My Education Tweets from July to Now 09/10/2010
 For those who don't yet "follow" me on Twitter @gregqbear, here are my tweets and re-tweets related to Education between 8th July and today. There are heaps of resources and ideas among them - please check out the links!
Add Comment Facebook or Twitter or Both? 08/11/2010
Hi Jason, I agree the basic twitter.com page is like a firehose. However, I've got a few ways of stilling the flow. I use "Hootsuite" and arrange those I'm following into columns according to interest area e.g. ESL, travel, etc. Then I only put the ones I'm REALLY following closely into each category. The conversations are threaded and if you click on a little + next to the message it brings up a preview of the real site with an image and some text. If you want to send longers messages, you can use twextra for rich formatting too. Another nice service is twitt.er times which gives a newspaper version of the main tweets you receive which have attachments. It includes images, a summary of the story and who tweeted or retweeted it. Also, you can use twitpic or twitvid to upload and share pictures and videos. Twitter is also rolling out a suggested friends function (on the regular .com site). Of course, I agree that some of these are add-ons rather than built-in features, and that Facebook is more for personal & social communication. However, FB is not without its issues and limitations also. One of the biggest was privacy problems, which I'm not sure are completely addressed yet. For adults I guess this is less of a concern than with children who may share more on FB than they should. Also, I believe third party companies can still access your friends and friends of friends for direct marketing. Finally, all the stupid/inane apps (like Farmville) are still potential hazards. That is why I've been terribly unfashionable and started a MySpace account. It's harder to convince friends to use it, but if you look at the new interface and some of the other nice features, it's really as good as FB. Since I have recorded a number of music tracks, MySpace also lets me share these directly from my profile both in audio and video formats. It also offers a blog where you can rant on longer if you want, and it's the second biggest network behind FB. Bottom line, there's a place for both. It's just a question of getting them to work for you efficiently, and of choosing which to use in which context. Posted 11th August, 2010 at http://jasonrenshaw.typepad.com/jason_renshaws_web_log/2010/08/facebook-or-twitter-or-both.html  For those of you who don't use Twitter or don't follow me there (@gregqbear), here are the tweets and re-tweets I posted between March and today. You will find literally thousands of ideas and resources in them. Enjoy. Comment. July 7th: RT @TESConnect: It's not an Apple, but the TES iBoard is the greatest fun you can have without touchscreen technology http://bit.ly/aDfTSD RT @ShellTerrell: Great ideas using mini-whiteboards at @pysproblem81's place http://bit.ly/9WDNE5 #esl Also, with my own ideas in comments. July 6th: “The Internet!” Infographic | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... http://ht.ly/27mXm Fascinating details on the size of the Web NOW!!! RT @Larryferlazzo: Nice language learning/teaching resources from @CASLS_NFLRC http://bit.ly/ai9hs9 Consider subscribing for more articles. July 4th: Just joined the Education community to keep track of the best experts. Join me here: http://mrtweet.com/c/education?v=jt I Want to Use Technology, But ... - http://ht.ly/26N4o Looking for help in using IWBs. Please leave ideas. #edtech #efl #edchat #elearning 100+ Google Tricks That Will Save You Time in School – Diigo http://ht.ly/26Kp9 Searches, gmail, docs, cal, mobile, chrome, etc July 3rd: RT @marynabadenhors: @gregqbear try this link http://bit.ly/bypFXT for the gifted teacher video. Thanks to all great teachers everywhere. July 2nd: RT @barbsaka: Beautiful site full of original images for #teaching #English http://bit.ly/98Woir Plus grammar, vocab, pron., convers., games June 30th: RT @Larryferlazzo: Can language shape how we think?, Fascinating article http://bit.ly/a8pgfS RT @ShellTerrell: Problem Solving Games http://bit.ly/b3iLuG gr8 list! #elearning #edtech June 29th: 137 Tech Resources For Teachers and Students | SoYouWantToTeach.Com http://ht.ly/24GAq June 27th: @thornburyscott: New article "T is for Taboo"; now with 5 comments, including my own. See them at http://ht.ly/23MP3 #elt #tesol #efl RT @sywtt: To all teachers out there - thanks: "You have made a difference" http://ht.ly/23LhO #elt #tesol #musiced @cybraryman1 You could add http://www.pdfgeni.com/ which covers PDF ebooks, manuals, catalogs, sheets, forms and docs. #elt #edtech #musiced My 'as is' upper elementary to int. book reviews, stories, jumbles & more to share at http://ht.ly/23KVT #efl #elt #tesol Enjoy! Adapt! Wallwisher – 105 Classroom Ideas « Sean Banville's Blog http://ht.ly/23JoY Heaps of uses for this great little app. Love it! #efl #tesol... June 24th: RT @marynabadenhors: Free illustrated story starters for Early years Literacy http://www.meddybemps.com/9.700.html Thanks again Maryna. RT @marynabadenhors: Fab ideas and resources for little kids Literacy, monthly themes etc. http://www.littlegiraffes.com/ RT @sywtt: 52 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers - http://bit.ly/csTXUC Many ideas to explore here. June 23rd: RT @tomwhitby: RT @isteconnects: Good foundational article on theory of PLNs, why/how they work, learning futures http://bit.ly/16THuy Why don't more teachers have a PLN? #edchat #efl #elt - they don't know what ... http://twextra.com/38bc5n June 19th: rt @livesofteachers FAQ & provoking answers. | TDSIG http://bit.ly/aE8mLu (from 'critical friend' series) #IATEFL +MY THOUGHTUL COMMENTS June 17th: Google Scholar Blog http://ht.ly/1ZzsU New from Google. First post on 'alert' service. #efl #tesol #edtech #musedtech June 15th: @web20classroom File sharing - I'm going to try www.opendrive.com. They offer 5Gb's. RT @web20classroom: RT @AngelaMaiers: A-Z Cool Tools http://ow.ly/1XPsS Like the organization of these! <--Cool stuff! Tchr friendly sites. RT @lclandfield: Seen this? V. clever spoof movie trailer. Potential for critical analysis of Hollywood plot devices! http://bit.ly/9wTVr8 June 13th: RT @tomwhitby: His PLN is built/revolves around Twitter, Ning, Linkedin, Delicious, Facebook, My Blog, Skype, EDU Conferences & his classes. June 11th: @i_to_iTEFL My funniest - when CD started to skip so Ss & I began to stammer the words & robot dance. Some Ss still tittering 20 mins later. June 10th: RT @ralphvandenberg: Any noun can be turned into a verb just by adding -ing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Cute! but a bit scary ;o) June 9th: @web20classroom We DO expect tech, but in many EFL countries it's just not there or not usable. #edchat @tomwhitby Tom, you're preaching mostly to the converted. Here we need to preach to government, ministers & admin's. #edchat @web20classroom The more you read about reliability & validity the more holes you'll see in the way assessment is done in schools. All stakeholders to be involved in lobbying for ed. reform, not just tchrs & admin. Unions should focus on conditions, not policy. #edchat RT @paksorn: Office Web Apps With Free Doc Editing + 25 GB Storage http://j.mp/d4GQFh It's a good deal. Incl. Word, Excel, PPT, 1Note, 25GB RT @SeanBanville: RT @bbettger: Just about everything you ever needed on classroom management, this huge list has it! http://bit.ly/3hpVz June 7th: RT @thornburyscott: RT @livesofteachers: Interview with joy egbert - engagement, tech. and flow http://bit.ly/cLY7zj Good for ESL teachers RT @paksorn: How to Access Your Computer Files Over the Internet from Anywhere http://j.mp/9eL2KV You can add box.net to this - I like it. June 5th: F is for Flow « An A-Z of ELT by Scott Thornbury http://ht.ly/1Uqu2 Now with comments by me. Needs a little work for ESL, but great! Smories - new stories for children, read by children http://ht.ly/1UpQP #efl #tesol #edchat Consider taking survey. Global practices in Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) http://ht.ly/1UpFx #elt #tesol #edtech #edchat #efl June 4th: My 'as is' Intermediate plus grammar worksheets: definitions, adverbs, common verbs, tense recognition. http://ht.ly/1TwTu #elt #tesol #tefl Techno Constructivist: Building Your Own Personal Learning Network http://ht.ly/1TTyg Good intro. with useful PLN tool ideas. RT @SeanBanville: The most popular video for teaching ELLs. http://bit.ly/dtLc0n W&G's Close Shave and others with s/titles & PDF guides. RT @SeanBanville: RT @kfbunny: Trends in Language Learning: What's hot, what's not http://wp.me/pNAh3-5o Good, short, sharp, commonsense. RT @tomwhitby: Now a cornucopia + my own assumptions. Impediments to educational reform: Feast of Assumptions. http://bit.ly/ajjKVw #Edchat June 2nd: Whatever social network you use, great resources for parents & teachers re safety Bebo Safety http://ht.ly/1T1co #efl #edtech #education @cybraryman1 Accountable parents? More admin support? YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! Oh sorry, it's only a suggestion. Doh! @cybraryman1 Not surprising re rotation problems. Tchrs at good schools unwilling, I'd say, to move to tougher ones. @cybraryman1 Not a fan of final summative tests. Too many validity/reliability issues e.g. nervousness, illness, confusion, etc. @cybraryman1 Tchr evaluation should be on test score TRENDS not raw scores (+ other items). If trending up then OK. May 30th: Elizabeth Gilbert on "Nurturing Creativity" http://j.mp/XWJRV Tks @jeremycowart A creative person can benefit from insights. #musiced #efl RT @paksorn: It isn't a homework assignment until someone cries... and it doesn't have to be the student! - Ed. Week http://j.mp/bMqA6n #efl May 28th: RT @tomwhitby: Digital Pointers? http://bit.ly/86CKmb. Great article. Now includes my 'thoughtful comments' too. #edchat #education #edtech May 27th: RT @russell1955: Absolutely amazing sets of free pintable Flash cards. Out of this world. For all languages http://bit.ly/bHhI15 Says it all Twtpoll :: Create Online Polls and Web Surveys. Social Media Feedback. http://ht.ly/1Qyfp Good for engaging students outside of textbook. May 26th: @ShellTerrell Not sure if this is relevant, but I like getting kids OUT of the classroom and into the outdoors, esp. for EFL. #edchat #efl May 25th: RT @TheEngTeacher: Sir Ken Robinson - Bring On the Learning Revolution: http://bit.ly/dcWSh9 Where ed. needs to go now - GREAT TED vid. #efl May 24th: RT @mhuskerfan: huge free collection of Mp3 stories and poems http://su.pr/1Ohayx Includes sound, text, pdf, lesson ideas, curric. obj etc. RT @kalinagoenglish: Rip-roaringly-funny new-ELT-blogger at http://tiny.cc/yq1fe Yes, lots of laughs here - and often cause they are true! RT @TheEngTeacher: How to Create a Jazz Chant by Carolyn Graham via @barbsaka http://viigo.im/3Btw Really practical & clear video. May 21st: @SimpleK12 I read a recent article that declared there are no such things as learning styles. Am I mistaken or is there still disagreement? @SimpleK12 In Brunei two years ago I was offered a blackboard & I had to buy my own chalk! And that's a wealthy country! #edchat @tomwhitby I assume admin. observations are based on pre-set criteria or proclivities of observer. Best to ask BEFORE being observed. #efl @tomwhitby Some argue in favour of banning certain info from kids. For adults, what about bans on bomb making instructions or hate messages? May 19th: English Raven: Where do we go now? http://ht.ly/1N7GN Read Jason's article & my equally interesting comments on ELT in 2020. #efl #ell RT @NikPeachey: The accent girl video!! http://bit.ly/beMw7I She is Brit, Fr, German, Aussie, Kiwi & Yank, etc. No Asian/Afr/SAmer though. RT @NikPeachey: huge collection of sounds to download or embed http://bit.ly/8Pk4sP #elearning #edtech #tefl #esl @francoiseleste Should kids love going to school? Hard question. I think as teachers we should facilitate it. Are you saying they don't now? @tomwhitby We don't necessarily support the use of grades, but we don't necessarily get the choice to do something different either. #edchat @djainslie Unfortunately administrators also see tests as end of learning cycle & use them to judge our effectiveness. #edchat @tomwhitby Cross-marking is more an issue of reliability. If all else is equal, markers trained & have clear mking scheme it should be OK. @tomwhitby Working at 100% of ability IS an achievement. Whether kid fails depends on purpose of test. Can we graduate doctors who fail? @posthhs Basic content know. tests problematic - nerves, design, adequate coverage of material, rubrics, fairness, preparation, time allowed @tomwhitby We are responsible for failing students so long as we make all the assessment & curriculum decisions. Until then, no. #edchat @tomwhitby Grades vs learning achieved - in short term grades get into univ. etc; long term world needs learners. Reality vs ideals? #edchat @tomwhitby Well, portfolio assessment is much richer, more thorough, less a snapshot & more reflective of actual ability. No nerves either. May 18th: @TheEngTeacher @teacherlingo Perhaps basic problem is having the tests. Why not quiet, continuous assessment? Keeps 'm on their toes. May 17th: RT @TheEngTeacher: Squeezing the joy out of a thing via @kalinagoenglish http://viigo.im/3xr2 Includes my comments. Worth remembering ideas. RT @shighla: 50 Free Collaboration Tools That Are Awesome for Educ. http://icio.us/dnvjxu Wikis, social networks, other resources. Explore! May 16th: @ShellTerrell Not using gaming in class - slow Internet, old & not enough computers, firewalls, not sure how helps in EFL, gambling assoc's English Raven: Back to front http://ht.ly/1LAY2 Great article & discussion on pay & status inequalities. Also, my own comments. A good read! May 15th: rt @BPScience: Dan Brown's "Open Letter to Educators". Are schools making themselves irrelevant? http://bit.ly/cyCGQY #education #efl RT @TheEngTeacher: Quick Question: High expectations of great teachers? Includes my own thoughts. Add more at http://bit.ly/cYDTuU Great resource by Inma Alcazar: Sharing Learning: 20 Free Online Libraries & Reading Rooms http://ht.ly/1KtlE Now you've got s'thing to read May 13th: Free beginner level phonics kit resources for teaching children http://ow.ly/17m7Xz May 12th: RT @englishraven: Free beginner phonics kit resources for teaching children http://bit.ly/9lRgXZ Used these in Korean elem. school - v. good May 9th: Kideos.com - The Online Kids Video Network | Safe Videos for Children http://bit.ly/bgIXBp Check out "Techno Chicken" - very classy! May 8th: RT @Larryferlazzo: ”The problem is that the teachers don’t have to listen to us” http://bit.ly/9YbgN0 Thoughtful article & with my comments. @Larryferlazzo I agree we can learn from anyone, including military, but we can't paint a glossy one-sided image of them either. Warts'n all RT @TheEngTeacher: “Top 100 Youtube videos for EFL” http://bit.ly/c9WT3N via @larryferlazzo Great selection for all levels & needs. RT @marynabadenhors: Tools to convert docs pdf <->word, convert videos, rip mp3 from videos, resize photos, etc. http://bit.ly/2pYC9q New 5-stage model for work & learning by J. Cross. Feeds neatly into PD & LLL.#ell #tefl #tesl #elt Workscape evolution http://bit.ly/cWNhLD May 7th: RT @Marisa_C: RT @ddeubel: Great stuff by @gcouros http://bit.ly/buzJkB What Makes a Master Teacher - EFL teacher qualities relate to this. @tomwhitby A number of my students try to impress me with their unconcious learning. I often wonder if it's not actually just sleep! @Marisa_C @ddeubel @gcouros Great list. EFL teachers need exactly the same "master" qualities. They have added issue of being understood. @tomwhitby #edupd Involve teachers (esp. EFL ones) in choice of topics. Too often impractical or irrelevant to situation at hand otherwise. May 6th: How about 4,604 books in English, kids' ones with sound? Try Logos Library - Logos Translations multilingual library http://bit.ly/cQ3KFI Could be good for ESL class collaborative group work too. HootSuite Gives Groups More Twitter and Facebook Tools http://bit.ly/ahnDm8 May 5th: To my Korean teaching friends. Now you know what you've been doing wrong and how to fix it. Thanks to English Raven. http://ht.ly/1H96F May 4th: Free Guide Making Videos on the Web - Creating videos is one the activities that my students really enjoy doing. T... http://ow.ly/17g2Ad RT @ShellTerrell: RT @EnglishProfi: 100 free short stories for ESL learners http://bit.ly/duZZ8t Includes text, audio, quiz for high beg. May 3rd: @tomwhitby Well the kids will lead us anyway. What we shouldn't forget is that teachers are only a small influence on kids anyway. May 2nd: RT @marynabadenhors: Download and use free interactive thinking tools http://www.exploratree.org.uk/ #elearning #edchat #edbrunei April 29th: Well worth browsing. Inspiring Teachers - resources, tips, articles, newsletter, books, webinars, & free web pages http://bit.ly/acEmqP April 28th: Can we do this in #EFL? RT @NikPeachey Challenge bsed learning 'focus...on test scores or on engaging students?' http://bit.ly/cZwU1Q (pdf) Just joined http://edupln.ning.com. The Educator's PLN is for teachers to network, share, exchange ideas etc. Lots of groups, including EFL. April 26th: @tomwhitby Re life-long learning. I agree, but your Friere post answers this. It's not only teachers but school policies discouraging them. @englishraven Teens media use needs parental oversight re time limits & balance with physical activity. Teachers can't do ALL the depriving! April 25th: Some ideas for your EWB/IWB/SmartBoard/Wiimote Whiteboards in different subjects - Uses for the Wiiboard http://bit.ly/9kj0ko April 20th: @web20classroom Doing what's best for ss, not what's comfortable? Need principals & govt reps to hear this. Only possible issue is job loss. April 18th: My recent post @tomwhitby re use of IWBs in EFL classrooms.http://bit.ly/bZ9rws Online #Edtech #esl RT: @englishraven RT @ShellTerrell: Destinationism - why is it this way? http://bit.ly/at3PUg (So true - for Lego AND language learning!) April 17th: @burcuakyol @ShellTerrell MWSnap is also a simple, free capture program at http://www.mirekw.com/ for saving in any image format. Good luck! April 7th: @englishraven Thanks for article on TEFL woes in Taiwan. I'll pass on to others teaching here. I agree with it, sadly.http://3.ly/T0Wh April 3rd: @NikPeacheyIs there any reason to let them use the Internet if it isn't to complete an assigned exercise? Are L1 only sites OK for example? March 12th: @TEFL Thanks for keeping us honest and for a timely reminder that a textbook is only one of many resources we ought to use in our classroom. March 3rd: @cybraryman1 Well, in the case of poor countries, rich ones could send some technology to use. Then THEY could get on board. Hi Jason, I have to agree with you too. All this ’social’ life can be very exhausting to keep up with. I think many of us decided to dip our feet into the waters of the social web and found that it was really more of a tsunami and a small, babbling brook. An interesting point, if you watch firemen with their hoses, there are usually two, three or more holding on the line to handle the pressure. So, perhaps you need to hire an assistant to keep it all going. Hugo Chavez has 200 apparently, though one has to wonder what’s the point in his case. Almost a month ago I decided to leave Facebook. I told all my FB ‘friends’ and gave them 12 alternative ways of keeping in touch. Needless to say, those whom I regularly talk to via other channels have continued to do so, while others have faded away into cyberspace. I’m relenting a little and re-emerging on MySpace shortly as the little social network I joined is turning into a web service and will be charging for it soon. MySpace is almost as big as FB, seems to offer more, and has a clearer & better privacy policy. I have managed a slight tapering of the flow by using columns in Hootsuite (Twitter) and just looking at ones that interest me. If I want to read about travel, I just look at that column. Additionally, I’m no longer following a number of those following me as either (a) I don’t have the time or (b) I’m not that interested in their tweet topics. Possibly the best decision was to set up a Bloglines account. Now I can follow about 70 sites of interest by simply receiving their RSS or Atom feed. The posts can be read without going to the individual sites, so it really saves time and ensures I’m current with what’s happening. As Marcos said in his comment, it’s a question of determining what one wants to get out of the social web and then building a strategy to go with it. (I haven’t quite worked that out yet.) I’m fortunate in that my tiny website is not looked at that much and is a work in progress. Still, keeping up with the tweets seems the biggest challenge. Perhaps we should re-write the etiquette for Twitter along these lines: (1) if you decide to follow me, I may or may not follow you (2) if you mention me, re-tweet me or send me a tweet, I may or may not acknowledge this or reply to it (3) if I re-tweet you, I may or may not retweet all the sources before you (4) I may or may not reply to your tweets either at all or in a timely manner (5) I will not look back over tweets sent more than two hours ago unless they are DM’s or mentions (6) I act this way because I want to live my life in balance. Best wishes, Greg. Posted by: Greg Quinlivan | June 11, 2010 at 03:43 PM on http://jasonrenshaw.typepad.com/jason_renshaws_web_log/2010/06/social-media-and-trying-to-drink-from-a-firehose.html | AuthorI grew up in Sydney (NSW). While working for the Australian government I also lived in Hobart (Tas), Adelaide (SA) and Canberra (ACT). I trained as a musician at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music on organ and harpsichord, and went on to study Education in the fields of Music and Business at the University of Queensland and later gained qualifications in English Language teaching at Griffith University. For the past seven years I have taught ESL in Australia, Taiwan, Brunei, South Korea and China to children, teenagers and adults. I am now at the University of Southern Queensland in Australiain Malaysia. My travels also include meditating in India and Thailand, and enjoying the sights of Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. My hobbies and interests include eating out, music, art, travel, films and having coffee with friends. Great Blogs & Podcasts to Follow
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