Twitter? Not in my classroom!

I realize that there are arguments to using Twitter in the classroom, I just don't buy them.  I feel that Twitter has proven itself to be rather inane in our society as a way to read irrelevant information about people who post to Twitter for the sake of feeling that their activities are more important than they really are.  I would like to see a technology such as Twitter move in the direction of providing valuable information about subject matter rather than nonsensical gibberish about who had an amazing latte with the perfect amount of froth on top.  Granted, I have not spent sufficient time exploring Twitter due to what I perceive as this gibberish, so maybe I will warm to it in the future.  But from the interaction I have had, I would rather submit my students to blogs with a specific educational purpose than a forum such as Twitter where the possibility of losing track of educational goals seems fairly inevitable.

Google Docs in the classroom.

The use of Google Docs in the classroom is a very valuable avenue to allow students the ability to use an online technology that provides structure to projects that could otherwise get messy.  When students apply the forms or spreadsheets it shows them what is necessary to get their point across rather than leaving them sitting and pondering how to proceed.  This advantage allows teachers the opportunity to teach a specific lesson with more depth of content instead of coaching project structure.  I will implement Google Docs in my classroom in order to show students how to accomplish the task of articulating their thoughts efficiently.

Blogs in the classroom.

After my recent introduction to blogging, I feel they have created a very valuable niche for use in the classroom.  I especially like features that can be applied to blogs such as only allowing certain users access them.  I feel that this creates a safe environment for students to use online technology without the threat of more sinister aspects of the internet becoming involved.  Furthermore, blogs give classrooms the opportunity to involve educators around the world to enhance the depth of lessons performed in the classroom.  I will use blog technology in my classroom for a variety of reasons, not only to maintain an open line of communication, but to incorporate the insights and opinions of professionals the world over.