Research

Blogging/User-Created Content

     Blogging is one of many technologies that teachers may choose to use in their classroom.  Many students may already be familiar with blogging and it can be a technique to better engage students.  MacBride and Luehmann, (2008) looked at the blogging assignments of a high school mathematics teacher and his students.  They found that the teacher, through blogging, wanted to create additional ways for students to participate in class and to increase the amount of time students spent with math content.  They concluded that blogging lets students have a real audience so they do their best work, it allows reflection because they can easily look at their previous work, students teach each other content, content discussions are continued after the lesson, and students use their existing Internet abilities (graphing tools, formatting tools and others) to help them express their knowledge of math content.   Another conclusion of MacBride and Luehmann, (2007) I found important is both the teacher and students thought time spent blogging is worthwhile.

     Ellison and Wu, (2008) looked at students’ perceptions of the aspects of blogging (writing an entry, reading other students’ blogs, or reading other students’ comments on one’s blog) to see which was most helpful to understanding course content.  It was found that reading other students’ blogs was considered most helpful for understanding course concepts.  Ellison and Wu, (2008) found a need for more guidance for students on how to review the work of students’ peers and for understanding of their peers’ viewpoints different from their own.  They also state that blogging alone will not increase student learning it must be combined with sound instructional techniques.  The authors suggest that students may come to class with preconceived ideas of how to blog so it is important to give rules and examples for correct blogging.  They also said if students are to give peer feedback they need to be guided as to what is constructive criticism and know that respectful disagreements are ok.  The study concludes that classroom blogs can use teens’ interest and ability in online communication to support learning in a subject area, in this case mathematics.  They said the realized benefits of classroom blogs depended largely on how a teacher chooses to structure and use the blog.

     In a study by Jimoyiannis and Angelaina, (2011) an analysis framework was used to study students’ engagement and learning from blogging.  They found effective blogging happens when the instructor does the following:  shows all students examples of good blogs and how to participate; designs a blog with learning goals, timelines for task completion, and scaffolding; watches what is posted on the blog; encourage all students to participate while giving them support; gives mandatory writing requirements to be posted on the blog; and assess students on their participation in the blog.  Lastly this study suggests that students achieved higher thinking and cognitive levels from blogging. 

     All studies mentioned above indicate that blogging done properly helps student learning.  I think blogging helps not only better understanding of content but also helps boost writing ability.  Blogging can be structured enough to give students clear directions while also giving them the ability to do things their way.  It lets students create and share their writing.  Since the final audience for a blog post is not only the teacher but also their peers, students will most likely spend more time on their writing.

     If I were to implement a blog I would try to use what has been learned through research on blogs.  I would give students examples of good blog posts and comments.  They would be given a rubric listing what is expected for their blog post and comments.  I would decide on a topic and have students write about it in their blog.  I would probably let them post relevant photos and links to other online resources.  After careful direction on how to respectfully and constructively comment on their peers’ blogs I would let students comment on other student blogs.

Blogging lets students become a more active participant in learning because they decide how they will write about a subject.  Since they can also post photos and links this lets students learn visually or from other links containing information on a subject.  Students will need continuing guidance and blogs will have to be constantly monitored but research indicates blogging is a worthwhile learning experience.

References

Ellison, N., & Wu, Y. (2008). Blogging in the Classroom:  A Preliminary Exploration of Student Attitudes and Impact on Comprehension. Journal of Educational Multimedia & Hypermedia, 17(1), 99-122. Retrieved December 14, 2007, from Education Research Complete database.

Jimoyiannis, A., & Angelaina, S. (2011).  Towards an Analysis Framework for Investigating Students’ Engagement and Learning in Educational Blogs. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 28, 222-234.

MacBride, R., Luehmann, A. (2008). Capitalizing on Emerging Technologies:  A Case Study of Classroom Blogging. School Science & Mathematics, 108(50), 173-183.

Engagement Learning Theory

Engagement Theory

     Engagement theory originated with Ben Schneiderman’s and Greg Kearsley’s experiences with electronic and distance education, http://resources.chuh.org/chhs/allaboutu/engage.html.  It is intended to be a framework for technology-based learning and teaching, http://resources.chuh.org/chhs/allaboutu/engage.html. Kearsley and Schneiderman acknowledge that engagement can occur without the use of technology but they think technology helps engagement in ways that are hard to accomplish otherwise.  Their fundamental idea behind the theory is that “students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks”, http://resources.chuh.org/chhs/allaboutu/engage.html.   Engaged learning means that all student activities involve active cognitive processes such as creating, problem-solving, reasoning, decision-making, and evaluation, http://resources.chuh.org/chhs/allaboutu/engage.html.. 

     The theory was not derived from other prominent learning theories but it has much in common with some of them.  It has an emphasis on meaningful learning so it is consistent with Constructivism, http://resources.chuh.org/chhs/allaboutu/engage.html.  Since it emphasizes collaboration among peers and a community of learners it is similar to situated learning theories, http://resources.chuh.org/chhs/allaboutu/engage.html. 

     There are three components of this theory:  relate, create, and donate, http://edutech-hasina.blogspot.com/2011/10/blog-post.html. In this theory learning activities:

1.      occur in a group (are collaborative)

2.      are project-based

3.      have an outside or authentic focus.

     

     Any project is designed around relate-create-donate, http://resources.chuh.org/chhs/allaboutu/engage.html.  In the relate component of engagement theory emphasis is placed on collaboration of the group.  They all communicate, plan, manage and use social skills.  The create component is the problem-solving learning activity.  Students analyze a problem, whose topic may be assigned, and design a solution to the problem by applying ideas.  The thought here is students have more control over their own learning.  The third component or principle of Engagement theory is donate.  Students are supposed to create a project that is authentic or useful to others in the real world.  The emphasis is on nonacademic.   The project is supposed to be “donated” or worthwhile to other students, school, church, community, museums, government agencies or other entities. 

     By combining relate-create-donate students form a successful team that finds a solution to a problem through collaboration.  The tasks in relate-create-donate are similar to what students will encounter when they are in the “real” working world so this way of learning is supposed to be great preparation for what students will face when they enter the workforce.

     Another important thing to note about Engagement theory is that the learner is thought to benefit most when the computer interface in online learning helps a student form connections with other people, https://instructionaldesignfusions.wordpress.com/tag/kearsley-and-shneiderman/.   

      While Engagement theory was formulated from the experiences of online Instructors, it is intended to be a basis for technology-based learning and teaching so I think it may be applied to students using technology in a classroom setting.  I chose this theory to talk about because I think it is interesting and because it lends itself to teaching and learning science concepts, especially when having students work in a laboratory or on a project.   In a classroom outfitted with iPADS and a Whiteboard I can imagine using several of the technology teaching and learning tools we have discussed in EPTP 5000 and applying the Engagement theory.

     As an example of this I would place the students in groups to work on a project ("relate" and "create" components of Engagement theory) designed to investigate a problem in the real world like why new antibiotics constantly need to be developed.  The concepts of evolution and genetics in bacteria would be explored by students to help explain why bacteria develop resistance to existing antibiotics thus creating a need for new ones.  I do not think this is an easy way to teach because the students have to be watched to make sure they are on task and they have to have a basic understanding of the concepts they need to apply to solve their assigned problem!

     I would set up a Wiki containing mashups explaining relevant concepts in evolution and genetics for them to use.  It might also be helpful to develop a Webquest for them to help understand the theory of evolution and the theories in genetics.  I could see where Pearltrees and other websites could be used to explain ideas and see examples of the concepts.  Images from Pearltrees could be used in class presentations too.  The students could develop, as a group, a report of their project using PowerPoint.   Since everyone would have iPADS they would be free to communicate after school to work on their project.  Students could use their own mashups or podcasts in their PowerPoint presentation.  I think the report they would create could be helpful for others students and adults in the community to understand some of the most important concepts in Biology like evolution and genetics ("donate" component of Engagement theory).  Antibiotic resistance is something most people can relate to since it is often in the news.  Understanding why it occurs is truly relevant to most people because of the implications of having antibiotics that no longer work due to resistance.  Evolution and genetics are topics that can be difficult to understand and students sometimes question why they need to be studied at all since they do not appear to be relevant to their life outside school.  They have the same opinion about some of the other topics in science so anytime students can see a reason to learn science it is helpful.  Most students identify with and love using technology like iPADS, cell phones and others.  Using tech to help them learn science might draw in more students who otherwise would not care.      

Social Media

1.  What is the appeal for the young and old to network in online places like the ones you examined this week?

On a personal level social media allows people of any age to keep in touch with their family, friends, and other acquaintances.  When I'm on Facebook I learn so much more about my friends and extended family than I would have otherwise just by reading their postings.  It is great for keeping in touch with friends who have moved, relatives living elsewhere, and those who live nearby.  If you have a smartphone it is easy to access social media from just about anywhere.  Social media can help you learn new information about products you may want to buy or to learn more about a hobby you have.  People may easily become part of a group, whether it is political, a hobby, or practically any interest you can think of.  I think this leads to less of a feeling of isolation from other people sharing the same interests or values.   

At the professional level social media also has much to offer in terms of collaboration, communication, information resources and other enrichments.   This is true for business and education.  In the MMS Education 2012 Survey of Educators on Social Networking, Online Communities, and Web 2.0 Tools, 82% of the educators surveyed have memberships in social networks, http://www.mmseducation.com/Educators-and-SocialNetworking_FinalReport_MMSEducation.pdf  The report indicated that there is growing awareness by educators that online networks allow access to other educators and classroom resources.  There is so much information on the internet and it can be tough to find what is wanted for your classroom so it is helpful to find a quality education-focused site.  Using quality sites offer some of the same rewards as personal social media sites do-communicating with others in the same specialty or areas of interest, learning new information, and forming groups with others.

2.  If used in a classroom, how might networking websites positively and negatively affect teaching and learning?

In the 2011 NMC Horizon Report K-12 a personal learning environment(PLE) was discussed, (Johnson, et al, 2011).  It is described as a system that helps enable self-directed and group-based learning which is designed around each student's goals.  One benefit is more student control over learning, while teachers are more of a guide rather than directing all learning.  This hopefully will create more motivation and interest on the part of the student.  Since students help choose what is in their PLE they may select the method of learning that helps them the most whether it is visual, auditory or something else.  The 2011 NMC Horizon Report mentioned a school in Canton, Georgia that uses Netvibes, go.nmc.org/nlrof, as a PLE.  The report stated that the goal In Canton is to balance predetermined lessons with educational sources chosen by students and reflecting their interests.

In order for schools to adopt PLEs and other networking websites the infrastructure to support them obviously needs to be there.  Students also need access to their own electronic device, whether it is a phone, iPad or something else.  There are usually restrictions on what websites may be accessed at school, especially Facebook and other "personal" social media sites.  As networking websites become more accepted hopefully most of these road blocks will be removed.  There are security concerns when letting students access the internet at school.  Websites track what is searched and many data mine in order to tailor advertising and who knows what else for.  After student teaching I can see there would have to be a lot of monitoring to make sure students are safely and responsibly using the internet.  I think there need to be rules established about internet use.  My experience is with grades 7-12 so my comments are more directed to that group.  In an article by Nancy Willard about schools and online social networking, http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues/issues423.shtml , she suggests that clear internet rules need to be stated.  They need to:  include that the internet is to be used for educational sites, discuss online safety, have technical monitoring, and have appropriate consequences for not following the rules.  And last but not least teachers need professional development in technology for the classroom.

3.  In what kind of site might you tend to spend most of your time networking and for what purpose?

I do not currently belong to any professional networking sites but Classroom 2.0, Discovery Education Network and The Educator's PLN look interesting.  I want to learn how to integrate technology into lesson plans.  I will look for:  information related to the subject I am teaching, lesson plans, comments from other teachers on what works and what doesn't, possible collaboration with other teachers, how internet security concerns are addressed, how to motivate students, how to tailor learning to individual students, developing more student directed learning and to keep up with trends in education.  Discovery Education offers many science-related videos and lesson plans although some of it is not free.  The schools where I did Methods and Student Teaching subscribed to it.  Classroom 2.0 and Educator's PLN are free though.  The Educator's PLN should be helpful in getting started on developing PLNs.  It should help me expand my knowledge on topics I am interested in and interrelate with other teachers.

For personal networking I use Facebook and Twitter.  I like to keep up with friends and family and many of them use Facebook.  I do not post to Facebook all that often although I do share sites I like.  I sometimes comment on other posts.   I started using Twitter fairly recently so I am still learning about it.  I have found lots of people to follow and it is great to be able to see what is trending in the areas I am interested in.  I now follow news sites, some celebrities, financial sites and personalities, friends, my son and some of his friends.  I am reading a book on Twitter now.  It is interesting to read about how businesses use Twitter to promote and analyze whatever their product is.

4.  In what ways will this benefit you and what do you think might be the drawbacks?

I can think of many benefits to using networking professionally and personally.  Exposure to what other educators besides just those in your building are thinking and doing can greatly expand what you learn about teaching.  There are the benefits of possible collaboration, helping students become more interested in learning by getting them more involved in their own learning through use of technology, gaining access to quality resources for the classroom, possible interaction with other classrooms in other parts of the country or world, and finding out from other teachers what has worked or not in the classroom.

Some of the drawbacks are those that anyone using the internet might face.  Internet security, data mining, hacking, cyber bullying and other issues might all be concerns.  On top of that if students are using the internet there must be safeguards to try to protect them.  The teacher and school are responsible for the students so it really important to discuss possible problems from using the internet.  I also think continued research is needed on whether using networking in the classroom helps learning.  I think it needs to be integrated into lesson plans but It should probably be gradual at this time.

5.  What can you do to minimize the problems associated with social networking?

I think teachers need to carefully study what has happened in schools currently using social networking.  Reports like the NMC Horizon Report, www.nmc.org/nmc-horizon, are good sources for finding schools using social networking and other technologies.  Educators need the approval of administration before proceeding with introduction of new technology in the classroom.  Classroom rules, or school-wide rules, need to be established on how to safely use the internet.  Some internet sites need to be blocked so students cannot access them since I think it would be very difficult to make sure 30+ students are not visiting inappropriate websites.  If internet rules are violated then the appropriate consequences need to be followed.  I think there are concerns from teachers about repercussions from online collaboration and from other forms of social networking.  I think some of the concerns are valid and you need to be very careful about what is posted.

References

Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Haywood, K., (2011). The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

    

Gaming

Using Gaming in the Classroom

What do I think about gaming in the classroom?  I thought of gaming as primarily electronic which is not the case.  It can be a paper and pencil word search to up to "massive multiplayer online", or MMO (Johnson, et al, 2011).  Before looking at this week's readings I have not really thought much about using games to help students learn.  I thought there was very limited use of them, at least the electronic ones, as a learning technique.  One reason for this thought is the lack of technology in classrooms to support the use of gaming for learning.  Many schools do not have iPADs, mobile phones or other electronic devices needed for gaming.  However that is changing.  Several schools around where I live are starting to supply iPADs or MACs to students.  Most students love gaming but for fun but not classroom education.  Since gaming is something they are so familiar with it would be great to integrate it into lessons that will motivate them to learn.   In the NMC 2011 Horizon Report it is stated that proponents of game-based learning think it supports collaboration, problem-solving and communication (Johnson, et al, 2011).  The report mentions that research on consumer games has found what makes games appealing and engaging for different ages and genders.  The report also says that the qualities that make games appealing can be transferred to games featuring educational content (Johnson, et al, 2011).  Students spend a lot of time now playing video games outside the classroom so I think it is important that they be used with other learning techniques and not be the dominant method used by instructors.  Gaming has a lot of potential as a classroom tool though, especially if students are closely monitored to make sure they are learning.

Some of the gaming sites I looked at include:

Virtual Cell, www.wowiwe.net

This is a simulation where students travel through the interior of a cell and try to identify the organelles inside using biological assays.  They use an assay or test to encourage using the scientific method in identifying an organelle instead of just guessing.  The test may involve looking for an enzyme associated with that organelle.  There are many steps used to correctly identify an organelle and students can get help if they give incorrect answers.  I liked this game but there are concepts students obviously would need to be introduced to before playing.

Dumptown, http://www.epa.gov/recyclecity/gameintro.htm

In this simulation the player is the City Manager who helps people reduce waste, use less energy and reduce costs.  The manager encourages citizens and businesses to recycle, reduce waste, keep track of total waste, and manage the costs associated with recycling and waste disposal.  There are many steps that may be taken and costs associated are shown so it gives students a chance to evaluate the steps taken.

Planet Dinosaur, http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/54wHG51QS1CjVJX2fS97Txq/planet-dinosaur-game

Students get a chance to raise a dinosaur by choosing its habitat and food, helping them avoid extinction.  I think it is a good basic site where students learn about habitat and survival.  If students choose incorrect habitats or food the dinosaur does not survive.

All of the games I chose above are simulations. In an online article about gaming, Marc Prensky indicated the newest games encourage persistence through practice, offer quick decision making, action, feedback and reflection that is the basis for learning, www.edutopia.org/sims-vs-games.  The article also stated that games or simulations may be a better learning style for some students and they loose that normally short attention span when playing games.  Gaming has a place in classrooms and as evidence continues to grow showing its benefit it can be a useful motivating tool for learning.

References

Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., and Haywood, K., (2011).  The 2011 Horizon Report.  Austin, Texas:  The New Media







  

Open Content, Creative Commons and Electronic Book Effects on Teaching and Learning

This week's readings were new material for me so they required some repeat reading but hopefully I can communicate coherent thoughts on the topic!  According to the MNC 2011 Horizon Report K-12, www.nmc.org/pdf/2011-Horizon-Report-K12.pdf,  open content is sharing information, instructional practices and experiences.  The report presents it as a cost effective alternative to textbooks where understanding, insight and experience may be shared.  They indicate students get skills related to finding, evaluating, interpreting and repurposing resources for subjects they are studying.  Some other benefits to students include availability of many more resources and access anytime online.  Open content may be more learner-centered if instructors offer several types of sources-video, text, audio or others.  A link in the 2011 Horizon Report K-12, opensource.com/open-source-way, states open content leads to an open exchange of ideas and information, collaboration, creation, and problem solving.  It may bring together diverse ideas and allow people to share work.   In my view open content may be a great resource for the classroom but there are problems.  There is a lot of material to search through and it obviously needs to be relevant and factually correct.  If teachers share online via video what they are doing in the classroom everyone may see their work thus possibly setting themselves up for an unwelcome response.  This will probably not be the case in most instances but there is that chance.  Teachers need to get the approval from their school too before they collaborate.  Selections of online resources will need to be made for most students.   Overall I think open content may be very helpful to teachers, students and school administrations.  Some schools like Open High School in Utah have adopted open content, go.nmc.org/wesdn.  Open content may include online textbooks available for free to schools so there is the potential for large cost savings.

Sources of open content include individuals, corporations, libraries, universities and other institutions that have made books and other information available for viewing and use by others.  One issue mentioned in this week's readings is orphan books, those books abandoned by the author and publisher.  I have run across books I wanted to read that were no longer obtainable but I did not really know much about orphan books.  There are a lot of legal issues I really do not understand but I think it would be helpful if these books were made available to the public.  This may be simplistic due to costs and copyright law.  In regard to Google and Orphan Works in our readings I do not like it there is a monopoly control over online access to a large body of orphans.

Another category of resources for the classroom is free content.  Wikipedia describes it as a work that has no significant legal restriction on its use, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_content.  In contrast, they describe open content as not having conventional copyright restrictions.  They also state that open content licenses rely on a copyright holder's power to license their work, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_content#Major_open_content_repositories_and_directories.

Creative Commons helps authors and others contribute to open content.  Creative Commons is a mechanism to help anyone who owns copyright- or database-protected content to waive those interests and place them in the public domain, http://creativecommons.org.  The licenses available through Creative Commons allow creators to choose how restrictive the release of their work should be.

After reading about open and free content I think it is necessary for everyone to try to find out what type of content they are using in the classroom, follow the licensing rules if appropriate and to make sure they site the source of the material.  Otherwise the copyright police may show up.

Electronic books, whether they are free, open or purchased content, are becoming more prominent in classrooms. In the NMC 2011 Horizon Report K-12 it states electronic books are not always just  copies of printed books, some have visual interfaces that include multimedia, www.nmc.org/pdf/2011-Horizon-Report-K12.pdf.  This would be great for visual learners.  Advantages of ebooks include portability, size and weight.  Who has not seen kids lugging huge backpacks full of books?  In the 2011 Horizon Report they mentioned that Ball State University has a class where future teachers used Kindles to experience firsthand how electronic books can be used in teaching and learning, www.nmc.org/pdf/2011-Horizon-Report-K12.pdf.  As more classrooms use electronic readers hopefully more universities will offer similar coursework.  

In the Clouds

My wordle is from The Biology Corner, a website with resources for biology 

teachers.

Cloud Computing Sites:

Popcorn Maker-Students and teachers may use this site to remix web videos, audio and images to create mashups that can be embedded into other websites. 

Classconnect-Instructors may build, upload, collaborate, find and share lesson 

plans. 

Scitable-Scientists, teachers, students and experts collaborate and create a 

large online library on subjects they choose.  Popcorn maker lets students createa website about a subject they are currently studying.  They are actively 

involved in researching, analyzing and creating.  Scitable lets teachers and students interact with scientists and experts. They get a chance to collaborate and 

discuss authentic science.  Classconnect allows teachers to more easily obtain 

material and collaborate with other teachers, expanding access to material.  

http://www.pearltrees.com/sdood

Social bookmarking is a way to collect and share a lot of information about a 

topic.  You may access it easily in one place.  By using tags it is possible to 

find what other people have collected.  In the NMC Horizon Report 2011 K-12 it isstated that cloud computing saves resources.  Social bookmarking lets students 

and instructors find material that previously would have been harder, or

impossible, and more expensive to obtain.  Students may see videos about topics 

that are hard to visualize so instead of just reading about something they get tosee it too. Social bookmarking also allows collaboration among students.

Overall I think tags, social bookmarking and tag clouds let everyone find much 

more classroom material than was possible in the past.  It allows collaboration 

and the opportunity to sometimes see an abstract topic in a video or other form 

of presentation.  I did not know about Pearltrees.  It makes it so easy to store and retrieve information!  In the NMC Horizon Report 2011 K-12 it is mentioned 

that Northwestern University has created iLab Central, an authentic virtual 

laboratory in the cloud which lets high school students of all socio-economic 

backgrounds take part in experiments.  This creates new opportunities for 

students and helps hold down costs to schools.  

Blogging & Twittering

Although I have read blogs in the past I have never created one so this is progress toward becoming a little more tech savvy.  After reading about blogs I can see their benefits in education.  They help students and instructors with writing skills, reading and researching a topic.  Hopefully if someone is going to post on a blog they will take a little more time and try to write as skillfully as they can.  Some reading will probably need to be done before posting on a topic.  Students may need to read and analyze many articles before they can really address a topic intelligently.  This experience helps them learn how to research a topic.  When students post to a blog it enables individual participation which is important when teachers are trying to engage students and get them to play an active role in the classroom.  As stated in the 2009 Horizon Report:  K-12, technology is a primary way for students to take control of  their own learning.  They also indicated controlling your own learning leads to deeper and longer retained learning.  Using an IPAD or other device to blog may get students who do not participate much otherwise to become more involved.  Blogging also allows collaboration and discussion, reinforcing learning because students work with others and discuss each other's ideas.  By following posted links on a blog students may be directed to information that might help them understand more.  If students learn how to do podcasts it also helps with their speaking ability.

I have been on Twitter for a few years now.  I started when my son went to Washington, DC with his eighth grade class.  His teacher set up a twitter account which parents could access so we knew what the kids were doing.  She tweeted on the way to DC and gave updates daily.  It was very convenient and comforting to know what was going on.  Since then I look at Twitter for short periods, sometimes every day, to check on my son's and other tweets.  I follow some of my friends, a few celebrities, news organizations, and other networks that interest me.  It is fun to see direct communication from well known people, their words are not altered or filtered like it happens sometimes in newspapers or articles online.  Twitter lets you see comments that might not make it into a newspaper or an online article, especially those from friends.  It lets you find information very tailored to your interests.  Even though I follow I have never tweeted and until this week's class readings I was mostly unaware of educational benefits.  Since tweeting is microblogging I can see how they have some of the same benefits.  Some benefits mentioned in the video "Tweets for Education" include finding out what is very currently in the news, and getting information on topics form very direct sources, such as a Civics class student following Senator John McCain.   Twitter may be used as a tool for class discussion.  If tweets are monitored closely students can respond immediately and take part in a discussion.  Students also have the ability to respond when they want from a variety of devices.  Twitter allows building a community inside and outside the classroom. One last point I will mention is that since tweets are limited to 140 characters it makes students determine what is important enough to be said, hopefully making them use a more critical type of thinking.

Overall, blogging and Twitter are good ways to communicate personally and professionally.  These tech tools are newer ways to get students involved and motivated to learn.