Why Does Twitter Work for Me?
Twitter is more than just social media. It is a way to
share, to learn, to communicate, to investigate. Okay, maybe it is exactly social media, but it just feels
like more than Facebook or Instagram or any of the other hundreds of available
sites. For me it began as a “fun” connection, not necessarily with friends, but
with fantasies – celebrities, sports teams, athletes, political news, fun
facts, television shows; but then it started to change. Maybe it was around
Arab Spring when so many people were tweeting from the front lines of history. I
couldn’t see a program on tv without a hashtag to follow. It was shortly after
that I decided I needed a professional twitter account. I wasn’t sure what I’d
do with it, but it seemed like a good idea to separate the two for me.
A professional twitter? I knew I didn’t want to follow my students. That is not a line I
want to cross, but why couldn’t they follow me? It took me several months to
argue with myself and discuss with colleagues until I decided it was the right
idea. If students follow my twitter, I can talk to them without infringing on
their space. What about students who don’t want to follow a teacher on their
personal twitter? Easy enough: create a separate account using your student
email. Just like me, students can have two different accounts and never the two
shall meet.
I started by pretending
to use twitter with novels I teach. Kids would write tweets on paper and I
would grade them. It just seemed to me it would be easier if we did this
online. Finally, last year it came together. I assign literary elements and
students must tweet back using those elements based on the current reading.
They must also follow instructions regarding formatting, use of hashtags, and,
of course, proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. I am an English teacher! It’s exciting when students search for
the assigned tag and then comment or share or favorite other tweets.
Twitter still felt underutilized to me. That’s when I got
the idea from another teacher I follow to start tweeting what we did in class
each day. It has just become part of my class routine to tweet using a hashtag
for the course to tell students what we did and what’s upcoming. And it’s great
for extra credit! I’ll post a tweet asking what students are reading and why,
or a specific question about an author or book. Students love to tweet 6 Word
Memoirs for unexpected extra credit.
The surprise was discovering how many writers are on
twitter. I’ve taught students to follow some of their favorites and a highlight
for me was being followed back by some of my favorite writers and even having a
personal conversation with Erik Larson about a favorite Halloween movie. Then, there was the time I posted to
Amy King that one of my students was reading one of her books and she direct
messaged me for my address and sent me a box of books for my classroom library!
My latest lesson from twitter was an #edchat I stumbled upon
for users of Edmodo. I saw it one evening and thought I’d check it out. Next
thing I knew an hour had elapsed and I had at least three new resources to use
in my classroom. I also enjoyed the feeling that I had something to offer in
the conversation. (Edmodo is another great resource for students who don’t have
twitter or if parents don’t allow it. I mimic all twitter assignments on Edmodo
for that reason.)
So, why should teachers be on twitter?
Use it to communicate with students and parents.
Teach students how to use social media responsibly.
Find #edchats for your department and connect with other
professionals.
Show students that their writers are real people and will
sometimes talk back.
Keep up with news and trends in education.
Find other teachers who teach your content.
Follow the politicians who determine our fate.
Retweet news, activities, and events for your district.
Use twitter to post what’s happening at your school.
Follow the sports teams and other extra curricular
activities – they’re all on there!
It takes time to figure out how it will work for you, but
it’s worth it. Twitter is on nearly every smart phone in your school and it’s
available on every laptop. It’s easy to learn and once you get the hang of it,
the possibilities are endless. I’m still discovering and I don’t think I will
reach a limit any time soon.
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