HappySteve

My Class has a Conversation with the World

An old trick:

It's an old trick, you send out a message to the world on Twitter and wait for the world to reply. (read on for the twist)

We did this at the start of the lesson yesterday in Yr 8 French:

"This is Mr Collis' yr 8 French class in Sydney. Please answer within 60 mins: How many languages do you speak & where are you right now?"

Within the hour we had 36 replies from all over the world! (Helped along by www.twitter.com/suewaters who retweeted the message)

The Result:

8 of the people who replied only spoke 1 language. The others spoke 2, 3, or more. A great way for students to understand language learning from a global perspective (the typical Australian perspective of the value of languages is not necessarily positive).

But here's the twist, I copied and pasted the 32 replies into www.umapper.com and it instantly made a map of the word showing where we had received replies from.

Here's the map:

Link: http://www.umapper.com/maps/view/id/30556/

So the students could see without any doubt that they had just had a conversation with the world.

A class of any age, any subject could benefit from this sort of conversation.

PS: If you're interested, here are the messages we received:    

1. nadinedickinson@Steve_Collis Hi yr8 French students! Am in Manila, Philiippines right now. I speak 3 languages.about 24 hours ago from TweetDeck
       
2. manning11@Steve_Collis Bonjour! Je suis à Palm Springs aux États-Unis, et je parle cinq langues. Bravo à votre prof pour utiliser Twitter comme ça!!6:58 PM Apr 29th from twitterrific in reply to Steve_Collis
       
3. deerwood@Steve_Collis Hi yr8 French class. I speak 3 languages, English, French and Spanish. I'm in Gloucester UK6:58 PM Apr 29th from web
       
4. moodleman@steve_collis Are you going to join @lasic and the rest of us for dinner on Sat? I think you two would get on like a house on fire :)6:58 PM Apr 29th from Nambu
       
5. myr221@Steve_Collis only speak English, at home in TH.6:56 PM Apr 29th from twitterrific in reply to Steve_Collis
       
6. oxleyj@Steve_Collis only 1.1 (a little French from Junior High) - Brisbane, Australia6:53 PM Apr 29th from TweetDeck
       
7. stevencahill@Steve_Collis 2 languages ... English and Jibberish. I am in Melbourne Victoria6:50 PM Apr 29th from TwitterFox
       
8. barbsaka@Steve_Collis Hi Mr. Collis' French class. I speak 2 and 1/2 languages (my Spanish is dreadful!) and am right now in Kitakyushu Japan.6:49 PM Apr 29th from TweetDeck in reply to Steve_Collis
       
9. mikecogh@Steve_Collis English and Dutch and I'm in Adelaide6:49 PM Apr 29th from web in reply to Steve_Collis
       
10. cathyarreguin@Steve_Collis 2 languages, Northern California, USA. Hi!6:48 PM Apr 29th from twitterrific in reply to Steve_Collis
        
11. perfal@Steve_Collis Hi from Stockholm Sweden. I speak Swedish, English (been in France though) - good luck class!6:47 PM Apr 29th from TweetDeck
        
12. StevenCaldwell@Steve_Collis I speak 1 and a bit.(French being the bit) I'm at a really self-congratulatory conference in Canberra.6:46 PM Apr 29th from Twittelator
        
13. harlemlibrarian@Steve_Collis 4 languages, Harlem, New York6:45 PM Apr 29th from mobile web
        
14. elearningnews@Steve_Collis This tongue only speaks one language but I'm a big fan of words no-one uses anymore: http://phrontistery.info/cl...6:42 PM Apr 29th from web in reply to Steve_Collis
        
15. astrang@Steve_Collis Greetings from British Columbia, Canada and only speak 1 language :(. My kids are in a French immersion class so 2 for them.6:41 PM Apr 29th from TweetDeck
        
16. ivyclark@Steve_Collis Hiya, I speak 3 languages and 1 dialect, from Singapore and now based in Perth. :)6:41 PM Apr 29th from TweetDeck
        
17. DishMopTop@Steve_Collis I only speak English. I live in Melb but am going to France for a holiday soon so need a crash course!6:40 PM Apr 29th from TwitterFox
        
18. bryanhughes@Steve_Collis Hi from Vancouver, Canada! I've studied French, Thai, and Indonesian, but really I can only speak English.6:39 PM Apr 29th from Tweetie
        
19. marksmithers@Steve_Collis Hi Steve - I speak a bit of English and a bit of French - I'm in Melbourne6:38 PM Apr 29th from TweetDeck
        
20. winsongreen@Steve_Collis In Melbourne. Only speak English fluently. Did French to Yr 12. Maybe should do a refresher!!6:38 PM Apr 29th from web in reply to Steve_Collis
        
21. lasic@steve_collis Hi class from Perth, speak three langauges (not computer langauges :) and hack my way in another two. Enjoy learning6:37 PM Apr 29th from web
        
22. yeah_mate@Steve_Collis hello. I'm at my Physio in north Sydney. Je parle francais but not very well. Zut alors!6:36 PM Apr 29th from Tweetie in reply to Steve_Collis
        
23. windsordi@Steve_Collis ... and it's 12:36 at night... bed time!6:36 PM Apr 29th from web
        
24. paulfuller75@Steve_Collis I am in Perth and speak English et un petit peu de la Francais.6:35 PM Apr 29th from Twinkle
        
25. jurgen@Steve_Collis I speak 3 languages, but only one fluently. Je peux parler allemand, und ich kann französisch sprechen. I live in Melbourne.6:35 PM Apr 29th from Tweetie in reply to Steve_Collis
        
26. mickgwyther@Steve_Collis I speak English and live in Ballarat6:34 PM Apr 29th from twhirl
        
27. windsordi@Steve_Collis Hi class! Je parle en français ...and I speak english! Windsor, Ontario, Canada6:34 PM Apr 29th from web
        
28. flexnib@Steve_Collis four languages, I'm in Perth, Western Australia. I wish I spoke French!6:33 PM Apr 29th from web in reply to Steve_Collis
        
29. hfeldman@Steve_Collis I speak English, I'm pretty good at Spanish, and I'm beginning Russian! I'm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA and I'm 16. Hi!6:33 PM Apr 29th from web
        
30. suewatersPlease tell send tweet @Steve_Collis yr 8 French class Sydney within 60 mins: How many languages do you speak & where are you right now?6:31 PM Apr 29th from twhirl
        
31. deantregenza@Steve_Collis North Sydney, speak - English, read (v. v. slowly) - Latin, A.Greek, Hebrew, German6:30 PM Apr 29th from twhirl in reply to Steve_Collis
        
32. suewaters@Steve_Collis one language English and Perth Western Australia6:30 PM Apr 29th from twhirl in reply to Steve_Collis
        
33. lucybarrow@Steve_Collis Hi Mr Collis and your French students from Ballarat in Victoria! Unfortunately, I only speak 1 lang, but wish I spoke more! :)6:29 PM Apr 29th from web in reply to Steve_Collis
        
34. Jo_Barrett@Steve_Collis one and I am watching Toy Story and marking Year 7 spelling!6:29 PM Apr 29th from web in reply to Steve_Collis
        
35. vnarayan@Steve_Collis In New Zealand -- 1 Lang (English)6:29 PM Apr 29th from TwitterFox in reply to Steve_Collis
        
36. mikejisrael@Steve_Collis 1 language and I am in Wahroonga NSW6:27 PM Apr 29th from twhirl in reply to Steve_Collis

My Hands-On Teacher Session on 'Twitter'

Today I ran a training session on Twitter. Quite a large number of teachers elected to attend. I don't think they had any idea what Twitter was before the session.

Twitter is a simple, free, text messaging website that allows you to connect to other educators around the world. Here's a video explaining it. You can send and receive short messages via your web browser. (To join, go to twitter.com now and register, and follow me and other people: www.twitter.com/steve_collis).

I have been on Twitter for 6 months or so now and have found Twitter to be invaluable. Apart from anything else, my interactions on Twitter have made me much more aware of the global education community. I feel part of a global teaching movement.

I also get a string of brilliant ideas dished up to me!

Anyway, I was delighted by the 26 people who replied to me in a matter of hours!

The training session went really well! My colleagues had a ball and seem quite enthusiastic about continuing with Twitter.

Below, I'm going to post three different things.

1. A list of my colleagues who are now on Twitter. Please feel free to 'follow' them!

2. A list of the replies I got on Twitter.

3. A google map actually showing where people replied to me from. This is what I mean by a global community! (by the way it was easy to make this map. I went to www.umapper.com and copied the text from the twitter messages into it, and it generated the google map, cleverly, by scouring the text for recognisable locations)

1. A list of my colleagues who are now on Twitter. Please feel free to 'follow' them!

http://www.twitter.com/imma65

http://www.twitter.com/jenny289

http://www.twitter.com/Clive_Thomas

http://www.twitter.com/markliddell

http://www.twitter.com/SueSk

http://www.twitter.com/shhartley

http://www.twitter.com/Lillipilly

http://www.twitter.com/gharbor

http://www.twitter.com/jennyscotney

http://www.twitter.com/DanielDawes

http://www.twitter.com/peter_robson

http://www.twitter.com/spot_dog

http://www.twitter.com/The_Norman

http://www.twitter.com/TimBrownSnr

http://www.twitter.com/connorc

http://www.twitter.com/chimofee

http://www.twitter.com/anne_sharkey

http://www.twitter.com/cwoldhuis

http://www.twitter.com/Stephen_H

http://www.twitter.com/Tim_Barrett

http://www.twitter.com/linfoot

http://www.twitter.com/krblom

http://www.twitter.com/sadam

http://www.twitter.com/schultzie86

2. A list of the replies I got on Twitter.

What I find really interesting about people's replies here are their reasons for using Twitter.

# 4ngel4 @Steve_Collis location:

England, Weather: raining, twitter is great for discussing ideas with like minded people. Enjoy your training about 4 hours ago

 # barton1875 @Steve_Collis New to twitter but can see that it has great opportunities to find resources, methods and ideas to help children to learn. about 4 hours ago

 # barton1875 @Steve_Collis Birmingham

England, cold and raining. Now there's a shock! about 4 hours ago

 # dehohulin @Steve_Collis Hello from

Tinley Park,Illinois! Sunny and 34 F today. I ♥ Twitter b/c I learn so much from the brilliant minds I follow! about 9 hours ago

 # LisaSuhr @Steve_Collis I am the only tech support person in a small rural district. Twitter allows me to "find" my colleagues frm all over the world. about 12 hours ago

 # LisaSuhr @Steve_Collis Hello from NE Kansas,

USA, 1/21 weather was 50 dgrs F and today it shld be down to 35 dgrs F! No snow on ground about 12 hours ago

 # weatherhead @Steve_Collis Tweeting from my deck in Warrimoo. Twitter is short news bursts from people that count. It is very moist and sticky indeed. about 12 hours ago

 # MylesCarrick @Steve_Collis oh, and it's really hot here in

Sydney ... but you knew that! Have a great PD workshop! about 12 hours ago

 # MylesCarrick @Steve_Collis Tweeting from my Nokia in Chiswick - Twitter helps me never miss little and big discoveries by the people I _really_ follow! about 12 hours ago

 # edueyeview @Steve_Collis Currently in

Lisbon ,Maine; +8F(-14C) and overcast. Love twitter for PLN connections, new ideas, tools, resources. about 12 hours ago

 # lucybarrow @Steve_Collis Hi from a beautiful & cool evening in Ballarat! Love twitter because it keeps me up-to-date with ed & world issues. about 13 hours ago

 # nstone @Steve_Collis Hi from

Elstree, UK. Weather grey and wet, twitter is great company when you're sick at home! Also good 4 resources about 13 hours ago

 # zecool @Steve_Collis Bon matin! It's a 'relatively' mild -11 C in

FrederictonNB. Twitter for me is 2 things: connect and learn. about 13 hours ago

,Canada

 # shortcomp @steve_collis

Sydney

, darn hot. I like the conversation. Like ringing someone and asking their opinion times 1000 about 13 hours ago

 # APKC @Steve_Collis Is a major element in my personal learning network, and provides opportunities to broaden areas of interest, understanding about 13 hours ago

 # APKC @Steve_Collis Tasmania, weather galeforce with fires, now calm with rain ; enables immediate contact with friends, contacts, quick research about 13 hours ago

 # annemareemoore @Steve_Collis I like twitter because it is relaxing and it is amazing how much important and new information is generated on Twitter about 13 hours ago

 # deantregenza @Steve_Collis i like twitter because its mobility and capacity to put forward ideas as they come out of your head... not losing the moment. about 13 hours ago

 # annemareemoore @Steve_Collis hi from hot sultry NSW Australia. Violent storms and much needed rain - hoping it will be fine for water skiing on the weekend about 13 hours ago

 # dannynic @Steve_Collis hi from a cold, (8oC) grey, wet and windy Southend on

Sea ,UK

. Twitter is like 24 tv show - "events occur in real time" about 14 hours ago

 # ajep @Steve_Collis from a hot & humid

Sydney at, share ideas & learn - its PD & more about 14 hours ago

. Twitter helps u connect far & wide, c beyond where

u

 #juler @Steve_Collis Love the connections and learning with lots of people. In Brisbane Aus. Going to be hot 2tomoorow. about 14 hours ago

 # Darcy1968 @steve_collis Hi Steve & crew. I'm in Kiama NSW & like Twitter as it is a fun professional & personal (up to the minute) networking tool. about 14 hours ago

 # warrick_w @Steve_Collis I like the immediacy of it about 14 hours ago

 # point2five @Steve_Collis gold coast, rain, cooler finally- like twitter because verbosity is verboten & tweets are entertaining and sometimes valuable about 14 hours ago

 # etalbert @Steve_Collis Lower Blue Mtns-Like Twitter for its global reach,ease of cross industry sharing, great information filter for busy educators. about 14 hours ago

 # carolrainbow @Steve_Collis Hi All I am based in

Oxfordshire , UK

. Twitter keeps me up to date with tech news, world news, colleague's news and is fun :-) about 14 hours ago

 # tombarrett @Steve_Collis hi from cold and wet

Nottingham , England

. Twitter is great to connect with people in the simplest way. Hope you have good day about 14 hours ago

 # nrwatkins @steve_collis hi from Launceston,

Tasmania , where it is cool, overcast, raining :-) I like Twitter because there is always more to learn about 14 hours ago

 # ackygirl @Steve_Collis I like twitter coz it lead to meeting you at a conference.. and you said "yay you're ackygirl - can I give you a hug" lol about 14 hours ago

 # paulrwood @Steve_Collis and I am having a great deal of trouble sleeping tonight/this morning. about 14 hours ago

 # paulrwood @Steve_Collis From Dallas but currently in

Philadelphia

for Educon. It is 24 F here and I learn so much from the collective knowledge of PLN about 14 hours ago

3. A google map actually showing where people replied to me from, around the globe!