Twitter in the Classroom

Twitter in the Classroom

Overview of Today’s Session • Getting started • Making friends • Using your own hashtag • Building relationships with Twitter

Overview of Today’s Session • After-class chats • “In-class” Twitter feeds • Lesson ideas • How to find more Twitter ideas • My Twitter info

Getting Started • Make multiple Twitter accounts • A “Teacher” account • A “Personal” account • A “Professional” account • Make an account for each one of your classes • You could make more if you think of other “personas” you want to assume online

Adjust Your Settings

My Twitter Feed

My “Connect” Page

Your “Connect” Page Contains: • Direct messages from your followers • Tweets of yours that have been “retweeted” by others • Tweets of yours that have been “favorited” by others • Tweets that you have been “tagged” in by others

Making Friends • You should post your tweets to a “hashtag” • #edwebchat, #edchat, #edtech, #ntchat • #Satchat, #edcamp, #sschat, #engchat • Visit these hashtags periodically by typing #edwebchat in your Twitter “search bar” • Follow people who post in the hashtag • It is a great way to meet people who have the same interests!

#greatthinkers

Using Your Own Hashtag • When you post important materials for your class, post it to a hashtag • That way, your students don’t have to “follow” you (& you don’t have to follow them) • My hashtag is #holdenmath • If you teach multiple classes, you may want to post to different hashtags

Posting to Your Hashtag • Links to educational videos • Links to blog posts • Links to educational websites • Pictures

Posting to Your Hashtag • Links to PPT presentations you have posted on SlideShare • Links to interesting news articles you found online that are pertinent to the class • Questions/Answers/Comments • Invite parents to your hashtag

Posting to Your Hashtag • Try “Outwit Me” – a Twitter-based trivia game • Link Twitter to Moodle or Blackboard (if you are using them) • Use “Twiddeo” to tweet videos

After-Class Chats • Use your class’ special hashtag to hold online chats with your class • At 7pm every Wednesday, chat with your class about questions they may have about the material, upcoming projects, etc. • Don’t forget that every tweet has to include your class’ special hashtag (ex. #holdenmath)

Do an “In-Class” Twitter Feed • Use your computer and projector to post a real-time Twitter feed in your room • Use your class hashtag • Students can post questions from their mobile device while class is going on

Do an “In-Class” Twitter Feed • Students can ask the teacher questions without disrupting the “flow” of the class • Put a student in charge of typing in “answers” to the questions students post • This provides a permanent record of questions and answers that students can refer to later! • This is sometimes referred to as a “Twitterwall”

Parent Contact • You can post information for parents under a different hashtag (or the same one) • Assignment due dates & test dates • Online resources that can help their student • Upcoming school events • Other school/class announcements • If parents follow you, you can send them a direct message

Building Relationships • Post your hashtags in your class syllabus • Build relationships with parents & students • You could be a little more “casual” on your Twitter feed than you are in class • Your parents & students might see you as “cool” instead of uptight!

Remember FERPA! • Don’t post any of your students’ personal information online • Make sure to read your school’s technology “Acceptable Use Policy” (if your school has one)

Lesson Ideas • Follow @TwtsFromHistory • Students post tweets that historical figures would have posted (had Twitter existed back then)

Lesson Ideas • Language learners can connect with people who speak that language (ex. Spanish, French, German, etc.) • Students can communicate with them to practice their language skills • If you don’t want your students interacting with strangers from a foreign country, post words and have students write responses in a foreign language

Lesson Ideas • Students can connect with a famous scholar, inventor, or political figure • If that person is alive, odds are good that they have a Twitter account • Student can ask the person questions, try to start a conversation!

“Live Tweet” a TV Show • Have your class meet on Twitter to exchange ideas while watching an event on TV • The election • A movie version of a book the class is studying • State of the Union Address • Continue the class discussion the next day in class

Field Trips • Students can post their observations to a specific hashtag or account during a field trip • Students share what they have learned • Teachers can post updates on where students should meet next at the museum • Teacher can set up a “scavenger hunt” • Parents can monitor how the trip is going

Key Word Search • Type a name or keyword into your Twitter “search bar” and tweets containing that term will appear • Examples • “Democrat” • “Iceland” • “Scalene Triangle” • “Circumference of a Circle” • “Abraham Lincoln”

Math Ideas • Teachers can post a “Math Word Problem of the Day” • Students tweet back the answer • Use “TweetStats” to track the activity of certain Twitter accounts • Put the data into a bar graph or other type of Infographic

Twitter Word Games • Post a word, and have students respond with • Synonyms • Antonyms • Definitions • Post a collection of letters, and have students respond with • Words you can make with the letters

Experience a Current Event in Real Time • Use the “Track a Word” feature to experience a current event as it happens • Example: Type “Egypt” into the Twitter search bar to track tweets about the revolution as it happened

Summarization • Have students tweet you a 140-character summary of what they learned in your class today

This is the Tip of the Iceberg • There is no limit to the ways you can implement Twitter in the classroom • Today’s webinar is designed to get you thinking about how you can do it

Want More Ideas? • Post this question: • “How do YOU use Twitter in the classroom?” • Post the question to the hashtags we discussed earlier in the program • #edwebchat, #edtech, #edchat, #techtools • You will be shocked to see how many replies you get!

Want More Ideas? • Post the question in our TechTools community! • We have almost 3400 teachers – many of our teachers are using Twitter every day!

Follow ME on Twitter! • @newteacherhelp • My hashtag: #holdenmath • My Instagram name is also @newteacherhelp • I will be on Twitter at #edwebchat for the next 30 minutes if you have any additional questions or comments about today’s presentation!

Twitter in the Classroom