Twitter as a Curation Tool

I have written and spoken extensively about the use of Twitter in education:

• as one social network tool to connect, collaborate and amplify (Seven Degrees of Connectedness, Upgrade & Amplification Exercise and Checklist )
• as a critical component of 21st century skills and literacies for the classroom ( Twitter HOTS & Establishing a Twitter Routine in the Classroom, Twitter Policy and Rationale, Guide to Twitter in the K-8 Classroom, K-2 Twitter in the Classroom Checklist,  Twitter in Education Pinterest Board )
• as an important component of Professional Development for educators (R U Ready 4Twitter?, New Forms of Learning: How to Participate in a Conference 2.0 Style?)

In addition to the above mentioned uses of Twitter, I am increasingly becoming aware of the importance of Twitter as a CURATION tool for me.

The term “curation” in itself has become quite popular recently. I am not sure yet, if it is another term destined to become a victim of talking at cross purposes among the educational community.

Mike Fisher has blogged about curation and what it means versus the concept of collection.

Collecting is what kids do when asked to find resources for a particular topic. Usually, it represents the first 3 or 4 hits on a Google search, without meaning, discernment, or connections.

Curating is different. It’s the Critical Thinker’s collection, and involves several nuances (see Figure 1) that separate it as an independent and classroom-worthy task.

Mike created the following image to point out the continuum from collecting to curating

The stages and progression of using Twitter as a mere consumption tool of collected information (by others) to curating information, adding value with additional perspectives, connections,  resources or interpretation, the platform of Twitter as a potential tool for curation becomes evident.

There are different sides to Twitter as a Curation tool:

1. Taking advantage of a network of curators working for you (building your own customized network), consuming their curated information
2. Collecting, organizing, connecting, attributing, interpreting, summarizing the vast amount of information that comes across your desk/ feed /books/articles/etc.  for YOURSELF!
3. Becoming consciously the curator for others for a particular niche, area of expertise or interest. Disseminate resources, add value, put in perspective, create connections, present in a different light/media/language.
4. Real time curation allows you to be part of an event, that you physically might not be attending or being on the opposite end allows you to be the bridge for others to participate at an event where you are present, but your network is not.

Download Twitter as a Curation Tool as a pdf file.

Taking advantage of a network of curators working for you (building your own customized network), consuming their curated information.

Create lists on Twitter, that will clump together users who are experts and curators for a particular area of interest to you.

Ex.:

• Library & Media Specialists (List by Langwitches)
• LanguageTeachers (List by Langwitches)
• International Educators (List by Langwitches)
• Classrooms Tweeting (List by Langwitches)

Follow #hashtags of topics or groups.

Ex.

• #Kinderchat (for Kindergarten teachers)
• #1stchat (for First Grade teachers)
• #educoach (for educational coaches)
• #edjewcon (for Jewish educators)
• #globalclassroom (globally connect your classroom)
• #iosedapp (for educators interested in educational apps for iPads/iPods/iPhones)

Collecting, organizing, connecting, attributing, interpreting, summarizing the vast amount of information that comes across your desk/ feed /books/articles/etc.  for YOURSELF!

A few years ago, I set up the Langwitches Twitter Blog,  another WordPress blog under the Langwitches domain. Using the Twitter Tools plugin, any tweet, I am posting to Twitter, automatically gets posted to the Langwitches Twitter Feed Blog.

I am finding myself using the blog’s search function more and more when I am trying to recall a resource, need to quote someone, find a username of someone I interacted with on Twitter, etc.

Since I am increasingly using and relying on the search function of my Twitter blog, I am also more aware of the Tweets I am posting. I am carefully thinking about future keywords, I might be searching for in order to recall a particular tweet (s).

Consciously becoming the curator for others for a particular niche, area of expertise or interest. Disseminate resources with added value, put in perspective, create connections, present in a different light/media/language.

This is the difference that separates the “collectors” from the “curators”. Establish yourself as an expert, by sharing selected quality information freely. This is when YOU become the trusted member of a network that funnels QUALITY / FILTERED information to others.

Real time curation allows you to be part of an event, that you physically might not be attending or being on the opposite end allows you to be the bridge for others to participate at an event where you are present, but your network is not.

As the event unfolds in real time, you use Twitter to document and link what you are hearing, witnessing and learning.

I recently published a blog post outlining the symbiotic relationship between physical and virtual attendees of a conference: New Forms of Learning: How to Participate in a Conference 2.0 Style?

How else are you using Twitter as a curation tool? Please share.