Titio. Titiemusne?

I have recently signed up for a Twitter account. My handle is MsEffundatrix (my name, Latinisized).

I'm interested to learn more about this webtool. It may not be a good fit for me. My prose has been called Proustian, so 140 characters may not be the right thing for me. Still, I'm very optimistic about the possibilities for personal use and life-long learning.

However, I worry about asking my students to join Twitter before they are ready to manage the personal information they share. Twitter makes it easy to let a whole world of people know exactly what you're thinking in just an instant without much time for reflection. It takes experience to determine what is safe and appropriate to share with the world wide web.
That is not to say that adults do not have to learn this skill also. Perhaps many of our students are more savvy than adults when it comes to internet sharing. However, even the most luddite adult has had opportunities to forge his own identity and the permutations of that identity in each of the communities in which he participates.
An adolescent or pre-adolescent is still in the process of creating her primary adult identity. If she is still developing in her cocoon, I do not want my course requirements to push her out of her shell before she is ready. Her development should not be complicated by having it take place in the public eye. So I worry about asking students to put themselves in a position where they are expected to share themselves and their thoughts regularly and instantaneously.

On the other hand, I do believe students have to enter the wider world at some point. It's just a matter of when. They should learn to move beyond the cliques and social circles or their own high school. Taking part in a larger internet community, outside of their Facebook friends, could really expand their horizons. If they learn to follow current events, influential writers, politicians, and connect to those who also follow these Twitterers, this could be a new community of learners for our students. A very exciting prospect worth teachers' consideration.

We also have to consider the role of technology in the classroom. When we use webtools, are we using them to teach technological literacy, or are we using them to reach students where they are? This article in the Washington Post points out that Twitter is not very popular with teens. Using Twitter in the classroom does not reach students where they already are. It is a new medium, a new skill for them.
If an educator is already a successful user of Twitter, has found it very useful for her own professional development and life-long learning, than she is ready to share it with her students. But if the educator is still learning Twitter for herself, or has found it to be unhelpful, there's little reason to bring it into her classroom.

If Twitter is used in the classroom, there are many potential uses. Here are some of the ones I found in this article by Gabriela Grosseck and Carmen Holotescu that I like in particular:
~ Promoting Blogs: if you already use a blog for your class, instantly let everyone know about updates
~ Quick Announcements: if you feel comfortable being in constant contact with students, Twitter can be checked on computer or phone for up to date information
~ Research: especially on current events and developments in the news
~ Succinct responses: learning how to communicate quickly and precisely is a very important skill. I'm not sure I've mastered it myself; I tend to ramble. If the instructor creates a specific learning activity based around succinct communication, Twitter with its 140 character limit may be a useful tool.

Twitter is not the only microblogging tool available to educators. Micro Mobs could also be used. As Mr. Byrne explains, Micro Mobs can be used to create a public or private micromessaging network. If you're worried about using a public service like Twitter for more private announcements meant for only your students and their families, or your coworkers, this might be a great alternative.