Twitter in the Classroom
As the emphasis on the development of 21st century learners continues to gain momentum, it becomes increasingly important for teachers to create learning opportunities that allow students to become digitally literate. According to author Danah Boyd (2014), "Developing wisdom requires active learning. Teens acquire many technical skills through extensive experimentation with social media and curiosity driven exploration" (loc. 3208). If we want students to develop safe online practices, they need to be provided with authentic educational opportunities that allow them to actively engage in social media. Students also need guidance and support while being taught safe online and social media practices. Twitter enables educators to meet all of these goals, as well as help students gain a deeper understanding of their digital footprint.
Other benefits of using Twitter include:
- allowing students to write for authentic audiences
- breaking down the boundaries of the classroom walls, allowing students to connect and collaborate on a whole new level
- engages learners
- has the potential to connect parents to their child's education
Digital Literacy
Here are some links related to digital citizenship, digital/media literacy, and digital safety that are worth taking a look at:
Social media, such as Twitter, provides incredible opportunities to help students become digitally literate, and to develop the critical skills that will be necessary if we want our students to be successful in our 21st century world of learning and technology.
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Online Articles to read :
Baker, J. (2013). How students benefit from using social media [Weblog Post]. Edudemic. Retrieved from: http://www.edudemic.com/how-students-benefit-from-using-social-media/
Couros, G. (2011, November 21). Twitter hashtags in the classroom [Weblog post]. The Principal of Change. Retrieved from: http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/2609
Holland, B. (2013, June 18). Introducing social media to elementary students [weblog post]. Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/introducing-social-media-lower-elementary-beth-holland
Holland, B. (2013, June 18). Introducing social media to elementary students [weblog post]. Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/introducing-social-media-lower-elementary-beth-holland
Lalonde, C. (2011, February 3). 3 research studies on potential advantages of using Twitter in the classroom [weblog post]. ClintLalonde.net. Retrieved from: http://clintlalonde.net/2011/02/03/3-research-studies-on-potential-advantages-of-using-twitter-in-the-classroom/
Videos to watch on Twitter in the classroom:
Twitter in the Elementary Classroom: Video
Great video about using Twitter in the elementary classroom
Great video about using Twitter in the elementary classroom
Twitter in the Classroom: Video
This video discusses authentically using Twitter in the classroom as a way to break down the barriers of a classroom, while teaching students about their digital footprint.
Academic Research on Twitter in the Classroom
According to Evans (2014), "Twitter usage showed a positive correlation with the degree to which students engaged in course related activities, such as social exchanges and sharing information" (p. 912). His research indicated that overall, using Twitter in higher education classes increased student engagement in the course.
Greenhow & Gleason (2012) discuss the notion of Twitter as a new form literacy practice. They write that "Young people's varied use of Twitter in learning settings was found to support a number of positive educational outcomes, including increased student engagement, active learning, improved relationship between students and instructors, and higher grades (Junco, Heiberger, and Loken 2011)" (Greenhow & Gleason, 2012, p.468). Greehow & Gleason also explain that, "Tweeting by students also supported their making connections with peers around shared interests, which contributed to high levels of student engagement" (2012, p. 468). Twitter helps students write for authentic audiences, and as Greenhow & Gleason describe, "Other benefits to using twitter were the ability to 'write concisely...for an audience', which researchers believe may help students forge a professional community of practice" (2012, p. 469). One final point the authors make in their article that is that, according to several case studies, students who used twitter were better "able to practice and improve their English-language and composition skills, develop their technological literacy-the ability to choose appropriate technology for specific activities, and develop their information literacy- the ability to find, select, critically evaluate, and synthesize a range of information across media (Black 2009,693) (Greenhow & Gleason, 2012, p. 473)
Examples of ways to use Twitter in the classroom
Twitter in the Classroom
Written by Christen (2014, April 27)
Below is a great list of uses of possible classroom Twitter uses from this article:
50 ways to use Twitter in the Classroom
Samantha Miller via Teach Hub.com
This article provides fifty different ways to use Twitter in the classroom. Some examples provided in this awesome list include
- Tweeting about upcoming due dates or assignments
- providing the class with a running news feed
- tracking a hashtag
- connecting with the community
- following the issues
- writing a story or poem
- asking a question
- live tweet field trips
- role play
- connect classrooms
- engage parents
- post supplementary materials
- take a poll
- hook up with Google earth
- go on a scavenger hunt
- create a character
- create an online art gallery
Via: Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/02/a-must-have-guide-on-using-twitter-in.html
Another great list of uses of Twitter, including
- Twitter as a bulletin board
- Instant feedback
- Staying on top of the learning process
- Teaching bite-sized information
- Corralling comments in class
- finding great resources
- connecting with career experts
- source evaluation
- gathering real-world data
- communicating with experts
- building vocabulary
- class newspaper
- trend mapping
- a twitter story
- current events
- twitter art show
References:
Aspen Institute. (2014). Learners at the centre of a networked world [report]. Retrieved from: http://aspeninstitute.fsmdev.com/documents/AspenReportFinalPagesRev.pdf
boyd, d. (2014). It’s complicated: The social life of networked teens. New Haven & London. Yale University Press.
Common Sense Educators. (2013, August 12). Digital footprint- What digital footprint are you leaving online? [video file]. Retrieved from: http://youtu.be/4P_gj3oRn8s
Evans, C. (2014). Twitter for teaching: Can social media be used to enhance the process of learning? British Journal of Educational Technology, 45(5), 902-915. doi: 10.1111/bjet.12099
Greenhow, C. & Gleason, B. (2012). Twitteracy: Tweeting as a new literacy practice. The Educational Forum, 76(4), 464-478, doi:10.1080/00131725.2012.709032
MissSpink3. (2014, April 21). Twitter in the classroom [video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzNyIuvUoF0
RaffertyWeissMedia. (2013, November 8). Dangers of social media for teens video [video file]. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sop5MN7Ilfw
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