I notice that the deadline for voting in Jane Hart’s 17th annual survey of Top Tools for Learning is Thursday, August 31.
During my teaching years, I regularly participated in Jane Hart’s survey. Once the results were released, I would review them and choose which tools I would encourage my students – especially my student research assistants — to use. Below is a blog about how I saw increasing value in using Twitter.
A “Revisited” blog post indicates that I reread the original and used AI-assisted tools (e.g., Grammarly) to improve grammar and word choice.
In my voting this year, I definitely will “X” out Twitter as a top learning tool. It has become user-unfriendly with WordPress and no longer fulfills my needs as a learner. The tool no longer meets my standards or needs, and I’ll no longer give a twit about this X-tool!
First Published on: Dec 3, 2015
It’s my research day. I just helped Leo the Great Pyr onto his Central Bark Doggie Day Care bus.
And I had a team meeting with Lizzy and Alison, two of my student research assistants. Before giving them research assignments, I shared my Christmas ritual of opening up Jacquie Lawson’s marvelous Advent Calendar App. Thank you, Jacquie, for giving us reasons to smile and be in awe.
While working, I received a Facebook communication (and feedback) that Katerina and Tim Miklos, now in England, enjoyed the wedding video Alison produced with iMovie as one of her research projects with me on Tuesday. I hope to research and develop my student’s global communication tools, such as Skype, by communicating with Katerina in England, Ben in Hungary, Maren in Madagascar, Andrew in Switzerland, and Hersonia in Mexico. Who else abroad is willing to help us learn together?
I’m monitoring my Twitter feed as I write this blog piece and find ten ideas, resources, and thought-leaders worth following. The nuggets outweigh the dross as I refine my Twitter filters and make better use of Twitter applications. I still am not quite ready to explore Twitter Chats. Just because a technology learning tool HAS capabilities doesn’t mean I need them or should change my teaching to accommodate them.
Thank you, Teri Johnson and Jane Hart, for firmly but gently nudging me into exploring Twitter.
Here are ten tweets that informed me or guided my learning today:
- Maria Konnikova has a new book out in January. She writes so well about psychology and pseudo-science. I pre-ordered the book and sent her a brief note. Thank you, Maria, for your clear thinking, lucid writing, and thought-provoking ideas.
- Alec Couros recommends a Ted Talk about “Where Good Ideas Come From.” I’ll look at that if I can find time before teaching my research Seminar. Thank you, Alec, for the inspiration.
- The indefatigable Richard Byrne alerts me to free Technology Tools for Teachers.
- While I am data mining resources from K-12, I quickly glance at my Edutopia feed.
- A colleague on LinkedIn suggests reposting an article about skills every young professional should have. I see value in sharing this with my advisees. Thank you, Rebecca!
- I see a Mac 911 MacWorld piece about incorporating special characters into documents. I’ll need this as I try blog pieces in different languages. I snag it (oops, gotta be careful. I own that App and am starting to use my Dictation software as I write blogs).
- Richard Kiker’s use of Paper. Li motivates me to return to explore its utility as a curating tool. I assign that protection to Arianna.
- I am reminded and convinced that it is essential to incorporate thinking about climate change—and doing something about it into my life.
- I quickly look at a recent EverNote blog post since I struggle with how best to master its features.
- I glance at recent posts from LifeHacker—always fun to read and read one about how there doesn’t seem to be enough time.
YIKES! Tempus fugit (or as Mrs. Bode, my Howland High School Latin teacher, often punned, Time fidgets!)
Time to protect myself against internet distractions.
