To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

photo © 2009 Bernard Goldbach | more info (via: Wylio)

In life there are two kinds of questions; there's the trivial ones like, "Do these shoes look okay with this outfit?" or, "Should I be drinking diet soda instead?" and then there's the really important, life-altering decisions like, "Should I be using Twitter?" You laugh, but what if there's some truth to this?

I have never tweeted a day in my life. I've always felt that Facebook was enough obsessive over-sharing for me. I don't look down upon those who choose to tweet their every life's detail or post something called a twitpic. I just never though it was worth creating my own account. Now that I'm in this grad course, however, that is all about technology and how valuable it is to understand and use in the classroom I'm starting to be more open. In just a few short weeks I've been exposed to some pretty thought-provoking stuff. Suddenly I've gone from sticking to what I know to wanting to explore the uses of different social networking, blogging, and software tools. Stuff I never imagined had any value in the classroom suddenly seems brilliant!

So back to the question at hand - is Twitter worthwhile? Well according to various news articles, blogs, and last night's Grey's Anatomy, the answer is a resounding yes! Not only is Twitter worth my time, it can save lives! Surely many of you have heard of the 2009 case involving a woman's cry for help on actress Demi Moore's Twitter page. If not, you can read the details here. Additionally, a simple Google search for "twitter saves lives" turns up articles as old as 2008 and as recent as this week. Okay, so not all the stories necessarily resulted in a saved life, but there is no doubt that in 140 characters or fewer, people can make a serious impact in their own lives or the lives of people across the world.

photo © 2007 pidublu | more info (via: Wylio)


So what are the implications of Twitter on education? Last night's Grey's Anatomy episode addressed this very issue with its unique style, a combination of humor and drama, and it really got me thinking. In the episode, which you can watch for a limited time at abc.com, the doctors use Twitter during surgery to communicate with other hospitals across the country and save a man's damaged organ (possibly his life). As improbable as it sounds, it is arguably possible and really quite incredible. It only makes me wonder how I can use Twitter and other websites to educate and inspire my future students.

 Now I want to know, do you think Twitter is a useful tool? In what clever ways do you use it?