Why not incorporate it into class time? The students should certainly be encouraged to utilize it outside of class, but we need to be realistic if we are going to make this part of our classes.
First, chances are, many students will be on some form of social media at some during your class. Make it constructive - give 10-15 at some point during class for students to use your class social media.
Second, we still need to consider that not all students will have access to computers, smartphones, or even the internet outside of class. Incorporating time into class for these activities (assuming you have the technology in your classroom) gives these students an equal chance to participate.
This sounds like a great idea to me. Our school just within the last year has gotten on to Facebook. Having a YouTube channel would be beneficial, like you wrote.
I just thought of one thing though - I hear many students say, "I already know how to do this because I just looked it up on You Tube!". With that, I tell them much of the info you see on that site is incorrect, so they have to be careful. However, the other downside I see is that if our school had such a channel, why would potential students show up and enroll if they could get everything for free on YT? Can a YT channel be made private, so only students could log in to the videos?
I would not use twitter for my students. A tweet can only be 140 characters long. This does not allow for well-developed thoughts to be shared. It would also be very hard to monitor the interactions between students if the individuals have their Twitter set to "private." It does not allow for an instructor to see the students tweets. I would hate for any sort of immaturity or harassment take place between students that are taking a course together. However, I would be curious to know if instructors have luck and/or productivity with the use of Twitter.
It would be difficult to manage for our school, and our industry doesn’t want their employees to be tied to their cell phone. Teaching appropriate use of social media is something we try. Of course things always look good in a text book but when we try to apply them practically, it all falls apart and you get an unintended result.
Hello everyone,
I never took Twitter that way; I thought it was made for short and quick text for follower. Now I have better understanding about the capability I will be more than happy to create class Twitter group per subject matter for each class. Which will help me to stay connecting and informing my student during the program and beyond upon availability of the technology.
I believe if it was more accepted in our organization, we could use it to our advantage. But I agree that with our current thinking, Twitter will cause problems.
I would also have to agree with the use of most of the technologies in this section at the school I teach in. We have a preset curriculum that doesn't allow for a lot of variance as well as we are more hands on so we currently do not use it. Maybe in the future
At our school we don’t allow the use of social media in the classroom so twitter would be problematic. But the idea of a youtube channel for lectures, Skype lectures or live streaming events is definitely something I want to explore.
We currently use Facebook to connect with previous student and future students showing what we do in class. I think it would be very interesting to incorporate a twitter account. I will check with our school to see if that is an option.
Nannette,
I absolutely love having the ability to connect with students and industry professionals on Twitter for teaching purposes- I find it enriches the teaching and learning experience.
Theresa Schmitt
Even though the inaction would be exciting, using twitter in a classroom would be difficult, unless one particular student is assigned to keep up with the responses.
John,
You could approach it that way- essentially assign a moderator each week to post a topic and respond- that would take much of the burden off of you. I do feel the students would benefit greatly if you participate and share your vast knowledge with the group.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
I had the exact same thoughts about Twitter. I thought it's sole use was to follow celebrities and comment on their lives. After reading this module and reading the comments, I am very interested in incorporating Twitter into my classroom.
Since I am not on any social-media sites, this will be a chance to test the waters. The best part will be getting my students to help bring me into their technological world.
Tonya,
Fantastic! Please come back and share your experience with the group.
Best,
Theresa Schmitt
Most professors who teach online classes have other careers as well that relate to what we teach. During our day, we could Tweet items of interest to out class Twitter Group---with links about items to check out on the web or just tidbits of interesting information about what it is like to be working in a certain profession.
Holly,
Fantastic example of how Twitter can be a viable resource and how we as educators can contribute while not in the classroom.
Best,
Theresa Schmitt
I have some concerns about Twitter but I would consider using it to have myself and my students communicate in regard to current news. There are some great apps for quick news updates, like The Skimm. It would be interesting to see how students communicate their response to the news of the day. What do you think?
I never thought of twitter as instructional, I thought is was for keeping up with the Kardashians. I will need to check with my dept. head but I think I would like it for scheduling updates as well. Things like test reminders, due dates, schedule and classroom changes. I will have to check with my students to see if any are using twitter, but this could be a very useful tool even without the benefits of class related discussions.
Jeff,
Scheduling updates is brilliant! Aside from general reminders about exams and projects, relevant links, and little tidbits of knowledge, using Twitter to update students regarding class scheduling changes is timely and appreciated by the student who may need to adjust his or her work/personal schedule. I can see Student Services departments making good use of Twitter as a communication tool as well.
Best,
Theresa Schmitt
In the classroom, Twitter allows more students to participate in discussions than a traditional setting would allow. This promotes active learning for students. Twitter can be used for students to collaborate in the classroom as well as outside the classroom for group assignments. Students can anonymously “tweet†to their classmates and instructors which is helpful for students who tend to be shy and introverted. Twitter offers a way for all students to participate in classroom discussions.
