Twitter in
Education
Questions to the Audience
 How many of us own a cell phone?
 How many of us use texting as a means of
communication?
 How many of us have a Twitter account?
Table of Contents
 A How to Guide
 Twitter in Primary Education
 Twitter in Secondary Education
 Twitter in Higher Education
A How to Guide
 What is Twitter?
 Create a Twitter Account
 How do we use Twitter?
What is Twitter?
“Twitter is a rich source of instant information. Stay updated.
Keep others updated. It's a whole thing. Customize Twitter
by choosing who to follow. Then see tweets from those folks
as soon as they're posted.” - twitter.com
Create a Twitter Account
It is simple to create a Twitter account. Just by
answering four questions, a new user can be up and
TWEETING in a few minutes.
email address - user name - full name - password
How do we use Twitter?
Twitter is a simple to use social networking tool that can
be used from Mobile Devices, Desktop Computers
and Laptops.
Limited to 140 characters
How do we use Twitter?
Tweets (user messages) are entered into a Twitter
program and sent to the Tweeters’ Followers (those
who are following a particular twitter user).
Tweets can include web site links to pictures and other
information for your students.
How do we use Twitter?
Messages received by other users can be retweeted
(forwarded to other twitter users) and users can also
direct message (private message) a twitter user that
they are following or are a follower of.
How do we use Twitter?
Tweets are also remembered on the users account, and
are searchable so students could go back and check
on due dates, a certain conversation, find other users
talking about the same thing, and more.
How do we use Twitter?
 Teachers can remind the class about the upcoming
quiz or assignment(s)
 Students can:
 Tell their friends where they are studying and plan to
meet. (tweetup)
 Ask their teacher a question about something
The possibilities are almost endless….
Twitter in Primary Education.
Why You Should be
using Twitter in the
Elementary
Classroom.
Elementary teachers should
use Twitter to...
 Teach:
 Drafting,
 Revising and
 Editing
sentences.
Some Examples
 To group write a
sentence
describing their
learning activity
 To revise the
sentence in a
group revision
activity
Some Other Examples
Students singing,
speaking, or oral
reading can be
published on
Chirbit.
Some Other Examples
You can
take
digital
pictures
of their
work or
activities
and post
it on
Twitpic.
Family Involvement
 Parents would
be able to check
Twitter often to
be updated on
their child’s day.
 Grandparents,
aunts, uncles,
and divorced
parents could
also be kept
informed.
Monitoring Twitter
 To ensure the safety and privacy of the students.
 Privacy settings should be enabled on the twitter
account.
 Students should be taught internet safety.
Twitter in Secondary
Education
 Integration Benefits:
 Teach Responsibility to Students
 Build a Community
 Allow for a stronger connection
Twitter in Secondary
Education
 Examples of Current Use
 Newsletter to Parents From Administration
 Two-Way Communication in the Classroom
Twitter in Higher Education
 Students of Higher Education
 Higher Education Uses
 Twitter Benefits
Students of Higher Education
 2008: approximately 96% of American college students
were Internet users.
 Nearly 90% of college students were cell phone
owners.
Higher Education Uses
 Online Discussions
 Communicate efficiently
 Reflect and Respond
 Continue outside of class
 Questions for Instructor
 Viewed be all users at once
 Expedient Communication
 Schedule Changes
 Corrections to Syllabus.
 Can be done through wireless device
Higher Education Uses
 Track Keywords
 Specific Topics
 Conferences
 Meetings
 Track Users
 Investigative Reporters
 Political Figures
Twitter Benefits
 Alleviates fears of larger audience
 Instructors get to know learners
 Design approach
 Group similar learners
 Students can find peers with similar views
 Group projects
 Study groups
Conclusion
 Twitter should be used in classrooms from
Primary School to Higher Education.
Why?
Conclusion
 To promote student
and parent
involvement
 To promote student
learning
 To keep costs down
Our Website
Research Sources
Kurtz, Jeff (2009). Twittering about Learning: Using Twitter in an Elementary School
Classroom Retrieved March 4, 2010 from
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/45/8c/d
8.pdf
Waller, Martin (2009). Multiliteracies and Meaningful Learning Contexts in the Primary
Classroom. Retrieved March 28, 2010 from http://www.changinghorizons.net/wpcontent/uploads/2009/07/uklapaper09.pdf
Campbell, Nick (2009). Twitter for Education. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from
http://www.tienetwork.org/content/view/302/
Parry, David (2008). Twitter for Academia. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from
http://academhack.outsidethetext.com/home/2008/twitter-for-academia/
Williamson, Debra (2008). College Students Online: Driving Change in Internet and
Mobile Usage. Retrieved March 28, 2010 from
http://www.emarketer.com/Reports/All/Emarketer_2000524.aspx?utm_source=Adweek&
utm_medium=TextReportCollegeStudent&utm_campaign=AdWeek0908&aff=Adweek
Image Sources
Creator Unknown, (n. d.) Twitter Icon Atop Books Image, Retrieved from:
http://krodia.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/twitter-college-tweets.jpg
Riley, Karl, (2010) Screenshot of Twitter.com located at: http://twitter.com
Creator Unknown, (n. d.), Children Around Computer Image, Retrieved from:
http://ihumanable.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/children-computer.jpg
Etheridge, Jennifer, (2010) Screenshot of Room 302’s Twitter page located at:
http://twitter.com/room302
Creator Unknown, (n. d.) Students Around Whiteboard Image, Retrieved from:
http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/images/email_updates/Paint_with_whiteboard.jpg
Creator Unknown, (n. d.) Parents and Child at Computer Image, Retrieved from:
http://cache3.assetcache.net/xc/75674536.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=8A33AE939F2E01FFB74986AD8
A40981C79B37EAC821AEEAD64877024319BAC2
Image Sources
Etheridge, Jennifer (2010) Screenshot of Room 302’s Chirbit page located at:
http://www.chirbit.com/room302
Etheridge, Jennifer (2010) Screenshot of Room 302’s TwitPic page located at:
http://twitter.com/room302
Creator Unknown (n. d.) WIRED Image, Retrieved from: http://photobucket.com
Creator Unknown (n. d.) Twitter Thought Bubble Image, Retrieved from:
http://photobucket.com
Creator Unknown (n. d.) Magnifying Glass on Book Image, Retrieved from:
http://photobucket.com
Creator Unknown, (n. d.) Twitter Icon Image, Retrieved from:
http://www.classcaster.org/resserver.php?blogId=175&resource=twittericon.jpg