This document discusses using Twitter for teaching. It provides an overview of Twitter, noting it has over 200 million users who post 400 million tweets per day. It recommends using a Twitter client instead of trying to read all tweets. Potential ways to use Twitter for teaching include for conversations, publicity, sharing news and resources, networking, and following experts. Research suggests Twitter can increase student engagement. Possible Twitter assignments are also outlined, along with some issues and concerns to consider like privacy and data mining.

1. Teaching with Twitter
NCC ERC Day 2014
Prof. Emily Hegarty, English Dept.

2. What is Twitter?

3. www.twitter.com
• 200 million registered users; 400 million tweets per
day
• 10 most popular accounts (30-50 million followers):
Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Barack Obama, Lady
Gaga, YouTube, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears,
Rihanna, Instagram, Justin Timberlake (source:
Wikipedia)

4. 2 bits of advice
• It’s a stream - don’t try to read
it all.
• Use a client.

5. Ways to use twitter
Conversation
Publicity
News
Networking
Personal learning network
Political activism
The backchannel

6. Teaching with twitter increases student engagement*
*R. Junco et al., “The effect of Twitter on college student
engagement and grades.” Journal of Computer Assisted
Learning, 2010.

7. Creepy Treehouse

8. Why bother?
Student community that lasts beyond the semester
Ambient awareness of course
Digital literacy

9. Possible assignments
• Tweet about class readings or continue class
discussion or ask questions
• Share resources (great websites, etc.)
• Follow experts in course subject matter (PLN)
More suggestions in resource page:
http://emilyhegarty.commons.mla.org/twitter-resources/

10. Issues and concerns
• Twitter no longer allows scraping; archiving (for
preservation or assessment) is difficult
• FERPA gray area
• Twitter’s data-mining
• Privacy from students
• Student resistance; compartmentalized education