Ok, so my school district has Twitter blocked...

Ok, so my school district has Twitter blocked...

I have been really learning.  Learning a lot about teaching from my Twitter Peeps. I have found more ideas to steal, questions answered, opinions to ponder and encouragement to help get through a tough year on Twitter.  I hope I have helped a few people too.

I was disappointed to discover that two weeks ago someone requested Twitter to be blocked by our filtering service.

I couldn't help but wonder why...  I suppose they were worried about what kind of radical things could be done with 140 characters.  Maybe the thinking is "Twitter brings down governments, you know."

Couldn't help but wonder if those governments came down because it was their time.

No.  Maybe, they were worried about what students would do with it.  They may get an idea that wasn't controlled by the school... but isn't that what we want students to grow up to do?  It could be a bullying problem spot... but isn't bullying a behavior problem that can (and should) be dealt with student by student?

I have seen some pretty ugly things done with paper and pencil and we are not banning those.  The last two major problems that disrupted school here were done with a marker in the rest room.

What do you suppose I did next?  I'll give you a hint.  I got this yesterday from Tom Whitby on my Twitter feed:  "The #1 tool today for accessing the internet is a Mobile Learning Device.Schools do not control the acceptance or direction of Tech. #Edchat  http://twitter.com/tomwhitby/status/73179714616967168"

Of course I just pulled out my phone.

Think about that.

If we aren't teaching kids how to behave properly, they are going to go around us and cause problems.  We no longer control the flow of information and ideas at school.  A simple ban isn't going to do it.  We do need to continue to teach manners and respect.

If you were thinking life is easy behind the filter, think again.  You've got work to do.

Interesting Convergence Yesterday

I had a concert last night and my Personal Learning Network helped me with it in an interesting way.


It was time to set up for the concert and that included an audio recording of the event.  Where to put the Zoom?  Turns out that @pisanojm was doing a session at Midwest on recording.   @Zweibz7 was at the event and live blogged the session.  The placement for the Zoom got mentioned in Andy's coverage.  Got some great tips and a good start on a recording last night. ( I still need to tweak the levels for the best sound...had a few problems with headroom.  Next time!)


If you haven't run across @pisanojm or @Zweibz7 I would sugguest following them on Twitter.  They can also be found at the Music PLN site if you don't/can't  use Twitter.  http://musicpln.org/




Wish I was at the Midwest clinic (maybe next year.)  But when your PLN takes care of you like mine does, it is almost like being there.

Twitter. Another List!

http://mustech.net/projects/musictwitter

Are you a music teacher using Twitter? I was wondering how this could help me with my teaching practice. Dr. Pisano has started a list of good examples at http://mustech.net/projects/musictwitter.

I am actually at the stage of following a number of Twitter feeds. I send the occasional tweet. But I haven't tied it into my classes yet.

I may want to start another account for my class related activities. Sending a shout-out once in a while about a student's success might be a good idea. Telling your class what you are up to in your personal life may be a little too close for the relationship. I'll be looking some feeds over for good ideas.