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=Home > Group C Workspace > Learning Activity 6-B-1: Explore Read/Write Web TooI=

I thought about discussing Twitter since I am not that familiar with the tool and I really didn't know of any educational uses for the tool. Twitter is a social networking site that is used by many people. **The Twitter homepage explains the following:**
 * Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: **//What are you doing?//**
 * Just like a text message on a cell phone, Twitter is designed for short messages (140 characters only.)
 * Unlike IM or a cell phone, when you tweet on Twitter (post a message), your message gets displayed to the world (unless you have changed your privacy settings so that only your friends can follow your tweets.)
 * With a cell phone or IM, you have a private conversation with specific people that you invite. With Twitter, it's more like writing messages on a wall for people to follow.

[] I found this website that includes 30 ways to use Twitter in the classroom. Some of the ideas are very creative and could include all content areas. I would suggest using this with high school or college level students as I am not sure how many parents in my 7th grade classes would allow their students to participate on such a site. Nor do I think that many parents are aware of such social networking sites in a positive setting. I guess one would have to start out slow, as I was researching, I did come across articles where teachers used Twitter with Preschool and Kindergartner students, so asking 7th graders to use it may be more engaing and motivating for them to complete assignments. Plus, it's more creative than regular pen/paper work.

    ***If I copied this link correctly, it is a how to tool/video on how to begin using Twitter.**

Things to keep in mind when opening a Twitter account
by Cheryl Robson

The YouTube "how to" video (link above) will give you all the information to Get Started. Some things to keep in mind about Twitter:


 * 1) Like other Web 2.0 tools, to set up an account will require your (1) name, (2) user name, (3) email address and (4) password.
 * 2) Twitter messages, or updates, are limited to 140 characters.
 * 3) In order to help others find you on Twitter, Twitter suggests including your real name, screen name, location, a brief bio, and web site address or blog address, if you have these. Give careful consideration as to how much of this information you want to provide. The option "Protect My Updates" will limit your tweets just to those who follow you on Twitter.
 * 4) In order to find others, you may need to know their screen name. (For example, there may be multiple occurrences of a person named Josh Brown. You will need to know which Josh Brown is your friend.)
 * 5) You can have tweets sent to your wireless device/cell phone, but know in advance how your wireless service provider handles this data so you won't be surprised by additional charges.
 * 6) Twitter's strength is in its ability to get short messages out to many users very quickly.

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Using a classroom set of wireless laptops, students "tweet" back their responses for a question to the teacher's account. Results could be displayed in real time, using the teacher's laptop and a multimedia projector.=====

Some examples of Twitter in the Classroom
from Cynthia Warner

BHL Middle School Spectrum
 * 1.** Here's a link to the Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School Wikispace

This page contains Summer Reading Info, including the handouts for the assignments and information for completing the Twitter project. This is a great idea for using Twitter in the classroom. Students can use Twitter to fulfill the Creativity Project part of their summer reading assignment. Here are the directions for students: //Tweet as you Read // //If you have a Twitter.com account, keep your teachers and classmates up-to-date on your summer reading. Tweet by chapter, by section, or whenever you feel the need, but you should have at least 25 (but more is encouraged) tweets by the end of your reading. Although this is an exercise in writing concisely, please observe the conventions of written English. //

**2.** Here is a link to the blog of a high school teacher with some great ideas about using Twitter in his classroom: Teach Paperless

This is Shelly Blake-Plock's introduction to his blog: //Welcome to TeachPaperless. This is a blog meant to help teachers create and maintain SocialTech-integrated Paperless Classrooms. In addition, our community regularly posts and comments on all aspects of paperless, digital, and technological culture as it relates to education.//