Tweeting in the classroom

In an era of iPhones and Internet, when adolescents are online and actively consuming social media, why aren’t schools doing more to take advantage of those technologies in the classroom? Studies of middle and secondary students in the United States have found that students believe their academic experiences would be more engaging if they could use these tools at school (DeGennaro, 2008; Spires, Lee, Turner, & Johnson, 2008). Moreover, a growing literature base advocates using Internet-based networking technologies in academic contexts, with research suggesting that these tools deepen understanding of content, offer greater opportunities for diverse instruction, and provide students with needed skills (Heafner & Friedman, 2008; Journell & Dressman, 2011; Reich, Murnane, & Willett, 2012).

We believe Twitter can be a smart instructional tool, and we support our assertions with data collected during a study of a high school civics course during the 2012 presidential election. The teacher, Mr. Fillmore, had students use Twitter as a way to monitor the campaign, complete with live tweeting during debates and other major events that occurred throughout the semester.

In case you’re one of the uninitiated, let’s start with a few basics about Twitter. Individuals can sign up for free and choose a unique handle that identifies them among Twitter’s over 500 million registered users around the world. This handle is always prefaced by the @ character. (For example, @WayneJournell).