Utilization of Twitter for Novel Study and Creative Writing Assessment

1. Utilization of Twitter for Novel Study and Creative Writing Assessment Ruth Ilios and Anita Aggarwal

2. What is Our Approach? • Integration of technology to enhance traditional literary studies • Use of a social media outlet (Twitter) to help students follow, understand, and deconstruct plot, character development, underlying themes and social issues within a text • Accomplished by utilization of a creative writing assignment based on a novel study • Point of view response system

3. How This Approach Works • Students habitually use social media • Therefore, their knowledge of the system is already in place. • With prior knowledge, means of assessment become less intimidating. Therefore, lower risk, higher reward. • If not, good opportunity to introduce technology as a learning tool.

4. Prior Knowledge • Critical literacy skills • Reading • Writing • ‘Twitteracy’ – useful but not necessary • Students will be shown how to use Twitter

5. Limitations • Technology based, therefore students who do not have access to the technology at home may have some difficulty • Remedy: Students may use school resources (i.e.: computer lab, library, tablets, netbooks) to complete entries before and after school or during lunch) • Students may hand write responses as well • Parents may object to use of social media • Remedy: Students may hand write responses

6. Benefits • Use of a familiar technology to study unfamiliar or challenging texts • Highly adaptable assignment (can be used again with an assortment of texts, different writing assignments and grade levels) • Gives student creative license while exercising necessary knowledge and understanding • Responses require thought and planning due to character limit • Low risk, high reward

7. Materials and Resources • Novel • Cellphones, computers, IPad’s/ IPod’s • E-mail addresses

8. Note • In terms of those without access to technology or who do not have parental permission, make every effort to make them feel included in the activity. • Example modification: Create sheets with speech bubbles that resemble Tweets. Have students cut them out and place them on a timeline.

9. Some Suggestions for ‘Tweetplates’

10. How is This Approach Theoretically Informed? • Multidisciplinary • Reading for meaning => Understanding of content, reading comprehension, critical literacy • Differentiated instruction => Multiple means of participation, collaborative use of technology and text • Creative writing => Point of view response (includes elements of critical thinking and planning, personal response) • Uses the top level of ‘Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy’ – creation of something new with the knowledge they are discovering

11. Suggested Grade Levels • This assignment is highly adaptable for many grade levels • You can change the number of responses, the text being studied, content of responses, etc. • We recommend reserving it for senior grade, academic English classes • This particular presentation will focus on concept for grade 12 university courses

12. Hook • Ask your students: • “Have you ever wondered what some characters are thinking? Have you ever assumed you knew what they were thinking about a particular situation within the novel? Here’s your chance to give them a voice!”

13. Focus of Study: Novel • Step 1: Send letter home to parents outlining assignment => be very explicit that they will be sending their responses to a course account and not to your personal account, and also about the benefits of the assignment (technology integration, familiarity of outlet). • If parent does not consent, student will be asked to participate by handwriting their responses with same expectations (character limit, point of view writing).

14. Focus of Study: Novel • Step 2: Introduce text • Step 3: Introduce Assignment • Give student option to adopt either a specific character or a “non-speaking”, “non-contributing” (janitor, receptionist, fly on the wall) character from who’s perspective they will be writing. • Allow the students to use ‘text talk’ as this allows for more content in the limited amount of space. It is, after all, a creative writing assignment!

15. STOP Do YOU know how to use Twitter?

16. Helpful Hints for Success • We suggest using your school e-mail address to bar any questions of equity • Name your account after the course number to allow students, parents and school officials to easily find the account. Provide the principal with the password should they wish to monitor the activity. • Be certain all permission forms have been received and that the principal is aware of your assignment. • If you need to discuss a response with a student, do so in person. Do not reply to messages.

17. Go to www.Twitter.com and create an account *We suggest using your school e-mail address to bar any questions of equity*

18. 2) Once signed in, go to the small wheel on the top right hand corner of the screen to find where direct messages can be viewed.

19. 3) View tweets sent by your class!

20. Focus of Study: Novel • Step 4: Show your students how to send their tweet responses to the assignment account. • Be clear of the types of responses you are looking for. Give examples of good responses. • Provide the students with the rubric for the assignment. • Be clear that these responses are only 140 characters long, therefore they must be well thought out and planned for accordingly.

21. Focus of Study: Novel • Step 5: Throughout novel, give your students lead in questions at the end of your chunked section in order to give them proper direction for their point of view response • These responses can be centred around: • Plot development, character development, characters personal feelings towards action in section, social context, relations between characters, commentary, etc.

22. Extensions Activities • With the permission of your students to display their work, you can print off the Tweets sent and combine them with the Tweets created by those who were not able to participate via technology and create a Twitter feed right in your own class! You can use this to discuss how students interpreted certain sections of interest.

23. Conclusion • The use of POP technology to study traditional literary texts can provide the student with a familiar environment through which to explore unfamiliar or challenging texts. • As the student may feel more comfortable with the means of communicating their thoughts, they experience a more psychologically secure learning environment which leads to a low risk, high rewards educational experience. • Students LOVE using technology in class (sometimes under their desks while they think we’re not watching…) so why not use it to YOUR advantage!