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Assignment 2 Internet in the Classroom Education is also in much need of technology uses for students; ones that relate material to the 21st century, to students interests and needs. Twitter is an online social networking service and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, known as "tweets". The site houses over a half billion users and gets over a quarter of a billion tweets daily. Average Joes, super-stars, actresses, athletes, and so many more people comprise twitters users. The articles I chose to use for this assignment are all peer-reviewed and found on the ERIC database online. Each journal article expresses some use of Twitter in education; may it be in History while students follow presidential elections, or even for parents to keep updated on what students do in the classroom. There are many beneficial uses for Twitter in the classroom. Instructors can encourage students to follow current events on Twitter. News outlets such as National Public Radio usually provide at least 30 updates throughout the day, ranging from music to politics. (Moody, 2010) Parents can also be active participants in their childs learning process. They are able to have meaningful discussions about what is happening all day in the childrens lives, and they can avoid asking What did you do in school today? The text, along with the pictures and audio, make our work public, making it easy for families and friends to stay in touch. (Moody, 2010) The first journal I selected by Greenhow discusses the vast popularity along with the speed at which tweets can be accessed. Greenhow talks about a man sitting beside her that sent a tweet to his followers and received several replies within seconds. She talks about the emotional support Twitter can offer for students creativity. The second article, by Junco, offers some insight on Twitter for student engagement as well as grades. The article validates that

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students play more of a participatory role in the classroom when Twitter is involved. A web 2.0 mentality does lead to better student engagement within students. The third article is from Kurtz. This article provided some fascinating uses for Twitter in the classroom. Parents can follow student progress in school when Twitter is used in the classroom. Twitter can aide students in their writing, and even their social interactions with others. The fourth article, by Moody, talks about how students can create, swap, and manipulate information on Twitter. Students can communicate to ask questions about projects, tests, or even homework assignments. Students who are typically shy may be more outgoing on the web as well. The last article, by Rinaldo, discusses ways in which instructors can guide and direct conversation on any given topic. Twitter works as a fast and quick avenue to use. Twitter could be a brilliant channel for breaking news, asking questions, and attaining one step of separation from public figures you admire. No other communications channel can match its capacity for real-time, person-to-person broadcasting. (Greenhow, 2009) This is a great opportunity for students to receive knowledge relevant to their lives. In a real-time environment for student learning, professors may use Twitter for direct communication with students to generate discussion and interest in the course topics and examples. (Rinaldo, Tapp & Laverine, 2011) Twitter has both qualitative and quantitative uses in the classroom. In three studies, both quantitative and qualitative data suggest that when students engage in Twitter use with the professor, students feel better prepared for future careers. In addition, students indicate that Twitter facilitates achieving traditional educational goals. (Rinaldo, Tapp & Laverine, 2011) Parents can also be active participants in their childs learning process. They are able to have meaningful discussions about what is happening all day in the childrens lives,

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and they can avoid asking What did you do in school today? The text, along with the pictures and audio, make our work public, making it easy for families and friends to stay in touch. (Kurtz, 2009) This is a fascinating approach to parental involvement. So many teachers struggle with keeping parents informed in regards to what their children do in the classroom and how they are doing. Twitter provides another method of providing parental involvement. Sites such as Twitter and Facebook can help instructors communicate with students. Users create, swap, and manipulate information on many levels and in real time. (Moody, 2010) I was never really familiar with Twitter until I researched it for this assignment. I didnt realize the true uses for Twitter. I have to admit I had a narrow mind about the uses for Twitter. On the surface of it all Twitter seems to be a simple tool to keep updated on others ideas and feelings at a certain point in time. In reality, Twitter can be used for so much more. Twitter offers students and teachers opportunity to learn and teach with the 21 st century at the forefront of it all. Teachers can ask questions, students can answer them and both teachers and students can maintain it all via Twitter. Students who may typically be bored with traditional methods of teaching are able to be challenged and enjoy something they can use in the real world. Twitter prides itself on immediacy of information. Anyone, anywhere can access what twitter has to offer. This is a powerful method of communication with over 500 million users and 350 million tweets on any given day. Twitter is very easy to use. This is a leading factor as to why twitter is so popular. Corroboration is another merit of Twitter. One twitter follower was able to validate an alibi of a man convicted of murder and give him an alibi. Twitter is an

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amazing resource for many things. Twitter is what you make of it. It can only be as useful or powerful as the user lets it become. Twitter does have some great value in the classroom but its value is limited. Students need to be aware of their limitations when it comes to using twitter. Students need to be aware of their audience. Anyone can follow tweets, so students need to be aware. There are ways to block followers if need be. Twitter is free and offers negative access for users as well. Students and teachers need to be aware and be able to shield themselves from users that are on Twitter for the wrong reasons. Twitter is not useful for every content area. Twitter could be counterproductive in certain courses or for specific lessons. Twitter can have a tremendous impact on student learning and engagement in the classroom. From discussions about math problems, to presidential candidates, to parents following students, twitter offers advantages for teachers and students in the classroom. Web 2.0 tools are very beneficial for students nowadays. Technology is booming, and the vast majority of students are influenced and interested by web 2.0 tools. The fact of the matter is students are more likely to succeed when their interests are tended to. Twitter can and does improve student engagement on a daily basis. Twitter aides in the learning process, and with the ever-growing want for real world experience for students, twitter is a no brainer.

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Greenhow, C. (2009). Tapping the wealth of social networks for professional development. Learning and Leading with Technology, Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ842796.pdf Junco, R., Heibergert, G., & Loken, E. (2010). The effect of twitter on college student engagement and grades. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27(2), Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2010.00387.x/pdf Kurtz, J. (2009). Twittering about learning. Horace, 25(1), Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ859276.pdf Moody, M. (2010). Teaching twitter and beyond. Journal of Magazine & New Media Research, 11(2), Retrieved from http://aejmcmagazine.arizona.edu/Journal/Spring2010/Moody.pdf Rinaldo, S. B., Tapp, S., & Laverine, D. A. (2011). Learning by tweeting. Sage Journals, 33(2), Retrieved from http://jmd.sagepub.com/content/33/2/193