Comparison of Twitter & Pownce

Twitter & Pownce seem to be comparable microblogging tools, in regards to their setup and main functions. It seems as though Twitter is best for short, text-type messages (since there is a character limit) between friends and family. There is also the option to send those messages to a cell phone, which could be convenient for those who really want to stay in touch with everyone. Personally, I would not be interested in the messages to the cell phone idea, because I think receiving all those messages would make me nuts, and I do not need to know everyone's business every second of the day.
I did enjoy Pownce more due to the fact that you can attach files and photos, in addition to the text and links. I also found Pownce to be more asthetically pleasing to the eye. From a teacher standpoint, Pownce would be great for teachers from specific disciplines to share ideas and files with eachother. Then, one could acquire ideas from those outside of their schools and districts. All in all, if I was to continue the use of one of the microblogging tools, I would continue using Pownce.

Microblogging

After becoming familiar with the function and purpose of microblogging, I was curious as to how this could be utilized in the classroom. I came across a microblogging site called Edmodo, which is a program (similar to Twitter, Plunk, etc.) designed for teachers and students. One of the pros of Edmodo is that you can send a message to an entire group at the same time. This would be very convenient for reminding students of deadlines, upcoming tests, projects, etc. On the other hand, I can predict some possible cons. It would be difficult to change the due date of a project or such (as this article states), and then assume that every student would check their accounts. Also, while many students do have computer and internet access, it is not a guarantee. So, in order to come to a happy medium, I would certainly be interested in reminding students of important information and dates, but I would never present new information, hoping/assuming that they will see it.