It seems like these days I can’t get online without hearing something new about the many uses of Twitter. For example, yesterday I was forwarded this article from The Independent about a proposed change to curriculum that would require school children in the UK to learn about Twitter and blogging as part of their everyday instruction.
Advocates say that the focus on technology will both engage students and integrate technology in a meaningful way into all subject areas. But critics say that “tweeting” is a skill that only takes a short time to learn and doesn’t have many other cross-over benefits. It could even make it more difficult for students to sit down with a book if they are used to only reading 140-character snippets, they say.
And the debate isn’t just happening across the pond. It’s here in the U.S., too. Check out this video created by the University of Minnesota about using Twitter and other Web 2.0 tools in the classroom.
What do you think? Is using Twitter a useful skill for our students to have? Or is it just a fad that will likely die out?