Our class recently began using Twitter to share our learning and connect with other first grade classes around the world. I can't even begin to tell you how much excitement has come from this. We are currently connecting with classes in Michigan, Vermont, Canada, Italy, and Australia! We are excited to also Skype with some of our "new friends" in the coming month.
As we connect with classes, we find and label them on our classroom map. This has been a great connection to our curriculum as we study maps. My co-teaching partner brought in a globe the other day during our snack time and the kids went ape! They were so excited they immediately asked if we would pull down the map and they began finding our Twitter buddies on the map and then located them on the globe! The absolute best part was that this was all started by them and the excitement and learning went on for a good 10 minutes before we said we had to move on.
If you haven't tried Twitter with your class, I highly recommend it. It is an easy way to connect with classes globally. The 140 character limit makes it a fast and easy way for students to take ownership in the writing as well. If you are looking for classes at your grade level, check out this blog post, Great Twitter Classroom Connections, on Drew Frank's blog.
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