Twitter+in+the+Classroom

=**Twitter in the classroom** =

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What is Twitter?
Twitter is an information sharing social network that connects users with each other through the use of 140 character updates known as "tweets". A user of Twitter can instantly share text, photos, videos, and other media with their "followers", and interested users around the globe. Users can feel free to share as many "tweets" as they want, or they can simply follow users they find interesting. Today, Twitter is"used by people in nearly every country in the world," and "now comes in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish." The ability of Twitter users to "tweet" from a computer or smart mobile device with internet access, or from any mobile phone using Twitter for SMS, allows for instantaneous communication among people from all around the world. Twitter's ability to instantly share lots of information with a large audience has led many to believe that Twitter can be a very effective tool in the classroom.

**How can Twitter be used in the classroom?**

A few yet steadily increasing number of teachers in America have been utilizing Twitter in the classroom. These teachers find using Twitter an easy and convenient way to incorporate the use of technology and twenty-first century skills into their classroom. Both teachers and students can use Twitter in a multitude of ways to communicate, ask questions, provide support and advice, and to validate open-ended ideas and discussions. Ultimately, a classroom Twitter creates a close community of learners that connect both in and out of class.

Some examples include using it to take attendance, creating a class forum, and utilizing it as a communication tool for parents. Students can even use it to follow politicians' and other public figures' tweets and updates.

What are the advantages of using Twitter in the classroom?
//"Most people start off in a rocky relationship with Twitter. It doesn’t seem to be as easy or as useful as everyone has said, it takes awhile before you find your niche, and there is an overwhelming amount of information to deal with. But, just hang on – it’ll be worth it!!!"// ([|Klingensmith, 2009]).

__Advantages compiled from an interview with Megan Matthias__ (student teacher who uses Twitter in own classroom).
 * User friendly
 * Very fast
 * Provides space for short blurb, hyperlinks, information, updates, news, etc.
 * Many tutorials and examples can be found
 * Lesson plans/instructions can be found on the internet
 * Provides the students with a paradigm shifting vessel, given the situation
 * Millions of users

What are the disadvantages of using Twitter in the classroom?


While there are many potential advantages of using Twitter in the classroom, there are also possible disadvantages to consider. First of all, one must take into account the age group of the students. First of all, there are administrative issues as parents of students at the middle school level may disapprove or prohibit their child from engaging in Twitter and other social networking websites. Furthermore, kids at the 10-14 age range are in the middle of a significant developmental stage, and promoting various online activities might work negatively towards their long-term academic performance and skills. Beyond parental consent, there are economic reasons that may hinder the success of Twitter in the classroom, as there may be students who do not have access to a home computer or the internet. In addition, when opening up the classroom to use of computers and the internet, a teacher must be prepared for the student who will choose to use the internet to search for off-topic or inappropriate material. Many students also may not understand the significance of internet safety, and may put themselves at risk. They may post things online that are extremely personal amounting to an “over share” that could put them in danger of either online predators or hacking.

What are real-life scenarios of effective ways to use Twitter in classroom?
There are many real-life scenarios of effective Twitter use in the classroom. One student, Megan Matthias, teacher at the [|University of California, Irvine]has used Twitter to enhance her classroom. At the beginning of the year, Matthias told her students that she would post homework and class updates on Twitter every day. She felt this was a great way to connect with her students, since many of them use this technology on a daily basis. Although only a few students follow her Twitter account, having this outlet available to students, has improved her classroom environment.

In another classroom at University of Texas, one professor, [|Dr. Monica Rankin], uses Twitter to promote classroom discussion. During her lectures, Dr. Rankin will post a discussion forum and students will respond via Twitter. Since she teaches in a large lecture hall, this is one way she can ensure every student is paying attention.

A similar story mentions the need to use Twitter in the classroom to improve students’ literacy. One elementary school teacher, [|Ana Dominguez], has successfully introduced Twitter into her classroom. Dominguez uses Twitter in her classroom at the end of the day to recap activities she has done. She will sit at her computer and create the Twitter thread with her students. During this time the class works together to create conversations on Twitter. She has already set up clear expectations for the activity and students are well aware that they need to accept everyone’s opinion, write in complete sentences, answer every question, etc.

 Another college professor at the [|College of the Holy Cross], Daniel Klinghard, uses Twitter in his classroom to force students to be concise. In his Political Science classroom he will often have students summarize major political events in the few number of characters allotted on Twitter. He insists that this exercise will improve students’ use of the English language and ability to convey their point succinctly.

One article mentions that [|students can use Twitter to follow important people]whom students may be studying. They give the example that students can follow [|President Obama] when learning about government, to understand aspects of what they are studying in a way no textbook could explain.

One teacher, David Silver, has successfully integrated Twitter into his classroom and by doing so has replaced three technologies he once used. First, he has been able to go nearly paper-less in his classroom, as all assignments are submitted electronically. Secondly, he now can forgo email updates to parents and students, as all updates are displayed via Twitter. Lastly, Twitter has replaced his class listserve, which was once used to extend conversation beyond the classroom.

An elementary school teacher, [|Ben Glover,] has decided to use Twitter in his classroom to connect with students from another classroom across the country. He notes that while this idea is not as “tidy” as a traditional pen pal, it is faster and gives greater change for multi-student interactions that are visible to both teachers.

For more information on how to integrate Twitter into the classroom, see links below.

Additional Resources
30 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom (Google Presentation) @http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_118cfb8msf8

The Ultimate Twitter Guidebook for Teachers (Updated) http://ht.ly/24Sru

100 Ways to Teach with Twitter http://www.emergingedtech.com/2010/02/100-ways-to-teach-with-twitter/

Audio Files of Twitter Use in High School (3 45-sec mp3 files) --- Great stuff! @http://drop.io/a4jyuvo/media/audio

Some Ways Teachers Might Use Twitter in the Secondary Classroom @http://tweetteach.jottit.com/secondary_suggestions

Lee Kolbert's Twitter in Education: What does it really look like? (blog post of ideas and challenges of starting to use Twitter in schools) @http://macmomma.blogspot.com/2009/07/twitter-in-schools-what-does-it-really.html

Twitter in the Classroom: Secondary School Ideas (wiki) @http://tweetteach.jottit.com/secondary_suggestions