Have you wanted to get involved and connect with others on Twitter? Do you want to play, create, and share digital content while identifying instructional opportunities for this work?
I’d like to invite you all to a social networking and connected education challenge that we’ve been conducting online. In this challenge, we are exploring the use of digital texts and tools as a means to connect, collaborate, and share globally. This challenge is part of a research initiative I’m conducting with a group of researchers and educators. The results of this project will be shared at the conferences for IRA, NCTE, and the Literacy Research Association.
Share a “walk” in your “world”
Welcome to the #WALKMYWORLD project. Once a week, for ten weeks, we would like you to share with us a “walk” in your “world.” There really are no rules to this challenge. The only real rule is that we ask that you share this “walk” publicly on Twitter, and include the hashtag (#WALKMYWORLD) in your post. In your post we ask that you share an image or video that captures this walk in your world once a week. In this challenge we start by sharing and connecting, and then slowly move to poetry writing and response.
The beauty of this challenge is in what you decide to share. In terms of what you share, there are multiple options. Educators and students have been sharing photos, or content from Vine and/or Instagram. Participants have shared audio clips on Soundcloud, and reflective blog posts. There really is no limit to what you share. For more ideas and support, please visit the original blog post for the #WALKMYWORLD project by clicking here.
Be thoughtful in your posts
Please keep in mind that in this challenge you are openly posting information to the Internet. I believe that it is important that we educate, empower, and advocate for the use of digital texts and tools as a literacy. I also believe that teachers and students should think critically about how they create and curate their online brand. That being said, please thoughtfully and carefully select what you share online. Please do not post or share anything that you feel does not represent you in the best light. Please also do not share content of others, or photos of students that you do not have permission to share. In short…think carefully before posting content online.
Play…and then share
In this challenge, you are playing with, creating, and sharing digital content in online spaces. The key element here is to have fun, connect, and experiment with the digital texts and tools. Be sure to be thoughtful and protect yourself as you share online. Include the #WALKMYWORLD hashtag in your posts. Please follow the prompts for each week of the #WALKMYWORLD project by following the tag from my blog by clicking here.
When you search Twitter for #WALKMYWORLD you will find a collection of teachers, pre-service teachers, and students that are all allowing us to take a walk in their world. On a personal note, I love the gems that Kate Booth shares from her cherubs. I’m jealous of the picturesque scenery that Alison McCandlish shares. Kevin Hodgson always pushes the boundaries of what we could/should do with digital texts and tools. Finally, Molly Shields is able to push my thinking about literacy and digital storytelling. Along with these experts from the community, there are also many others learning how to interact, learn, and share using Twitter for the first time.
Come and join us as we connect and share together online. Enjoy!!!
W. Ian O'Byrne is an assistant professor in the Department of Education at the University of New Haven. You can read his blog at wiobyrne.com, follow him on Twitter (@wiobyrne), at Google+, or contact him at wiobyrne@gmail.com.
This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).