The Scoop on: Using Twitter in your Classroom

I'll be honest-I was never a fan of using Twitter. I thought it was just another form of seeing what everyone was eating for dinner and what they were doing this very moment...wasn't Facebook enough for news like that?  After using it in my graduate technology class, however, I have a new appreciation of this form of social media. As I fumbled in navigating and "following" people (both ones I know and celebrities), businesses, fellow teachers, and educational companies, I began to brainstorm on how to push this even further as my own world of Education was quickly broadening from this tool.   In really digging in to how to use this tool for the classroom, I was amazed at the list of possibilities I had created after spending a few weeks awkwardly using my own Twitter account.  For older students, linking what they are learning in class with a social media forum they're already using on a daily basis is a great way to tap into their world.  Twitter is a great platform for educating and connecting with your students and exposing them to the world around them.  Here are my ideas for using Twitter in the classroom in areas of Communication & Classwork, Exploration, and Inspiration. 

Communication & Classwork

• Bulletin Board-Post breaking news and updates about your class.
• Reminders-Post homework and attendance reminders.
• Follow-up-Students can keep up with what they have missed.
• Parental Involvement-Parents can also "Follow" your class, so they are aware of important reminders and classwork.
• Bonus Points- Create opportunities for extra credit.  Tweet simple assignments or information and offer bonus points for those who have stayed "in the know" via Twitter.

Exploration

• Tweet articles pertaining to the lesson you are teaching.  Students can expand what they're learning in class with current articles, videos, and websites about the subject at hand.
• Students can Tweet and reply to what they're reading and learning in class.
• Encourage students to follow professionals in industries they're interested in...who do they admire, what companies do they like, what motivates them?
• Students can collaborate with other students in the class by using hash tags and re-tweets for what they're studying.

Inspiration

• Post inspirational quotes for your students.
• Use Twitter during field trips to track where your students are and what they're learning.

If you're wondering if Twitter will help boost student buy-in in your classroom, take a peek at the video below where high school students participated in a study on measuring student engagement using Twitter.  By hearing from students who use Twitter in their classrooms in this video, you can see how Twitter allows you to aid your new students in new ways.  

I would love to know what ways you use Twitter in your classrooms!  How do you motivate your students to participate in this area of your classroom experience?

References:

[Twitter photo]. Retrieved November 22, 2013, from: http://www.alavena.cl/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/twitter7.jpg

[Twitter video]. Retrieved November 24, 2013, from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVOY2x81_bg#t=320