Class+4_Team+6

Twitter in Secondary Education

**__Introduction__** As the world around us moves from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 and beyond, our classrooms must as well. Web 2.0 is the social networking side of the internet that allows for easy updating, sharing, and engagement between users (Fahser-Herro, 2010). Twitter is one example of a web 2.0 tool that has many uses in the classroom and can become an integral part of a student’s education.



__**What is Twitter?:**__ “Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news about what you find interesting“(Twitter, 2012). Twitter began in March of 2006 (Sarno, 2009). People use twitter by posting tweets, which are limited to 140 characters. But as Twitter points out, “don’t let the small size fool you—you can discover a lot in a little space” (Twitter, 2012). You are able to follow other people on Twitter and what they tweet about just as people are able to follow you. Because social connections are so easily formed, students and teachers are able to experience many benefits.

__ **Disadvantages** :__ fasdfasdfasd As educators we need to be aware of the possible disadvantages one may encounter when incorporating the use of Twitter into our classrooms. Though the use of technology has been ever expanding in not all parents, colleagues or administrators for that matter are welcoming to the idea of incorporating social media into the classroom (Kolbert, 2009). Here are just some of the reasons behind their hesitation: privacy issues easier access for students to carry out high speed gossiping and cyber bullying (Kolbert, 2009), and due to the condensed format that Twitter provides it could lead to habitual use of bad grammar (Grosseck & Holotscu). Teachers that opt to utilize Twitter in their classroom also need to be aware of the various unintended results that they will most likely encounter. When students are given access and permission to use this type of technology in the classroom some students will no doubt abuse this privilege. For example, students will use it to “chat with friends” or follow a celebrity’s tweets rather than using it for its intended educational purposes (Grosseck & Holotscu). This obviously can lead to a good portion of your students being constantly distracted from the lessons you are trying to teach them. A segment of your student population that suffers from autism or ADHD may be especially prone to the distraction that Twitter has the potential to provide (Grosseck & Holotscu). Anybody who takes a fleeting glance down the hallway in any high school in America can visually see that children are border-line obsessed with their cell phones. Cell phone use is quite “time consuming” for today’s youth, and bringing Twitter into the classroom has the potential to exasperate this issue even further (Grosseck & Holotscu). The internet is a “public forum” in which all the world has access to (Szapkiw & Tucker, 2011). Because of this issue teachers must inform students about the dangers and pitfalls of internet use. You also will need to install boundaries and safety precautions if you plan to use Twitter in your classroom. Unfortunately no matter how much time and direction you will provide to your students about these very pertinent issues, “not all students will abide by your guidelines” (Szapkiw & Tucker, 2011).On one side of the coin as an educator you may be very excited to share and utilize Twitter with your students, but not all of your students will be excited to share with you. A lot of students don’t want to “socialize” with their teacher (Swapkiw & Tucker, 2011). Some students find this as an invasion into their world, and only prefer to tweet with their peers. Don’t be surprised if you are not getting the “response rate” that you expected (Swapkiw & Tucker, 2011). On the other side of the coin, incorporating Twitter into your classroom will give your students access to you at any point of time during your day and night. You need to ask yourself this question: Are you really ready and wanting to be “available to your students 24/7” (Swapkiw & Tucker, 2011)?Last but not least, "over 70% of teenagers in this country have access to their own cell phone" (Lenhart, 2010). What about the other students that do not? This leads to another question a teacher should ask themselves before deciding to bring Twitter into their classroom. If you decide to use Twitter in the classroom will you feel comfortable with the fact that not all of your students will have equal opportunity to the learning experience you are providing? __ **Advantages:** __ The world including the modern classroom is constantly evolving. One integral part of this evolution is technology. Most recently the popularity of social media outlets such as Twitter has exploded. As teachers of the twenty-first century we should be utilizing this technology to its fullest potential in our classrooms. Let us take a look at the facts, “over 75% of teenagers in the United States have access to their own cell phone”, and “texting has been identified as the primary use of a mobile communication device within the teenager demographic” (Lenhardt, 2010). Since cell phones, texting, and social media are used at such a high rate amongst our students, it would be foolish for teachers to not use avenues such Twitter as learning tools in their classrooms. Twitter itself should be viewed as a never ending corridor in which its users can “gain and share information” (Swapkiw & Tucker, 2011). There are countless ways teachers can use Twitter as a tool of engagement and meaningful interaction with their students in the forum of education. First let us begin with the most immediate and obvious way that Twitter can be advantageous to both student and teacher. Communication between student and teacher will be immediate. Gone will be the days of students claiming they were unaware of a due date of an assignment, or what they need to do to be prepared for the next day’s class. With a simple tweet by the teacher all of this kind of day to day information can be directly sent to each student to the device that they use numerous times on a daily basis--their cell phone. Furthermore, parents could also be following the teacher so as they can be kept up to date in real time about what is going on in the classroom as well. <span style="display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Teachers can use Twitter as an immediate form of assessment. By tweeting the class a question and reviewing the students' responses to the question, a teacher can make sure that students are grasping the key points of a lesson clearly and correctly. If they are not a teacher will know what needs to be clarified with the class immediately and prepare to do so. <span style="display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Teachers can keep educational classroom conversations alive and extend these conversations with students with the use of Twitter. Another advantage that should be recognized is that students who may not have been comfortable sharing in the conversation in the classroom actually may feel more comfortable contributing to the conversation via Twitter. In essence “Twitter can give your shy students a voice” you may have never heard (Ferriter, 2011). In addition to giving more students a voice these types of Twitter discussions just like any other discussion leads to new ideas, introduces other perspectives on a topic, and will engage students in a higher form of critical thinking about the topic at hand. One more point that should be mentioned is that by extending class time with Twitter is another way to reinforce what was actually covered in class. As we are already aware of, more reinforcement leads to a higher retention rate of information. <span style="display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Twitter is an easy piece of technology that teachers can utilize with their students to provide a meaningful way to make “a connection between the content and student”, therefore it will “help to motivate the student to learn”, as teachers this should be our ultimate goal and Twitter can provide us with this opportunity (Szapkiw & Tucker, 2011).

<span style="display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">**Implementation:** __ <span style="display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">To implement Twitter into a secondary classroom you much first create a specific twitter account for a class (@USHistory_12). You may also create an account as yourself (i.e. @Mr_Johnson) and separate the classes by using “hashtags”. Hashtags are indicated by a “#” symbol, they are used to mark keywords or topics in a tweet. They are used as a way to categorize messages within a tweet. For educational purposes you can organize classes (ex: #USHistory12) and/or topics for discussion (ex: #civilwar) using hashtags. Hashtags can be searched so students or teachers can see all tweets that use the specific hashtags. This makes it easy for students to see the thoughts of their classmates outside of class. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Twitter gives students the ability to uniquely contribute to their learning. If a student is browsing the internet and finds something that pertains to the classroom discussion, they can tweet a link to the site and the teacher or other students may view it after school hours or in the next class period. Conversely if the teacher would like students to read an article or watch a video prior to the next class they may tweet the link out to the class even after school hours. It is also a great tool for groups to use to share information they have found ( Grosseck & Holotscu ). Tweets can be directed at other individuals by simply inserting their twitter handle into the tweet ( Grosseck & Holotscu ). Twitter polls can be used to ask quiz question or gather opinions of students. Twitter can also be a great outlet for parents and teachers to communicate between parent teacher conferences. Using Twitter, a parent can ask a teacher a question about due dates, special events, or even student progress with a very quick response turnaround. media type="youtube" key="2w9CnaeaiAE" height="251" width="448" align="center"

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Conclusion:** __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Twitter is a Web 2.0 tool that has many uses in education. While there are disadvantages that teachers should be aware of, there are numerous advantages for students, teachers, and parents. As with any technology used in the classroom, teachers must first prepare their students to use it. Make them (as well as parents and even administrators) aware of the expectations and ground rules for using the tool. Remain in contact with parents as to how you are using it in the classroom and provide examples of how it’s working. A Web 2.0 tool such as Twitter is just one more way for you to get your students actively engaged in your classroom. It’s taking their social networking skills and desires, and linking them to their education.

**__References__** An Information Network (2012). Retrieved February 9, 2012, from https://www.twitter.com/about

Educational Uses of Twitter (2012). Retrieved February 9, 2012, from http://twitterforeducation.wikispaces.com/Educational+Uses+of+Twitter

Fahser-Herro, D., & Steinkuehler, C. (2010). Web 2.0 Literacy and Secondary Teacher Education. //Journal Of Computing In Teacher// //Education, 26(2), 55-62.//

Ferriter, B. (2011, October 23). Using Twitter in High School Classrooms. In //The Tempered Radical//. Retrieved February 7, 2012, from []

Grosseck, G., & Holotescu, C. (n.d.). Can We Use Twitter For Educational Purposes. In //Scribd.//. Retrieved February 9, 2012, from []

Kolbert, L. (2009, July 11). Twitter In Schools; What Does it REALLY Look Like. In //A Geeky Moms Blog//. Retrieved February 11, 2012, from []

Lenhart, A. (2010, April 20). Teens, Cell Phones, and Texting. In //Pew Research Center Publications//. Retrieved February 10, 2012, from []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Sarno, D. (2009, Feb 18). //Los angeles times//. Retrieved from http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/02/twitter-creator.html Szapkiw, A. J., & Tucker, J. M. (2011). Engaging Students Using Twitter. In //Sloan Consortium//. Retrieved February 9, 2012, from []