over, and brings knowledge to your finger tips. My only critique is that I fear one day, it could out compete human connection, and that scares me greatly.
If you like this post, or my other blogs give me a follow on twitter at: @Treen97657241 . Thanks for reading!
This is exactly how I felt about Twitter myself! I thought it was just for memes and jokes. I never thought it could be used for something with a greater purpose! Twitter helped me build parts of my PLN in such a non-traditional way, and I think its kind of awesome! However, I do agree with you that we need to make more personal connections in the living world rather than the digital world.
After your class ends, do you think you will continue to use Twitter as a professional and educational tool to have at your disposal?