Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Yesterday I participated in a Twitter chat about teaching poetry, moderated by a Frost Place teacher. I use the word participated loosely, as most of my contribution involved blinking and gawking. The Twitter medium has almost nothing to do with how my brain works: I read last night's "conversation" as quick, abbreviated interruptions and announcements, but clearly many excellent English teachers love it and find it useful.

For me, the experience highlighted the importance of staying patient and open-minded about the ways in which people learn. This isn't about being old-fashioned versus cutting edge. Plenty of those eager chatterers are as old I am, whereas both of my screen-savvy sons hate Twitter.

Thank goodness our Frost Place teachers are eager to step into arenas where I do not shine. I can write 20-page essays and synthesize ideas from various historical eras and listen and support and suggest, but I cannot coherently disseminate 140-character poetry lesson plans via #s and @s.

4 comments:

Ruth said...

I attempted this too and was in awe. However, I have been reading and responding to Three Teachers Talk blog fairly regularly. I am SO eager to see people in June at CPT and have conversations face to face again.

Mr. Hill said...

Hey, I didn't know you were on twitter. Just followed you.

Many educational uses of twitter come across as desperate attempts to create the appearance you have a "connected" classroom, but it ends up being a lot of white noise.

Dawn Potter said...

Mr. Hill, I wish you'd come back to the Frost Place and give me a lesson on how to negotiate that white noise.

Mr. Hill said...

I would love to; was just telling a colleague about my week there this morning.

If I could get my 10 yr old as interested in summer camp as my 12 yr old, it would be an easier thing.