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Twitter could promote learning in the classroom by Janet Steffenhagen, Vancouver Sun B.C. educators who used smart phones last week to create a conference within a conference -- exchanging ideas via Twitter while speakers made formal presentations -- are now wondering whether technology should be put to similar use in the classroom. The experiment occurred at a B.C. School Superintendents Association gathering in Victoria, where participants were invited to "tweet" with one another and those on the outside about information being presented by conference speakers on personalized learning in the 21st century. Chris Kennedy, the tech-savvy new superintendent for West Vancouver school district, said more than 150 of the 700 people attending the conference participated in this so-called back-channelling during the meeting, and the discussions continued for days after the event. It's a trend that's been developing in other venues, but hasn't been used extensively by B.C. educators at their major gatherings. "It's a way of engaging a larger audience than you could ever bring to a conference," Kennedy said in an interview, adding that he received a lot of positive feedback from people who were unable to attend the meeting. He noted that one West Vancouver teacher encouraged students to join in by tweeting their comments and observations to the participants. The use of Twitter to extend the conversation beyond what was happening in a formal way on the convention floor allowed everyone to have a voice. For some, it also set an example of how technology could be used in the classroom to generate discussion and personalize learning. Patti Bacchus, the chairwoman of the Vancouver board of education who also attended the Victoria meeting, compared the Twitter talk to the discussions that might occur during conference breaks "if you're sitting with really good people." "It was a much richer experience," she said. "It added another layer [to the conference discussion] and the freedom to take it where you want." In general terms, that may be a new goal for K-12 education in B.C., as those in charge embrace the concept known as personalized learning -- which sees curriculum and teaching styles shaped to meet the needs of individual students. It's an idea that's been discussed in B.C. for some months. Before the last cabinet shuffle, former education minister Margaret MacDiarmid had promised major changes to the education system to make schools more relevant because she said too many students become bored with the old chalk-and-talk method of teaching. She told The Vancouver Sun earlier this year that her goal was to encourage schools to offer alternative programs that would personalize learning to help students find their passions. But despite those comments, Bacchus and Kennedy said they're no longer expecting a big announcement from government to herald a change in direction. Rather than initiating change, the ministry may just have to jump on board with what is already happening, Bacchus suggested. Kennedy said the message from government officials who attended the conference -- including new Education Minister George Abbott and his deputy James Gorman -- was for school districts to go ahead and experiment and find what works for their students. "I don't think people left there expecting big proclamations [from Victoria]." |
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