What is twitter?

Twitter is a social media platform used to stay connected with friends, family, news, and those you'd like to share or receive updates from. At Charlotte Anderson we will be using the social media tool to create a more present and comfortable discourse between parents and our school. It will be a rewarding journey of which we will learn from. Hear about Twitter from a child's perspective in the classroom.

HOw can i use it in the classroom?

We can bring the classroom to our parents! The ways that you can use Twitter with your students is almost limitless and I hope that you share as you find more ways as the year progresses. These ideas may need to be modified according to the abilities of your students or grade your teach in. However, due to COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) children under the age of 13 cannot legally create social medias accounts due to privacy regulations issued by the Federal Trade Commission.

  •   Have a class job "Class Tweeter" or class reporter, of which a student shares photos or text of significant classroom accomplishments of that day.
  • Post videos of presentations or students working collaboratively.
  • Have your parents receive tweets as text messages.
  • Allow for open interaction & involving parents in class lessons. Invite parents with careers relating to topics of study.
  • Create a dialogue. Send a picture or a topic and have students communicate with their parents as homework. Discuss their findings the next day.
  • Encourage your students to ask questions through their parents from home.
  • Share notes, documents, or videos and links used in class. Parents educated of the curriculum will have a greater understanding of expectations for their children.
  • Communicate with experts willing to talk to your class. Set up time for a Twitter Q&A.
  • Choose a time, topic, and #hashtag to conduct a Twitter chat. Live tweet with parents or professional peers.
  • Follow Twitter Accounts wisely and have the whole class or individual students read and reply to tweets. Encourage careful consideration when writing and wise word usage to remain under the 140 character allotment.

Need more ideas?

There are many websites that offer new and innovative ideas. Please check out the links below to see how other educators are utilizing Twitter and see HERE for teacher safety tips.

  • Retweet articles, events, and recent news related to current lessons. Show the correlation between class and the real world as much as possible.
  • Encourage parental engagement. Remove the mystery behind the classroom door.
  • Most parents can't attend field trips. Bring the trip & experience to them through photos and facts with the ease of sending a message of Twitter.
  • Make the experience fun and new. Be sure to ease into communication as not to 'overburden' our parents. Exhibit Tweet etiquette.
  • Use MySurveySaid.com to Twitter poll your parents. Gauge their feelings on a class party or event. Communicate results with students when possible.
  • Follow another class (around the world) studying the same topics and share information, resources, and ideas. (You can do this by searching a hashtag)
  • Use your Twitter Network to have followers give clues about their location. You and your class can pinpoint their location using Google Earth.

basic setup & usage links

I have found so many helpful resources while teaching myself more about Twitter. There is a tutorial for almost everything that you need to know. However, as we progress if there is something that you need to know that is not listed I will create a tutorial for it.
Fantastic Power Point from setup to Twitter vocabulary

How to Send a Tweet on Twitter
How to Find Friends/ Invite Parents on Twitter
How to Protect Your Tweets
Step by Step Guide to Making Your Account Private
How to Reply to Someone on Twitter
How to Send a Direct/Private Message on Twitter
How to Follow Someone on Twitter
How to Use Twitter Hashtags

Video Tutorials are courtesy of Chris Gore on Mahalo.com

Twitter Letter for Teachers.doc
Twitter Letter to Parents.doc

forum

Please share your great ideas and input. The forum below is really easy to navigate. You can sign in via any social media platform username and platform, including Twitter. Add to a post about a topic or start a new topic to tell us about your new ideas.

Teachers on twitter

Twitter 4 Teachers Wiki- search your grade or subject area of interest to find teachers on Twitter
WeAreTeachers- Educator (resourceful)  information timeline