11.5 Thing 5 - Microblogging

I have a Facebook account, but really don't do much with it except play Farmville! I have made contact with a few friends that I lost touch with for many years -- one I haven't spoken with since 1980! I like the idea of groups specific to your interests and have joined a couple of those, such as ALA. With a child about to finish junior college and head off to a 4 year university, those apps about planning for college seem like something worth looking into. As far as classroom/library use goes, I like the idea of bookclubs on Facebook. Also, students could post a project on Facebook (such as a photostory) and could post comments on other students' projects.

I do not Twitter. I have an account, have done a bit, but that's it. After reading some of the blogs and articles on using twitter in the classroom, I am inpired to try more with it. I like how Cool Cat Teacher explained how to set up your twitter account so you can get messages on your cell phone. That would make it easier to use, for me.

I am drawn to backchanneling while I am repulsed by it at the same time. Well, maybe "repulsed" is too strong of a word. I have one of those attention spans that must focus on the presenter. I cannot stand table-talk at a meeting. If I am focussing on typing my question or my response, I will miss what the presenter says. I know that about myself. But the idea of having my questions about the presenter's information answered in such a timely way -- that's great! I think this may be good for secondary school, but I'm not too sure about elementary.