•Twitter as an Educational Tool

•Tweets to the rescue!

•We’re killing Communication!

Faculty members pose Twitter as an Educational Tool at UT Arlington (UAT). Professor Gina Thames, MSN, RN credits

Twitter for allowing her to get her pharmacy students to critically evaluate information and sources of stories she

posts. Not only Twitter alone, but also blogging websites such as blogger.com that we used or any other news

source. •

Thames states that she sees Twitter (and

blogging) as a very useful tool to help the

student form opinions, verify

information, and then apply the information

to their practice. As the world continues to

find these networks helpful, they can also

be made helpful in the learning

environment.

I personally think that anything can be made educational. No matter what

you may be doing or talking about, it can be a learning experience. In this

instance, Twitter can also be made educational. Technology has made

teaching go places it was never was before such as oncourse at IUPUI.

Just as oncourse Twitter can be made educational by keeping education

majors updated with the current updates in the SOE , study sessions or

homework questions and updates by class. Thames thinks that social

networking sites such as Twitter and blogging are an educational tool s.

Thames, Gina. Journal of Child & Adolescent Psychiatric

Nursing, Nov2009, Vol. 22 Issue 4, p235-235, 1p; DOI:

10.1111/j.1744-6171.2009.00208.x; (AN 45007182)

Technology now more than ever allows you to say your thoughts so that all of your friends, family

and co-workers and the world may see them. We can access technology and the internet in

the palm of our hands wherever we go via lap-tops and cell

phones. Due to this fast pace technology updates are

generated by the second making people’s wants, needs

and questions answered.

Social networking sites allow companies to alert errors to what they are doing immediately so that

they may meet their guest or customers need at that moment in time. You no longer have to call an 800-

numbe and wait on hold for 45 minutes. You can simply express your feelings through technology. “In

one incident, a JetBlue passenger tweeted about not being able to get a seat assignment next to his

child; the airline responded while the passenger was still in the boarding area.

Having your tweets rescued makes size

matter. Only have a few facebook friends

or followers on Twitter your thoughts and

what you are doing will not “bubble up to

the top” People are constantly tweeting

and posting complaints, most are

ignored, but you never know yours may be

fixed while waiting.

“We’re killing communication”

We’re killing communication By: Bill

Persky. USA Today, 11/02/2009.

Communication is not what it used to be. There is no more calling, in place we text., snail mail is now through email and then

of course all of our social networking sites. Technology allows people to communicate easier and faster everywhere and to be in

constant contact with each other – about nothing!

Technology makes your life so public. There is no more simple living anywhere. You look around and people are on the internet at

restaurants from their Blackberries or iPhones instead of talking with their family. Technology is a great thing but it has gotten to a point where it is too much and it will only continue to grow in ways

we can’t even imagine.

Social networking can be used as educational. Today, millions of people communicate through sites

such as Facebook, Twitter and Blogger as well as email and texting. Since it is adopted by such a

great amount of the population it is convenient to make it educational. People are aware of how to use

these tools and they can be incorporated to the classroom under certain standards and restrictions.