Thing # 18, Hashtag Social Media!

#tweetingabouteducation? #Isthatwhatteachershavecometo? #Howmuchinformationcanweconveyinatweet? #arewethataddictedtoourdevicesthatwemusttweetabouteverything?
#canItweetmyAPAresearchpapertoyouforreview? (in several tweets, of course, as we are limited to 140 characters).
#istheconceptoftwitterineducationabsurdorisitjustme?
#IlovetechbuttheonlythingIlikeabouttwitterisfollowingLadyGaga

Can anything truly worthwhile be conveyed in a tweet? 

I really think that as social media goes, Twitter will be an unlikely candidate in my classroom. Why? I am trying to keep an open mind. I am trying hard. I know how to hashtag things-- well yes, I have illustrated my own mockery of the concept. I tried using an education hashtag, and I did get results, but my mind simply will not accept the validity of a 140 word tweet as a rich source of information. There are so many other methods of delivery that are laden with information.

I am not a Twit-- my poor cell is usually in the glovebox where it often dies of neglect until I need it and recharge it. There is a time and place for research, learning, and sharing, but it is not on one's mobile device. Imagine the guy next to you, swerving into your lane, fervently tweeting his position on Common Core-- #scary.As much as I love technology, I love to get away from it. I hate to think that my children are so obsessed that each must have a mobile device with them at all times and cannot let go. How on Earth did I enjoy my childhood without Instagram, memes, and Grumpy cat? 

I will now list the few situations in education in which Twitter could be useful:

• Little Johnny's parents will not let him go to homecoming unless he passes his pre-calculus exam. Little Johnny tweets to Professor Logarithm, asking for his grade. Professor Logarithm tweets back that Little Johnny got 70%. Go Johnny!
• All of her students follow Professor Semicolon. On Friday she tweets about the paper that is due on Monday. Looks like Professor Semicolon just trashed more than a few weekends. 
• Students are working on a collaborative project in Dr. Who's physics class. They tweet each other suggestions and compile the project online. Sadly, they never meet in person although they sit in the same lecture hall every Wednesday afternoon for three hours. 
• Dr. Partyanimal is feeling a bit under the weather. She rolls over and tweets to her students that she has the flu and class is canceled for the rest of the week,then heads back to happy hour. 

The only Tweeting Kabuki is fond of is the one that she--oops--just ate!

 These examples would probably only work in a college or university setting. Twitter is a constricted social media site. I,quite obviously, would have trouble getting anything done in 140 characters. And, If I can't put a picture of a kitten in a fez, why would I use it? Oh, except for watching Lady Gaga's tweets.