If not all students have a mobile device, ask students to form pairs or groups of three, where each pair or group has at least one "Twitter scribe"--i.e., s/he has a smartphone, tablet or laptop, as well as a Twitter account.
If there are students who want to maintain anonymity, you can work with them separately to create a generic student account, such as @mathstudentX. You'll know who has access to this account, but the class won't. You also might create a couple of these in advance and just assign them to specific students for the term (e.g., @HIST220-studentZ). Be sure to get the accounts back!
The three tabs below share just a few ideas for using Twitter with your students:
Working with content can be as simple as sharing an interesting article with your students and as complex as asking students to generate unique questions about a reading assignment. Here are a few examples, along with considerations for using these strategies on Twitter.
Instructor announcements
Use the class hashtag (#ClassName) and hashtags for the related #ClassTopic(s) along with a very brief summary of why you are sharing the resource...and of course the link to the resource itself.
Share new resources that explain a course concept
Student curated content
Ask students to find unique resources related to a course concept.
Make sure your instructions remind students a) to use the class hashtag (#ClassName) and hashtags for the related #ClassTopic(s); b) to summarize why they are sharing the resource; and c) to include a link to the resource.
Student questions and comments about content
Ask students to post unique questions and comments about a reading assignment (#ClassName #AuthorOrReading) or homework assignment (#ClassName #Wk4Assignment #Q10). Allow students to answer each other's questions for credit.
Engaging students
As a microblogging tool, Twitter is perfect for engaging students in activities for both online and face-to-face classes, such as icebreakers to create community or backchannels to support learners during lectures.
Building community: Twitter for a 6 word memoir
Example prompt - first week of an online class or first classroom meeting Let’s get to know each other! Write a 6 word memoir about your future self 5 min: Using our class hashtag (#ClassName) and #MyFutureSelf, please tweet 6 words--and 6 words only--that describe what it will mean to you to reach your academic goals Follow-up: In the next week, a) favorite two tweets that interest you and b) reply to two classmates on Twitter with a question or a resource that might help them reach their goals.
Backchannel
Backchannels can be structured (instructor-led) vs unstructured (student-led)
Example hashtag: Professor Monica Rankin from University of Texas-Dallas uses a weekly tag, such as #h1302w08. The first part is the course, History 1302. The second part is the week, week 8
Backchannels may be more useful for larger classes, but there's no reason why a smaller class wouldn't benefit just as much.
Students who wouldn't normally speak up in a large class or who work at a different pace have an avenue to share their thoughts and ask questions
Class time is multiplied – students all Tweet responses at the same time, rather than wait for one student to finish speaking.
Include hashtags in your lecture presentations, so your students can reference key concepts
E.g., #mitosis #meiosis
Be sure to recognize contributions at points during or at the end of class
Ask everyone for their attention – then highlight a specific tweet on your screen as you explain why it's a good question or comment.
You also can use Twitter's Favorite function to mark the questions and comments you think are worth noting. This makes it easy for students to find later when they search through the comments.
Assessing learning
While you may not conduct a quiz or exam via Twitter, you certainly can use Twitter to check for student understanding.
Checking for understanding: Twitter for a 1 minute paper
Example prompt: 1-minute Tweets about today’s lecture on cell division 1 min: Using our class hashtag (#ClassName), please tweet separate answers to the following three questions:
What was the #clearest point from the lecture?
What was still #unclear after the lecture?
What other #comments do you have?
Teaching with Twitter videos by Kevin Kelly #CCCTwitterReally presentation on Twitter pedagogy