Chapter 11 Twitter
11.1 Report from the Field
Students use smart phones to record their observations while witnessing an event/location related to the course of study, capturing more honest and spontaneous reactions
11.2 Twitter Clicker Alternative
In large classes, a hashtag can amalgamate all posts by your students in one place, giving them a free-response place to provide feedback or guess at a right answer. Also useful for brainstorming.
11.3 Backchannel Conversations in Large Classes
unlike a whispered conversation, a Twitter conversation (searchable by agreed-upon hashtag) becomes a group discussion. Students may also help out other students who missed a brief detail during the lecture.
11.4 Follow an Expert
Luminaries in many disciplines, as well as companies and governmental agencies, often publish a Twitter feed. Reading such updates provides a way to stay current.
11.5 Tweeted Announcements
Instead of Blackboard, use Twitter to send out announcements like cancelled classes.
11.6 Twitter Pictures and URLs
Twitpic and other services allows for photo upload to twitter; bit.ly and other “link shorteners” allow for pasting long URLs as short ones.
11.7 Student Summaries
Make one student the “leader” for tweets; she posts the top five important concepts from each session to twitter (one at a time); other students follow her feed and RT for discussion/disagreements
11.8 Historical Tweets
Students roleplay as historical figures (Lincoln, Napoleon) or fictional characters (Hamlet, Three Little Pigs) and tweet as if in specific contexts.
11.9 Quick Contact
Since sharing cell phone numbers is risky, instructors may wish to let students follow them on Twitter and send Direct Messages that way.
11.10 Community-Building
A Twitter group for your specific class creates inclusiveness and belonging.
11.11 Twitter Projects
Tweetworks and other apps can enable student groups to communicate with each other more easily.
11.12 Brainstorm
Small Twitter assignments can yield unexpected brainstorming by students, since it’s happening “away” from the LMS.