Despite
all the anxiety over Twitter’s impact on civil discourse and society in
general, more and more educators are finding the social platform a valuable
tool for sharing assignments, increasing student engagement, and archiving
classroom resources.
In
intermediate and high-school grades, Twitter can be used to connect with
students where they already are. One New Jersey high-school teacher found that students
checked her classroom Twitter account more often than they read school emails.
Some
school systems or individual instructors may be dubious of Twitter’s value or uncertain
about what sorts of content they should tweet. In a blog post, Steve Williams,
co-founder of Campus Suite, a provider of cloud-based communications solutions for
schools, set out four areas where Twitter can and should be used by educators:
1. Enhancing
student engagement—Any additional channel for communicating with students is a
plus. In addition to tweeting project due dates and reminders about quizzes and
tests, teachers can send links to class notes and even design projects that
encourage students to use the platform to connect with each other (such as
comparing their interpretations of a reading assignment) or with others (such
as professionals in an industry being studied).
2. Community
engagement—Twitter is a quick and easy way to share classroom news and student
accomplishments with the broader community, including other school systems.
3. Connecting
with parents—Almost any parent knows that classroom information isn’t always
passed on to them by their offspring, so Twitter provides another path for
ensuring everyone is kept in the loop, whether the content is a class reading
list, a field-trip reminder, or an emergency alert.
4. Extending
the school’s reach—Twitter can also deepen connections with a school system’s wider
network of vendors, consultants, boosters, and board members to generate
interest in new programs or support for fundraisers or a tax levy.
