An Article Review of How and Why Educators Use Twitter

How and Why Educators Use Twitter: A Survey of the Field

This article summarizes an attempt to quantify and analyze the use of Twitter by K-16 teachers, because current research on the use of Twitter is based primarily in higher education.

Researchers gave an online survey to 755 respondents who were educators representing several grades, content areas, ages, and experience. The survey included 10 items regarding Twitter usage by the respondents. The results reflected that Twitter was primarily used for professional development. The main reason educators sought professional development through Twitter was to combat isolation and to find community around common themes. Even though educators used Twitter overwhelmingly for professional development, they used it far less in the classroom and for communication. Last, the researchers found that the sample of respondents did not represent the typical age group of Twitter users in the general population (18-30), but rather an older age group (31-50).

I immediately could identify with this article, because it reflects my use of Twitter. My initial experiences with Twitter were timid and unsure, but as I expanded my professional learning network and more actively participated in chats and following hashtags I quickly realized the amazing opportunities for learning and to share resources to use in my classroom. I also agreed with the general positive attitudes and climate that Twitter has to offer. While some educators stated that they were limited by the restricted access to Twitter in their districts, I am fortunate that I don’t face that barrier. I have been very happy with some of the ways I’ve been able to implement Twitter with my first graders. I strongly feel that social media is the future of professional development. It gives teachers choice, connection, and convenience in growing as professionals.

Carpenter, J. P., & Krutka, D. G. (2014). How and Why Educators Use Twitter: A Survey of the Field. Journal Of Research On Technology In Education, 46(4), 414-434. doi:10.1080/15391523.2014.925701

An Article Review on Twitter in the Classroom

Tweeting in the Classroom

This article summarizes the use of Twitter in a high school civics classroom during the 2012 presidential election. Students were given a specific hashtag that tied their tweets to the class, in addition to, two additional hashtags that were public and used by a much wider audience. The purpose of the more public hashtags was to make the students part of a more global conversation. The article went on to discuss the advantages and limitations of using Twitter in the classroom. The advantages were that students were participating in real time events, such as, debates. It also encourages students who are more reluctant to participate face-to-face to participate more freely using a medium that they are more comfortable with. It also exposed them to a more diverse group of learners when they were able to connect to two other classes in other states. Some of the limitations were the lack of teacher control of inappropriate comments. While there were no direct attacks on other students, there were comments made that were inflammatory and served no purpose in an academic conversation. Access can also be a limitation that teachers may encounter. Many school districts block or limit access to social media making it difficult to integrate Twitter into the curriculum. The article concluded with the argument that the benefits outweigh the limitations when using Twitter in the classroom. Making global connections and allowing students to participate in real time enrich the learning experience.

While this article focuses on the high school and middle school use of Twitter, I have seen first hand the positive implications of using Twitter in the primary grades. My students have participated in global events including solving grade level appropriate math tasks and sharing their answers on Twitter, as well as, writing math tasks to share. They are participating in live streaming events benefitting from experiences that they would not otherwise be able to attend. They are learning about places and classrooms well outside the physical walls of their own classroom. There is also ample opportunity for digital citizenship lessons on the appropriate and safe use of social media. As the article stated, social media is here to stay, so rather than fight to keep it out of the classroom we should be using it to our advantage as a tool for learning.

Journell, W., Ayers, C. A., & Walker Beeson, M. (2014). Tweeting in the classroom. Phi Delta Kappan, 95(5), 63.