techdig assignment: twitter in education

Twitterin education

an assignment by Josh and Arima

what is Twitter?

online application

part blog, part social network, part cell phone/IM tool

“what are you doing?”

limit of 140 characters

stay in touch virtually anywhere

200,000 million + users

who uses Twitter?

individuals

groups

corporations

educators

celebrities

media

how does Twitter work?go to Twitter.com

create an account

personalize profile page

add friends

post private or public

search topics of interest

“follow” friends, celebs, teachers and more

why use Twitter?

to keep connected

virtual “water cooler”

make connections with friends’ friends

watch how people develop over time

learn something new

watch events happen around the world

some reasons not to Twitter

inane interaction

value is minimal

no guarantee it will be read

distracting time eater

addicting

“noisy”

lacks the face to face element

why is Twitter used in teaching?

a tool to engage students

used to foster interaction on given topic

metacognition-the practice of thinking about and reflecting on learning benefits comprehension and retention

to compare thoughts on a topic

by forcing brief points

encourages clear concise communication

things to think aboutuse of a technology may lead to classroom management issues

discussions have been known to go off topic

some discussions may be non-productive or lead to arguments

not all students have access to the same technology

cool ways to Tweech!class chatter: reinforce material with real world

classroom community: getting to know the class

sense of the world: what’s happening out there?

track a word: search to see what comes up

instant feedback: ask and get answers right away

follow a professional: find an expert in your field and follow

more Tweech toolsdirect tweet for contact lists

get to know each other

collaboration

announcements

brainstorm

poll

share websites

daily learning tips

there are a lot of great ways to use Twitter in your tools and techniques. As an add-on to a great lesson plan, Twitter can provide a new

level of energy and depth to the learning. Keep in mind it has its drawbacks as well. As with any technology in the classroom it needs to have its place, have its use defined with

rules that all can agree on and be a part of the learning, not a distraction from it.

“colleges must make education more interactive to hook the interest of today’s

students” www.chronicle.com

sourcesacademhack.outsidethetext.com

chronicle.com

onlinecolleges.net

techlearning.com

educause.edu.eli

cooper-taylor.com

follow us on techdig@twitter.comaccessed June 2011