Twiducate

Twiducate a Safe Blogging Tool
Twiducate.com is a free resource for an educator that was developed in 2009 by a group of educators from Ontario, Canada. A goal was to create a medium for teachers and students to continue their learning outside the classroom. The result was a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners in a social networking environment. Twiducate is a twitter like micro-blog for the classroom.
It is a fact that students will need social networking, blogging and basic internet skills to compete in today's business world. This site enables students to strengthen social networking skills in order to compete in the highly technological world we live in today. A resource like this one will let them make strides in a safe and effective way. Not only will twiducate.com give students the web 2.0 skills they need, but also expand their reading, writing, thoughts and ideas beyond the classroom setting.

Advantages
What makes Twiducate so great is that everything is being monitored in a controlled environment that is password protected. Teachers can use it to post assignment, share ideas, and even collaborate with parents. The site differs from twitter or blogging in that only teachers and students may view classroom posts, thus creating a private network for teachers and their students and a safer online learning environment.
Many social networking sites exist, however the control of content is limited for teachers and these social networking sites are continuously being blocked by school firewalls and administrators.
In the classroom the possibilities are endless.
• Use for posting homework assignments.
• Share and publish bookmarks for students to use.
• Respond to students trying to get test dates and other assignments changed!
• Collaborate among small or large groups. Create study groups for review and learning of information.
• Use small time information gathering more effectively: Assign every two students a concept to research and share learning with the rest of the class for discussion.
• How can you be sure that each student has completed work? Have them blog their information through Twiducate. Using a specific key word that they use at the start of their posts the teachers can search for a keyword to bring up all those related posts!
• Watching a movie that requires students to answer questions? Post prepared questions throughout the movie to elicit responses from students. Allow students the ability to blog their reactions to documentaries and work together for understanding.
• Share weekly links and comments about current events via microblog.

More Information available at:
www.twiducate.com,
www.teachersfirst.com

My opinion on these resources would be one of favoritism. The site allows for a controlled environment for the class and a means of more open communication. Students who are more on the reserved side would be able to express themselves more confidently. The teacher can also help to ensure assignments are completed in a timelier manner and even have assignments turned in this way. I believe, depending on my class assignment, I would incorporate this into my classroom.