Can Twitter be used to engage students?
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Transcript of Can Twitter be used to engage students?
CAN TWITTER BE AN EFFECTIVE TOOL IN STUDENT ENGAGEMENT?
NADIA AMIN & PHIL SAINTERWESTMINSTER BUSINESS SCHOOL(BUSINESS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT & OPERATIONS)
HEA ICS WORKSHOP ON INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO STUDENTS ENGAGEMENTUNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE, 23 JUNE 2010.
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CONTENTS
• What is Twitter?• Twitter use in HE• Our experience• Recommendations • Conclusions
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WHAT IS TWITTER?
• a micro-blogging social network to share content via short messages
• Used by businesses, celebrities and media • A post (tweet) is a 140-character message• You can ‘follow’ people, and they can ‘follow’
you too • You can protect tweets (privacy option)• You can create lists and follow others’ lists
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Source: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/5
TWITTER ACCOUNT
Tweet
Yourfollowers
Numberof tweets
Account name & photo
YourBio
Num. of following
Num. of followers
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TWITTER BASICS
• Tweets: 140-character message• @replies: @anelkaofficiel• RT (retweets): RT@anelkaofficiel• Hashtags (#): #worldcup, #eng• Direct messages: DM @anelkaofficiel• Link shorteners for long URL: tinyurl.com,
bit.ly• Photo publishing: twitpic.com
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TWITTER TOOLS
• Twitter Software– Twitteriffic, TweetDeck, Hootsuite, Seeismic
• Twitter Mobile Applications– for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Blackberry, Nokia,
SonyEricsson.
• Backup and utility tools– Usage Statistics : Twittercounter, TwitterGrader– Backup: TwapperKeeper, Twazzup, RSS feeds
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TWEETDECK
www.tweetdeck.com9
USING TWITTER IN CLASS
• Announcement board• Collaboration • Backchannelling• Crowdsourcing• Twitter polls
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THE TWITTER EXPERIMENT: DR RANKIN UT DALLAS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WPVWDkF7U8&feature=related
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OUR PILOT EXPERIMENT:
• 20 students on “Digital Revolution” module • Students asked to follow the tutor, each other
and others for one semester• Twitter training was provided to all students
(only three were ‘experts’) • Students invited to tweet on the subject• Students asked to write a reflective statement
at the end
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STUDENTS FEEDBACK ON TWITTER USE• Quick, delivers messages
faster (viral effect)• Excellent message dashboard
for class communication and feedback
• Easy to use and learn• Improves the community feel
within the group• Gives access to new sources
and contacts • Can be integrated with
Facebook• Gives all students equal voice
• Takes time from studies to maintain the account
• Does not replace email or VLE• Integration with SMS costly• Does not replace face-to-face
contacts• Dealing with twitter spam• Information overload • Privacy aspect • Requires motivation to use by
some, but can become addictive for others
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RECOMMENDATIONS • Teaching Activities
– What is the reason of using twitter ? – What teaching or learning activity it will support?– Device assignments that make use of twitter– Encourage twitter use by awarding marks, rewards for best
tweets, etc.• Tutor’s use and motivations
– Familiarise yourself with twitter tools and etiquette– Be proactive in ‘twitterspace’ – Combine with other tools if possible: Email, Moodle, Facebook– Personal twitter account vs dedicated module name account
• Provide students with training, guides and support .
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USEFUL ON-LINE SOURCES
• The Twitter Guide by Mashablehttp://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/
• The Ultimate Twitter Guidebook For Teachers http://edudemic.com/2010/06/the-ultimate-twitter-guidebook/
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http://hootcourse.com/
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USEFUL TECH-EDUCATORS TO FOLLOW
• @courosa: Alec Couros, Regina• @drbexl: Bex Lewis, Winchester• @timbuckteeth: Steve Wheeler, Portsmouth• @jamesclay: James Clay, Gloucestershire• @russell1955: Russell Stannard, Westminster• @hopkinsdavid: David Hopkins, Bournemouth
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CONCLUSIONS
• If used in the right context, twitter can engage students
• It is a free and easy to use platform with plethora of tools
• We aim to conduct a larger pilot in 2010-11 – more staff and students on several modules – examine pedagogical implications
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