This summer I jumped on the Twitter bandwagon after being pushed into it by my professor - and I am so glad I did! I have made professional connections with other literacy specialists as well as important professional literacy leaders.
Today I learned the power of using Twitter with my students. I was working in a fifth grade classroom a few weeks ago on selecting good fit books and strategies for finding that next great read. I discussed how I had read Fish in a Tree and then immediately shared it with a friend as a way to get book recommendations. One of the students in the class perked up and shared that he too was reading Fish in a Tree and was loving it. I then shared with him that I had connected with Lynda Mullaly Hunt on Twitter over the summer. He wanted to see the conversation so I suggested that he come down to my room when he had a chance.
Later that day, the student came down and as I was opening up my computer and logging in to Twitter, we discussed our love for Fish in a Tree. One comment really stuck with me. So the next morning I asked him if he would be okay with me tweeting his comment. He shyly said yes, so I posted his comment and tagged Lynda. What happened next was magic!
As soon as I got the notification that she responded, I ran to the student's classroom and shared with him what Lynda had written. His response was priceless. "She TALKED to ME! She actually TALKED to ME!" he said with the biggest smile stretched across his face. He then asked for a printout of the conversation so that he could take it home and share with his family.
Today is a day I will not forget, and I am sure that my student won't either. Social media, such as Twitter, can be used to engage students in their own learning. How are you harnessing the power of social media to support your students' learning?
