From the Desk of Mr Daniel

Twitter has been around for sometime. As our Principal is exploring the possibility of using new media as teaching and learning tools, I start exploring and using it on Friday.

Just for the sake of introduction, Twitter, a social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read short messages (120 - 140 characters) known as tweets. Tweets can be displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Twitter is gaining popularity with the introduction of online services like Twitter.SG, SMSYO & SGBeat. Increasing number of students are using Twitter to communicate. Sending tweets is free but we have to bear the cost of SMSing. To save SMSing, we can integrate Twitter into Facebook and use services like TwitterMail to broadcast your messages. To increase exposure, Twitter can also be displayed at your blog.

Twitter can also be integrated to your Facebook by using Twitter's Facebook Application. Once enabled, you can send tweets using the application. Tweets will appear on your Facebook wall as well as your Twitter profile page.

You can also signup for TwitterMail, which allows you to send tweets using emails. The service supply you with a TwitterMail email address. If you send an email to that address, your email will be posted as tweets to your Twitter profile page.

Twitter can be shown on your blog by placing Twitter Widgets into your blogskin. Your blog readers will be able to see your tweets when they visit your blog. It also serves as an opportunity to allows your friends/readers to subscribe to and follow your Tweets to keep up with the updates in your life.

By integrating Twitter into Facebook and using services like TwitterMail, you can have more than one way to post your Tweets and communicate with your friends. Twitter is useful in sending short messages online while you are on the move. It is the SMS of the internet that allows busy friends to communicate with one another.

I will post about using Web 2.0 tools (which includes Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google Docs etc...) in education, teaching and learning once I finished my research.