An interesting debate is going on in the United Kingdom about whether Twitter should be a part of the reading/writing curriculum in primary (elementary school) grades. This article lays out the debate:
Comment of a pro-Twitter expert: According to Angela McFarlane, the professor of education who conducted
the study, pupils who master 21st-century communication technology and
social networking are better at organising their studies, use
information from different sources more effectively and often write
more extensively through the use of word processing. But some children
are missing out because of the myth that anyone under 25 can
miraculously and spontaneously pick up the latest technology, she
cautions.
Comment from anti-Twitter expert, who notes that each Twitter message is limited to just 140 characters: Learning how to use Twitter and Wikipedia will take five, maybe 10 minutes; there should be more thought and research into whether we really want to be promoting in schools a means of social networking that limits the amount of characters one can use. Using Twitter to teach children all that communication must, by definition, lack depth of any sort, and is plainly mad. Besides, it is likely that Twitter, in the faddish world of social networking, will no longer be of any interest to anyone by the time the plan to teach it is implemented.
So what you do think about using Twitter in elementary classrooms? Is it a useless gimmick or great educational tool?
Comment of a pro-Twitter expert: According to Angela McFarlane, the professor of education who conducted
the study, pupils who master 21st-century communication technology and
social networking are better at organising their studies, use
information from different sources more effectively and often write
more extensively through the use of word processing. But some children
are missing out because of the myth that anyone under 25 can
miraculously and spontaneously pick up the latest technology, she
cautions.Comment from anti-Twitter expert, who notes that each Twitter message is limited to just 140 characters: Learning how to use Twitter and Wikipedia will take five, maybe 10 minutes; there should be more thought and research into whether we really want to be promoting in schools a means of social networking that limits the amount of characters one can use. Using Twitter to teach children all that communication must, by definition, lack depth of any sort, and is plainly mad. Besides, it is likely that Twitter, in the faddish world of social networking, will no longer be of any interest to anyone by the time the plan to teach it is implemented.
So what you do think about using Twitter in elementary classrooms? Is it a useless gimmick or great educational tool?
Kelly Puente joined the Press-Telegram in 2006 as an editorial assistant and eventually worked her way up to general assignement reporter. Over the years, she’s covered everything from crime and breaking news to human interest and the cities of Bellflower and Cerritos. Kelly is a Long Beach resident and graduate of Cal State Long Beach. She’s new to the education beat and is looking for great stories.
Leave a comment