Educational Uses for Twitter

Embracing the new form of collaboration in the classroom means opening the gates to technology and what better tool to use for this then Twitter. Twitter is becoming a useful tool across the college level quickly and slowing moving into the K-12 education as well. Educators on both sides of the spectrum are seeing this social networking site as a means to broaden instruction. The college level is much more expectable with the use of twitter as a tool.

However the K-12 setting is plagued by closed minded parents who insist that it is a waste of time and do not want their children to be taught how to use these tools. Educators argue that teaching the proper use will encourage students to use the tool properly and not improperly. What parents need to see is the success of using this tool. How it is engaging the student, all of the students even the ones who normally will not speak up in class are coming out from behind the piled up books on their desk to be heard.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessica-gross/embracing-the-twitter-cla_b_204463.html

This article written by Jessica Gross, explains the use of Twitter in the college level and the K-12 setting as well. The author gives good references to colleges successfully using the tool and samples of how it is being used. The author explains there are five reasons for teaching social media. She collected this information from an interview with Howard Rheingold from UC Berkeley's School of Communication and Stanford University who stated: 1 Developing students' literacy in our new online environment is as crucial as developing their abilities to read and write. Communication is moving toward social media. We can either help students thrive in this environment or leave them flailing 2 Many students bring their computers to class. Why not work with this trend instead of fighting or ignoring it? 3 Social media is just that: social. Students who use Twitter for class are "learning collaborative skills that are particularly important today." 4 There is only so much class time. Rheingold makes mini-lectures on video that students comment on between classes, allowing more time to engage the issues through in-class discussion. 5 Shy students who hold back in class often speak up online. "If you can extend the discussion to an online message board, you enable students who may not jump into the discussion," he said, to "make a thoughtful contribution."

http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/2699/a-professors-tips-for-using-twitter-in-the-classroom

An article written about how Twitter was implemented into a college course and describes the usefulness of the tweets. It begins by discussing the professors apprehension to using the tool, and moves into tell some of the successful stories in which twitter produced. The professor who tested this tool in his class feels that it expanded his courses communication and made the class feel more like a community.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OxIz_3o3O0

This is great video showing twitter in action at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis. The students use Twitter and instant messaging to take notes and actively hold discussions. The teacher in the interview explained the site is actively engaging students in her class. This increased engagement is increasing the achievement at the school. Students enjoy the class and can relate it to the real world.

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/using-twitter-to-facilitate-classroom-discussions/

This article examines how Twitter is igniting student discussion and increasing the amount of engagement the students have in their studies. A study was recorded in this article about the effectiveness of using Twitter as a discussion piece. The finds were that Twitter was best used as a small group discussion about the course work reading. In this article is a video with interviews of students and instructor.

http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/2007/08/twitter-in-th-1.html

This article is looking at the concept of having students tweet with students outside of the school district and even miles away. The goal is to connect classrooms and on similar topics and have them discuss their experiences.