Journal 8: Have You Tweeted Today?

Have You Tweeted Today?
Fingal, Diana. "Have You Tweeted Today?." L&L 37. (2009): n. pag. Web. 17 Nov 2009.\

In the article “Have You Tweeted Today” by Diana Fingal she responds to John Ridley’s comments about Twitter which he believes it is somewhat an invasion of privacy and does not really understand the benefits of using the network. Fingal discusses that when people do not understand networks such as Twitter than they do not see the benefits it can bring to the classroom. Diane Fingal believes that Twitter is a great way for teacher to collaborate and share/present lessons. Another benefit Fingal discusses is how educators can share lesson plans with teachers they know or even ones they don’t. And as we all know teachers love to learn from others. However, John Ridley believes that sites such as Twitter are an invasion of privacy. As Fingal states “We need to be-come more tech savvy and in the know about media that our students are utilizing (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) to better reach and connect with them” as educators if we begin to understand the benefits of these sites we will be able to take advantage of these resources. I enjoyed reading this article because I like many others do not understand all the hype on social networks. And before reading this article and participating in the class I did not see the benefits it could have in the classroom.

What do you believe are some of the major benefits in using sites such as twitter in the classroom?
I believe using sites such as twitter benefit everyone in the classroom as Fingal states teachers can connect with each other and collaborate. I also think a benefit of using these sites is connecting with the students. I think if we use resources that they use in everyday life they will be more inclined to learning new material and enjoy it.

Why might some teachers not want to use the cyber networks in the classroom?
I believe the main reason would be because they do not know or see the benefits. I think if the teachers were more informed and understood they would immediately see the benefits of using these sites in the classroom.