Twitter and education, really? Really!

Twitter and education, really? Really!

Twitter and Education

Personally, I’m not sure how useful knowing that Ashton Kutcher ate a grapefruit for breakfast is to society, and keeping up with our favorite celebrities seems to be about the only thing that Twitter is good for. However, unbelievably, that is not entirely correct. Twitter can also be used in many applications to benefit educators and students. Don’t believe me? Well, I didn’t believe it at first either, but read on to be convinced!

I have so many followers!

Twitter is a micro blogging site that allows people to post messages, and these posts are delivered to the "followers" of the poster by text message. As an
student or facilitator, this service can come in very handy when one needs to get a message to the entire class without waiting for people to log on to the class site.
Due to the format of online classes, most students are only able to log on once per day to check updates and emails on their class site. "Such a service could be useful for teachers or students who want to send a text message to the whole class"(Moody, 2010).Imagine a scenario where your professor has changed the due date of a large assignment to the next night, instead of tonight. If this facilitator has utilized Twitter, he or she could easily "tweet"an update and the whole class would know instantly (and an extra day to complete an assignment is something most students want to know instantly!)

I participated in the class discussion and didn't have to say anything!

Twitter is not only a way to update one's students or fellow classmates to changes in the course; it can also be a way to keep everyone involved. Imagine
participating in class discussions at any time. Imagine having a brilliant idea at 9pm on a Tuesday and being able to "tweet" to your fellow classmates and professor
despite the late hour. This prevents trying to remember the brilliant thought, and allows for feedback from everyone even outside the classroom. "Parry uses Twitter
to enhance his classes and as a means of keeping students engaged in course content beyond the classroom walls. He has them create Twitter profiles and "follow," or
track, his updates along with those of friends and others outside the university. Many of his students go one step further and use the site to alert their classmates
to world events or issues that are relevant to the course" (Miners, 2010). Twitter also allows students to keep up with current events in real time, since many events
happening in the world today are "tweeted" about before they are reported by the professional news sources.

It’s hard to hear with all this "tweeting" going on

Twitter is not just for stalking your favorite celebrities anymore! By utilizing Twitter in the classroom, teachers and students can both benefit, 140 characters at a time. By keeping class discussions open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, facilitators and students can benefit from larger, and deeper discussions. Twitter also allows for instant communication between students and professors when time is of the essence.

Samantha J

References

Miners, Z. (2009). Twitter Takes a Trip to College. U.S. News & World Report,
146(8), 56-57.


Moody, M. (2010). Teaching Twitter and Beyond: Tips for Incorporating Social Media in Traditional Courses. Journal Of Magazine & New Media Research, 11(2), 1-9.


Twitter. (2011). Retrieved from http://twitter.com/.