My quest: learning how not to hate Twitter. By exploring this social site and other social media in a classroom setting, I hope to understand a working relationship (if there is one) between new media and learning. Currently, social media is the most cost-effective way to expand learning outside the four walls of a classroom (Heatley and Lattimer, 8). In many instances, using social media channels like Google Moderator, Twitter and Facebook even the classroom playing field and allow for learning in completely new ways. Social media not only enables teachers and students to connect with one another, but it also allows for continued learning outside traditional classroom learning hours (and on a schedule that fits more with student lifestyle). Because technology continues to demand a larger presence in our everyday lives, social media will become a necessity for classroom engagement (Heatley and Lattimer, 9). As a student of a liberal arts institution, this is an idea that I agree with and hope to explore. Maybe, just maybe, Twitter is more than just an innocent blue bird.
Students using Twitter in School: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/23/technology/in-some-schools-students-bring-their-own-technology.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Twitter in the Classroom
Twitter is today’s most popular micro blogging site which gives free service to users. As of 2011 Twitter had 300 million users generating 300 million tweets per day (Alhomod and Shafi, 608). Twitter’s rapid popularity and expansive following only speak to how strong it can be as a learning platform especially in the creation of an inclusive and modern learning environment. Finding connections and projects that combine users with others that can help, inspire and create new communities seems effortless because Twitter users span all age groups and interests. Especially in regards to education, Twitter can work as a helpful tool to engage students in a more informal way and create new opportunities to become better writers, web users and students. For example, some teachers encourage their students to “live tweet” the class on Twitter. This exercise challenges them to take notes electronically and write tweets on deadline, sending updates every few minutes (Wright, 14). By doing this, students who may be shy or hesitant to speak out in class contribute their ideas in a different medium and just as quickly as those who speak in class (Heatley and Lattimer, 8 ). Because Twitter is also considered an informal construction, students may feel more comfortable interacting with a teacher or professor through this space instead of more formally in class.
Twitter also helps in the formation of groups. According to Junco, Heiberger & Loken, scientists who studied Twitter’s impact on classrooms, it’s easy to organize students into groups via Twitter. A teacher can ask students about their interests and thus form groups based on students with similar interests (Alhomod and Shafi, 611). This not only makes it easier for teachers to create functional groups, but also allows for stronger group cohesion and interaction on a familiar and easy platform for students. Especially in the vein of group interaction,Twitter also acts as a debate starter. A teacher can post a topic on a Twitter page and ask teams about their thoughts on the topic. Teams debate back and forth arguing the pros and cons of their topic. This can be helpful in any class format and inspires out of class learning, specifically when teams discuss the topic over Twitter before or after the topic is actually addressed in class (Alhomod and Shafi, 611).
Twitter and Writing
Not only can Twitter serve as an educational tool to engage students and faculty in an informal setting and help in the formation and cohesiveness of groups, but it also encourages writing, especially in one’s own voice. In this aspect, Twitter significantly and interestingly helps student writing. Twitter encourages clear and concise composition and publication from elementary to the undergraduate level. For an elementary school teacher, the character limit provides a real and powerful way to teach word choice, ideas, and punctuation; these young students learn the real purpose and power of literacy: communication (Kurtz, 2). If students are learning language and technology this way in first and second grade, then the capacity for learning and growth seem exponential. In an undergraduate level classroom, Twitter teaches journalism students how to quickly engage a reader with strong tag lines and concise summary. Also at an University level, Twitter, in general, teaches students how to write concisely, how to think quickly and how to take the social media conversation, weave it with their own narration and craft a social media story on a digital platform (Wright, 14). However, Twitter, in all cases and levels, creates a need to consider the interests and background of an audience in a way that most students don’t have to confront in creative writing, math,science, or other writing (Kurtz, 1). Tweeting throughout the day means that writing has become an integral part of whatever students’ do, rather than a separate subject that is given some attention and then put away to be forgotten until the next day. It has also taught students to see their lives and activities as worth sharing(Kurtz, 2). Ultimately, social media allows students to develop their voices and refine their writing and learning styles while bringing traditional classroom discussions to a more inviting and familiar platform.
Watch a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OxIz_3o3O0
Social Media and Classroom Discussions of Identity
While Twitter works as great source for discovering and displaying one’s voice , regardless of race, ethnicity, age, sexuality etc., many conversations question whether media forums can actually provide an outlet for discussions on sensitive topics (like identity) within the classroom.“We are all wounded by racism, but for some of us those wounds are anesthetized. When we begin to feel it, we’re awake”. Toi Derricotte’s suggestion of teaching contradicts the “safe place” environment many teachers hope to foster in their classrooms (Schmidt, 29).Teachers frequently report student resistance to discussing or writing about race. Many students deny race as an important factor in their lives and see racism as a problem of the past. As a result, many students develop a colorblind perspective that suggests: because race should not matter; it does not matter (Rodrigo and Kidd, 18). Therefore, assessing students’ discussions in relation to topics like race and ethnicity require consideration of the utility and challenge of social media for individual and collective discomfort. Online writing can be writing that “translates listening into language.” In a classroom, a student hears the comments of others and responds accordingly (mostly in the idea of “safe space” promoted by teachers); whereas online, a student reads, watches and/or hears their peers’ comments and can work through their own responses in a variety of mediums like videos, photos and narrative. Moreover, a student works on these responses and reactions out of face-to-face classroom pressures and norms. In this sense, listening and responding transforms into its own language told through the unique voices of each student. Engaging in reflective writing and thinking, exploring personal histories, acknowledging membership in different groups, and learning about the lives and experiences of other groups are specific activities that if done online can positively encourage conversations about race, ethnicity, class etc., even when uncomfortable (Rodrigo and Kidd, 18).
Some students, however, like many teachers, feel more comfortable with the familiar structure of a classroom discussion, seeing it as more authentic than online conversation (Schmidt, 39). But many teachers and students feel that using media outlets can refresh conversations around sensitive issues and even normalize the idea of being uncomfortable if or when they are discussed. For many professors, online discussion boards and media, if linked to off-line assignments, provide critical spaces for teachers and students to interact without the pressure of face-to-face commenting (especially white educators working with students who are members of an expansive range of racial and ethnic communities) (Schmidt, 37). One particular professor, Tyler Schmidt, created three spaces on a Blackboard site where students could write and interact—a collective reading journal focused on student-generated questions about ethnicity, writing groups, and a more open-ended discussion board intended to be a substitute for the unpredictable comments in the classroom (Schmidt, 38). Like with other social media, especially in regards to media like Twitter, these discussion boards can generate a different kind of classroom dialogue. As mentioned before, and especially in relation to topics like race, online media outlets allow some students more time for reflection before entering the conversation with a post or allow immediacy for those students eager to correct or challenge ideas that have been raised (Schmidt, 42). As a result, students feel a freedom in an online classroom or outlet where physical appearance in a classroom can make discussions more uncomfortable.
Social Media and Learning: Can I (We) actually hate Twitter?
Exploring how social media can energize a learning environment helped me realize I don’t actually hate Twitter- especially when this medium encourages group interaction as well as develops individual voice, in situations both comfortable and uncomfortable.Before I began this exploration of social media, I carried a strong dislike for the social media platform which seemed to encourage vanity and irrelevance. After examining how teachers and individuals were using these same platforms to connect students, encourage involvement and create communities, I admit that my perception was narrow and in some cases incorrect. I now understand that these social media outlets can be modern ways to carry on a conversation, ask questions and invite the world into a learning setting in ways that never existed before. As a member of the Millenials, technology grows increasingly important in every aspect of our lives, and we should expect no less from our learning environments.
Overlap and discovery of a range of interests is encouraged for students of liberal-arts institutions. As a political science major, I can take classes in creative writing (and classes like this one: Writing for Digital Environments) at any time. Fortunately, I began taking many creative writing classes and discovered my passion. Writing, especially creatively, is what I wanted to do all along. Being a political scientist, for many students in colleges and universities, means intense analysis of history, political theory, and systems. Often we (as students and perpetual learners) forget that politics and the study of it continues every day, all over the world and with many different voices. In many instances, these events and voices gain life if realized and shared, especially if injected into our courses through social media .Furthermore, we often forget our writing. We often forget (or do not learn) how to write for the many different media sources or audiences. Why not Skype a political science class in another university? Why not start a class Twitter about elections and voting? Why not start a school blog that asks about the surrounding community’s political views? Why not incorporate more media(writing) into the study of political science and other disciplines on this and all college campuses? Because of the emphasis on the diverse and cooperative nature of a liberal-arts institution, incorporating media and media writing into class conversations and expectations can only create a positive change, especially when our current societal norms seem to require us to be able to navigate technology in anything from our cell phones to our bank accounts.
In little ways ( and in maybe big ways) every individual contributes to a variety of digital environments: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Flikr, Pinterest, Tumblr, WordPress, Spotify, online banking, online shopping, dating sites, online journals, newspapers, text messages, email and so many other outlets that aren’t even realized. If we all can navigate and contribute to these social staples, why shouldn’t we learn how some of these platforms factor into a positive and even formal education (and maybe even use them). In finally coming to the conclusion that I want to be writer or maybe a professor (or all the other dreams of being a successful columnist or novelist or just fabulously famous) I asked for advice from a professional writer I know. She only gave me eight words. It’s now extremely ironic that a writer, who of course is known for her command of words, only answered in eight (it was just irritatingly cryptic at the time). She said, “learn how to write for the web. Period.” Without even knowing what her advice about writing would be, I was already enrolled in this writing course because learning how to write for such mediums is not only important but logical, and maybe even fun. Knowing how much we all participate in digital environments can only help us understand the expansive web audience and why learning to navigate and contribute to it successfully only improves other elements like our writing, interaction, efficiency and awareness– all of which prove extremely useful in formal education from Kindergarten to Doctorate level and spark further learning outside of the classroom. Therefore, in thinking of myself as a student, a writer, a political scientist, a young adult, a Marylander, a lefty, a Dallas Cowboys’ fan, a sister, and all the dimensions in between, I know digital media plays a major part in how I associate and experience these things. Why not use these mediums in classrooms to become more creative, more experienced, more knowledgeable versions of ourselves? The way I see it, it’s inevitable. Twitter taught me so.
Sources:
Alhomod, Sami M.1, and Mohd Mudasir1 Shafi. “Twitter Assisted Team Based Learning: Providing A New Way Of Communication In Classroom.” International Journal of Computer Science Issues (DCSI) 10.1 (2013): 608-613. Applied Science &Technology Source. Web. 27 Sept. 2013
Heatley, Elizabeth R., and Talana R. Lattimer. “Using Social Media To Enhance Student Learning. (Classroom Connection).”Techniques 1 (2013): 8. Academic OneFile. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
Kurtz, Jeff. “Twittering About Learning: Using Twitter In An Elementary School Classroom.” Horace 25.1 (2009): ERIC. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
Schmidt, Tyler T. ““Subjectivities In-Process:” Writing Race And The Online Discussion Board.” Radical Teacher 90 (2011): 36-46. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 29 Sept. 2013
Rodrigo, Rochelle, and Jennifer Kidd. “Getting Uncomfortable: Identity Exploration in a Multi-Class Blog.” Web Writing: Why and How for Liberal Arts Teaching and Writing. Michigan Publisher, Fall 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2013.
<http://webwriting.trincoll.edu/crossing-boundaries/rodrigo-kidd-2013/ >.
Wright, Leigh. “Tweet Me a Story.”Web Writing: Why and How for Liberal Arts Teaching and Writing. Michigan Publisher, Fall 2013. Web. 6 Oct 2013.