Using Twitter to Improve Writing, Reflection, and Community
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The document discusses using Twitter as a tool to enhance writing, reflection, and community engagement in the classroom. It highlights the benefits of Twitter, including improved student participation and writing skills, while outlining a social media project that incorporates graded tweets. The author provides suggestions for implementation, addressing potential challenges and emphasizing the importance of faculty familiarity with the platform.
Using Twitter to Improve Writing, Reflection, and Community
- 1. Tweeting Your Way to Improved #Writing, #Reflection, and #Community Alice Louise Kassens Roanoke College kassens@roanoke.edu NETA Fall 2013 Austin, TX
- 3. What is Twitter? O Online O Accessed through microblogging technology O Post “tweets” up to 140 characters O ~200 million active users, ~400 million tweets/day O Free service, www.twitter.com variety of portals: cellphone, computer , tablet O Tweets can include pictures and videos O User’s twitter page can be customized using templates
- 5. Twitter in the classroom O Twitter has been shown to improve: O Engagement O Participation O Writing O Community O Learning O Memory
- 6. Twitter and writing/reflection O 140 character limit forces succinctness O “electronic editor” O Brevity of tweets = powerful tool for teaching writing & other communication skills #writing
- 7. Twitter and writing/reflection O Writing about economics=vital test of understanding O Challenge in 100level courses O A key to good writing=developing an argument #reflection
- 8. What we did O Social media project O ~25 student avg. O 15% of course grade O Computer lab O Screen projecting Twitter feed O Unique hashtag (#kassensecon122 ) O Ten graded tweets O Rubric developed with class O Assignments both in and out of class period O Review tweets in class
- 9. Preparation (in class) O Brief introduction to Twitter (many students had never used Twitter) O Set up accounts O 10-15 minutes to personalize page, follow, tweet O Develop rubric: “What makes a good tweet?” Faculty should already be familiar with Twitter
- 10. Preparation (in class) Twitter grading rubric
- 11. Sample assignment O State of the Union Address 2013 Watch address w/in 24 hours of event 2. Tweet several comments or questions 3. One tweet graded 1. O Purpose O Increase student awareness of current issues O Apply course material to these issues O Communicate in thoughtful/concise manner
- 14. Unintended consequence O Twitter expands the classroom beyond the physical walls O Global conversations O “guest speakers” O Community can be developed in typically isolated experiences #communit y
- 15. Suggestions O Hold class in lab O Establish ground rules O Allow practice tweets O Select unique # O Grade tweets via student page O Follow your students O Assign a significant weight to assignment Benefits O Expand classroom, become part of a larger community O Refine reflection & writing skills w/o a large written assignment O Increase engagement O Demonstrate responsible use of social media
- 16. Difficulties O Challenging with large classes O Currently are not reliable applications to collect tweets for a record Cautions O Professor should be comfortable with the technology O Pick a unique hashtag for all assignments O Keep tweets to course material