Journal #2: Join the Flock

Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2011.aspx

[NETS III, IV]

I love the underlying simplicity in this article. Hadley Ferguson does a wonderful job of explaining what a PLN is and really gives novice tech users piece of mind when it comes to diving into new internet experiences. I had previous experience using twitter before starting this class but I think if I was brand new to the site this summer it will feel a bit overwhelming considering the amount of knowledge we are learning in a very short period of time. After reading this article it was calming to take a step a back and remember that I can use twitter in many different ways, taking “baby steps” as I become more comfortable with the site. Ferguson relayed lots of useful information from relevant hashtags to some of the pertinent educators she follows. Twitter can be fun and informative if you learn the tips of the trade. The best thing about it is realizing you can tweak to your taste so you don’t feel overwhelmed with information you don’t want or need.

Q: What ways can Twitter be used to connect class members who might not otherwise work together?

If the class has access to computers in the classroom, use Twitter as a means of mediating group discussions. I think this could be a fun and functional way to evolve a whole class discussion (like we did in class with the question about our favorite children’s book) or assign groups to chat using a hashtag so every member can participate. This will include the kids who might normally be to shy to raise their hand and give students who need to time to think before they construct their answer a few added moments of thought before they have to respond. This type of discussion will bring together students who might not otherwise work well together or bring together different personalities and get them away from the “clique” of friends they prefer to work with all the time.

Q: Im still overwhelmed from the information/tweets I am receiving. What can I do to change this?

I would refer back to Ferguson’s beginner steps of learning to minimize what you receive by only “looking” at first before you take bigger steps to visualize yourself in the Twitter world. If you originally followed a lot of people go back and take a look at their profile’s and see if you really find what they tweet to be pertinent to your interests. Also, if you are using Twitter for work as well as personally, it might be a good idea like Ferguson did to set up more than one account so you aren’t mixing business with pleasure. It is easier and more pleasant to tweet and retweet when your tweet stream isn’t so congregated with mixed messages. Cleaning up your stream helps streamline your thoughts. If you are at school, don’t check your personal account because chances are you won’t have a lot of time to respond and it will only distract you.