In case you don’t know this already, today is Tuesday. Twitter Tuesday, that is.
In our AP United States Government and Politics class, also known as #arapgov12, every Tuesday is Twitter Tuesday.
Every Tuesday, at the beginning of class, the students Tweet in response to a prompt. It’s the warm up assignment, but really it’s much more than that.
It’s about students finding their voice online. Students who find a voice that is public and transparent. Students who grow in confidence to us that voice again and again and again.
At times, I hear people lament about the “youth of today.” Apathetic. Lazy. Selfish. Inappropriate. Self-interested. I hear that lament, but I respectfully disagree. To those who worry about the youth of today, I invite them to follow the conversations generated by #arapgov12.
In these conversations, I see students who are finding their voice. I see students who care. I see students who get involved in the conversation. I see students who are far from perfect but who are eager to contribute. I see students who have a sense of humor and know how to use it (most of the time). I see students who are Tweeting seven days a week, not just on Tuesday. I see hope.
In an age where social media use by our young is pervasive and growing, why not use a medium like Twitter to grow positive student involvement online? Why not help our students build their digital footprint? Instead of blasting the web as a cultural wasteland, why not direct students in a way that provides genuine and real contributions to the conversation? If this where our students are anyway, let’s show the way.
It’s Twitter Tuesday, after all.