Microblogging 101

Honestly, I was eager to watch the Shout’em video on microblogging because I've heard about teachers using it in the classroom, but I didn't really understand how. However, after watching this video and checking out "Teaching with Twitter" on Steve Wheeler's Blogspot, I discovered countless creative ways that I could use microblogging and I can't wait to try them out. First and foremost, according to the video, many microblogging sites, such as Shout'em, are free and easy to set up. Once both you and your students have set up accounts, you can use microblogging to:

• post questions, prompts, and photos and have students reply or react to them


• link up with other teachers and students across the globe


• share links and media


• have students summarize a passage or what they learned in class, abiding by the 140 character limit, forcing students to think critically and write concisely.


• enable students to do their homework on their cellphones, thanks to the phone application feature that most microblogging sites have. You know your students will love this!!!


• have students pick a famous person from the past, create a microblogging account for them, and make daily entries in the role of that character