Week 5 - Microblogging / hashtags

(September 21st)

This week our technology class looked at the following article:
http://www.educationreview.co.nz/magazine/july-2/home-tweet-home/#.VgI9t_mqqkq

It suggests that teachers in New Zealand can use websites like Twitter for microblogging, hashtaging, and keeping in touch with various education resources around the world. Getting involved with social media sites like Twitter allows you to get involved as much or as little as you like. By using hashtags, you are able to group information together, gather various opinions on the topic, and get ideas from people all over the world. 

Jude Barback (author of the article above) wants to encourage New Zealand teachers to keep in touch with what is happening in New Zealand education. She took her ideas to Twitter and created the hashtag #edchatNZ. This hashtag allows people to share and discuss any information they like to other people interested in this topic. By creating this hashtag teachers throughout New Zealand and the rest of the world can come together to share their resources, information, ideas, opinions, tips, and any other information in relation to New Zealand education. The hashtag allows all the 'tweets' (or posts) about this topic to be stored in one place for people to view.

While I already have a Twitter account and often use hashtags to keep up with certain topics or information, I have never considered using it for my role as a teacher. It is so easy for us to share our thoughts and opinions with the world online. Twitter can allow us to get a response or a 'retweet' in seconds!! The idea of hashtags could really help future focused and technology using teachers to gather information and share their ideas with others. I will definitely be keeping my eye on #edchatnz and using more hashtags to group my information and thoughts together.


- Renee O'Sullivan