Twitter has a number of applications that can be used to enhance curriculum. Educators can ask students to create Twitter accounts for a particular subject and encourage posting links, thoughts, questions or ideas that pertain to the topic. Educators can create groups and lists that students can follow to get a variety of information or news. Educators can post links to news, websites and information online for students to use in their researching, homework or to gain a better understanding of course material. Twitter can also allow students to “follow” professionals in the associated field within their interests or pertaining to curriculum material. Fellow classmates and educators can reply to each other’s posts and can be used as a collaborative learning tool. Junco, et al. (2010) studied the effect of encouraging the use of Twitter on engagement and grades at the post-secondary level. The study found that the experimental classes that used Twitter had an increase in engagement as well as increase in their grades compared to the control classes where Twitter was not encouraged. Although this study is at the post-secondary level, it demonstrates that engagement and achievement are enhanced when social media is appropriately implemented within an educational setting. This gives hopes that similar findings will be demonstrated in middle/high school settings.
Student's perspective
My first use of Twitter was actually during this Master’s program. My primary purpose of using Twitter has been to add individuals within my classes, educators in the field, professionals and news outlets. I regularly read articles related to education posted on Twitter which I have on occasion used in my assignments or discussed with classmates. I have also communicated with my professors and classmates using Twitter regarding course related material. It has allowed for collaborative work, shared intelligence and networking. It has the ability to narrow down information and allows the user to be selective.
Challenges
“…some educators have been experimenting with using Twitter and other social media technologies to introduce a backchannel to the classroom, a practice that has generated intense criticism from those who see it as a threat to traditional lecture formats and established pedagogy” (Atkinson, 2010, p. 31). In response to this quote, I do see social media in the form of Twitter breaking down traditional forms of teaching and pedagogy which is in fact necessary. Learning and teaching must be geared towards the trends of the generation being taught. We must exercise tools used by the current generation to enhance their learning and understanding in a meaningful manner. However, some challenges associated with integrating Twitter into curriculum are similar to those related to FB. For example, students can add any individual to Twitter (and vice versa) without the control of the educator. This can pose a problem if students begin to reveal personal information to strangers online. Also, there is the problem of equity and accessibility with regards to accessing Twitter outside of the classroom. With certain precautions and preparing students for the tool, I believe that Twitter can be used effectively to integrated social media into curriculum within middle school, high school or post-secondary classes.
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