Twitter in the Classroom

1. Twitter in the Classroom Its not just for posting song quotes and pictures of your breakfast

2. Things to know • Posts are called “tweets.” • There is a 140 character limit for tweets. • You can use Twitter to respond to the tweets of others or send instant, private message. • Your tweets are logged and are reviewable, as are the responses to tweets.

3. Before you get started • Make sure parents and students know they are responsible for the information presented on Twitter. • Set guidelines for usage. • For students and parents with no access to a computer or the Internet, it may be necessary to make alternate resources for these individuals. • Review, review, review: • Take a look at your profile, make sure it is appropriate. • Review the rules of usage with students and parents. They need to know the appropriate conduct that is expected of them. • It may also be necessary to review your school’s policy on the usage of social media. At the very least, inform your administration of your intent to use Twitter. • It may be necessary to get informed consent from students and parents via permission slips and to develop alternative assignments/announcement methods for any who refuse to participate.

4. Getting Started • You should communicate with your administrators your intent to use Twitter in the classroom as well as obtain permission slips from students and parents. • Once approved, go to www.twitter.com to begin.

5. Sign up for your own account • After going to www.twitter.com, you will need to set up your own account. • Click the yellow Sign Up box in the New to Twitter? section of the homepage.

6. Choose your name carefully • It may be necessary to have multiple names for different classes. • If you foresee multiple accounts as being too much of a hassle, make sure you are direct with who the audience is for all posts. • It may also be necessary to have a different account for teams, if you are a coach. • Your name should be personal to the subject the Twitter account will address. • For example: CoachBvolleyball2011 Ms.B8-1ushistory2011

7. Privacy, Privacy, Privacy • When setting up your account, make sure to address the privacy settings. • You will need to select to approve your followers and keep your “tweets” private. • This aspect is essential if you think you would ever post photos via twitter, perhaps of a match or class activity. • It is also important you share the importance of privacy with your students and parents.

8. Notifications • You can use your Twitter on your Smartphone. • Twitter has an app for Smartphones and you can use it to alert you if you have a post or tweet on your twitter or if someone wants to follow you. • You can also set up your Twitter account to send you e-mails of tweets and requests for followers.

9. How do you use it? • Now that you can set up your Twitter account, how can you use it for your classroom? • Announcements- to parents or students • Due date reminders • Group discussions • Student questions to each other • The teacher can still monitor the questions for accuracy. • Student questions to the teacher • Other students may benefit from the same question. • This would allow for clarification of subject covered in class or in the text, etc.

10. Examples • Example of Tweet assignment (using two tweets): • “Use the following tweet and come up with a response that is relative to the time period (Ancient Rome) and to the events taking place (the plot to murder Caesar).” • “The following is a tweet from Julius Caesar: ‘Friends R acting funny—all week they seem to B awkward when I come around. Maybe I’m just paranoid.’” • Example of responses: • “Watch your back, Caesar, that Brutus is tricky and power-hungry.” • “The Ides of March R near, we should all B careful. Its not paranoia if they’re after U.”

11. For more information Now get STARTED!! Be creative and have fun! You may find the following websites helpful. They have a lot of useful information. http://chronical.com/article/Teaching-With-Twitter-Not-for/49230/ http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2009/01/teaching-with-twitter.html This blog includes many more resources for using Twitter in the classroom. http://www.scribd.com/doc/2286799/Can-we-use-Twitter-for-educational-activities These sites are also linked on my Wiki: http://mytechywiki.wikispaces.com