Today, professors are integrating web writing into college curriculums as a means of increasing student engagement within the classroom. Twitter, and other online sources like Google Docs, Wiki’s, and blogs are some of major tools professors are using to introduce web writing into their college classrooms. Professors who have seen success with these tools have praised them for their accessibility, their ability to create collaboration, and for their ability to push students to write concisely. Others have however criticized social networks and online tools arguing that they distract students, are too informal, and that they create issues surrounding student privacy. While it is important to understand both sides of this debated topic, I ultimately believe that web writing not only enhances student engagement but also enhances student learning as a whole.
One of the most common tools I have found to be used within the classroom is Twitter, a micro blogging service that has attracted more than 140 million users (Dhir 673). These users include: musicians, reality television stars, actors, athletes, huge corporations, restaurants, newspapers, young children, and adults. All of whom use this service for a variety of different purposes. This platform is often used by people who want to write informally about their day, tweeting thoughts to friends such as:
News sources like The New York Times use it to give readers quick updates and links to their articles:
Celebrities use it to reach out to their fans:
Essentially, Twitter is used by a wide variety of people, and for an even wider variety of reasons, and now, Twitter is being successfully integrated into classrooms as a tool to increase student engagement, and to teach students to write concisely.
Paige Abe and Nickolas A. Jordan authors of “Integrating Social Media into the Classroom” claim that social media can provide professors with a means of speaking to students in a way they are likely to be reached (Abe 17). In 2007 the Higher Education Institute found that 94% of first year college students spent time on social networking sites during an average week (Abe 16). Because of the time that students spend on social media, administrators and other members of college faculty are beginning to argue that these sites may prove to be useful tools to integrate into college curriculums (Abe 16).
But how exactly is twitter being used in classrooms in an academic way? A growing number of college professors are utilizing twitter to keep students engaged in large lecture halls (Kinzie). In large classes it can be difficult to give each student individual attention, but online comments or tweets result in students supporting and challenging one another (Kinzie). Students are, for example, asked to respond to different aspects of a lecture during class in order to foster an online dialogue among fellow students and to keep students engaged with the lecture (Kinzie). Leigh Wright, a professor and author of “Tweet Me A Story” demonstrates one way in which this “live tweeting” strategy can be used effectively to educate students. In her online article “Tweet Me A Story” she explains an exercise she has students complete that requires them to go on a scavenger hunt around their college campus (Wright). During this scavenger hunt students are challenged to ask people questions and to tweet about their experience while doing so. Wright claims that this exercise allows her to combine learning how to use online technology while also emphasizing the importance of interpersonal communication skills (Wright). In this way Twitter can be used as a tool to keep students on their toes during class projects and it ensure that all students remain active and engaged during lectures, or class activities.
Other professors argue that Twitter allows for a shift away from professor’s simply lecturing students to a much more collaborative learning environment (Kinzie). Twitter and other web writing tools allow discussions to continue after class is over, and it gives students an opportunity to share research with one another, pose questions, and gather more information outside the classroom (Kinzie). Students who might not usually share their opinions in class are given an outlet to communicate with not only their professors, but with classmates they may not have gotten a chance to share ideas with inside the classroom. Amandeep Dhir author of “Tweeters on Campus: Twitter a Learning Tool in Classroom?” supports this claim as she writes that micro blogging sites allow for continuous and transparent communication among teachers and students (Dhir 673). Twitter allows students to get immediate feedback from professors, and it enables professors who teach large classes to quickly and easily respond to students they may not usually have time to give individual attention in class (Dhir 679). Twitter essentially has the ability to connect individuals within the classroom and it provides classrooms with the unique opportunity to bridge the gap between students and professors, allowing professors to engage with students efficiently and easily.
Professor Michael O’Donnel, author of “Science Writing, Wikis, and Collaborative Learning” also emphasizes the benefits of collaborative learning and the ways in which the web can allow for professors to create this kind of democratic learning environment. In O’Donnel’s article he writes about collaborative learning in relation to science education. O’Donnel criticizes the current teaching styles used by most science professors, arguing that it forces students to begin projects in class through collaboration and then finish them independently outside of class. O’Donnel believes that this causes students to believe that the whole purpose of lab reports is to summarize their experiment, report the “right answer”, and receive a grade. O’Donnel emphasizes that students need to instead understand that lab reports and science writing are collaborative processes that are intended to help students engage with the material they are learning (O’Donnel). Science writing is not simply about repeating answers and spitting back information; it is about understanding the whole scientific process, and working with peers. To support this claim O’Donnel states that: “Collaborative writing provides opportunities for peer instruction that promote critical thinking, enhance decision-making skills, and deepen understanding of the scientific concepts being studied” (O’Donnel).
While, Wright used Twitter to create collaborative learning in her classroom, O’Donnel advocates for the use of Google Docs and Wiki’s to successfully integrate this learning style. Wiki’s for example allow multiple people to work together on a document and they are able to store every version of an edited document. This allows instructors to compare document versions and evaluate how each student is contributing to a given assignment. It additionally allows students that have a solid understanding of the assignment to aid less successful students in their writing and understanding of concepts (O’Donnel). In fact, O’Donnel was able to report that students found that this collaborative learning style helped students to understand concepts presented, improve their scientific writing, thinking about their strengths and weaknesses in writing, and increase their confidence in their ability to write scientifically (O’Donnel).
Beyond the collaborative aspects of web writing, professors are also seeing other practical benefits of utilizing social media in the classroom, such as enabling students who are physically, financially, or geographically unable to travel to a classroom to still participate in academic discussions (Abe 18). Professors can hold lectures when they’re out of town, and students can participate in class discussions even when they can’t physically appear in class. Web writing has the unique ability to connect people who in previous decades would not have been able to communicate, or share their ideas in an academic setting.
Furthermore, twitter is also being used as a learning tool for graduate students at Johns Hopkins University; with a restriction of 140 characters writing students are being asked to use this platform to learn to write concisely. One professors states that the, “limited number of characters allowed is a useful way to remember to choose words carefully, cut clutter and realize how much can be said in a small space, like a haiku” (Kinzie). Wright in “Tweet Me A Story” explains that when students complain about the 140 character restriction she tells them: “That’s exactly why I want you to use it…you have to focus on the key point for a good tweet” (Wright). Twitter’s character restriction is thus able to force writers to select their words very carefully and reflect on exactly what kind of argument they want to make. Articles such as Wrights demonstrate that in an increasingly digital world, writing concisely is an invaluable skill that provides students with the ability to clearly, and effectively convey messages to people who are bombarded with information.
There are however still many people that are critical of the use of Twitter and other social media platforms in the classroom, and not all professors are eager to integrate it into their curriculums. A professor of Media Studies and Law at University of Virginia for examples states that, “Twitter is really about instantaneous notification. Class is supposed to be about deliberation and depth….It’s beyond me to imagine a valuable use for it in the classroom” (Kinzie). Others are concerned about privacy arguing that students should be able to express their ideas without a public record of it being displayed online (Kinzie). Some professors also worry that the abbreviations people use to meet the word count restriction of tweets will negatively affect students’ ability to spell and punctuate properly (Kinzie).
Educators have additionally reported that the use of Twitter and other social media websites has made them feel as if they were invading the territory of the younger generation and replacing real relationships with electronic ones (Abe 19). This concern has led educators to worry that social media could lead to misinterpretation of content because students and professors miss out on the nonverbal aspect of communication such as facial expressions, and body language when they communicate solely through online mediums (Abe 19).
Professors also fear that having access to different social media websites during class may over stimulate students (Abe 17). The presence of social media and online resources in classrooms create the risk of student disengagement and many professors believe it risks drawing student’s attention away from lecture content (Abe 17).
While there are many educators that still have reservations about the use of social media, and other online resources in academic settings, the incorporation of digital writing into college classroom can only enhance student learning. We are living in an increasingly digital world, and students need to have an understanding of digital environments if they wish to succeed in the workplace after graduation. As stated in, Keeping the Promise of the 21st Century: Bringing Classroom Teaching into the Digital Age, conducting research, evaluating sources of information, displaying data, solving problems, working collaboratively on written and oral presentations, web writing, and understanding social media–are the new “basic skills” of the 21st century”. If students do not learn skills such as how to use digital platforms to accomplish tasks beyond just communicating with friends, or meeting other social needs, then they will be put at a disadvantage for lacking what is now considered “basic skills” of the 21st century.
Furthermore, on a smaller scale, digital writing can help to create more conversation within the classroom and a better academic experience for students. For example, digital writing provides students who have trouble speaking in front of classmates an opportunity to share their opinions and demonstrate that they have an understanding of course material. It also allows for discussion to continue after class has ended. Especially in college when classes only meet a couple times a week, this can be a useful way or making sure people have an opportunity to elaborate on class discussions when physical class time does not allow for it. Digital writing essentially gives professors and students the opportunity to hear more voices within the classroom and an opportunity to enhance class discussions.
Additionally, digital writing forces students to think more creatively about the writing process. When students are forced to use social platforms such as Twitter, or Facebook, or a blogging site like WordPress, they must learn to adapt their writing styles to fit these mediums. This means that when using Twitter students must learn how to shorten their writing and get their ideas across in concise sentences. If a student is challenged to use Facebook to share their ideas they must take into account the visual presentation of their post and they must consider their audience. For example, instead of adhering to a rigid style guide like one would usually do for a college paper students would have to consider how to format their posts with pictures, links, or text to make them visually appealing. Also, instead of simply emailing a paper or handing an essay in to a professor students would have to consider an audience beyond just their professor. Students would have to contemplate what times their audience would be active on social media and what kind of content would interest a broad range of people.
Web writing additionally forces students to consider the difference between public and private writing. It is in fact likely to motivate students to write pieces they are proud of if they realize their work will be posted for a variety of people to see. When I was assigned to be a student blogger for the communications department at the school I studied abroad at in Denmark this was something I had to take into consideration on a daily basis. When you are writing content to be posted on a public domain you need to think about how you are representing yourself, and often how you are representing the institution that you are writing for. In short, web writing allows students to approach the writing process in different and challenging ways, forcing them to consider new writing styles, visual presentations, and aspects of audience they are not accustomed to considering. This kind of creative thinking can only better individual’s abilities to get their ideas across verbally, and in written form.
Lastly, web writing provides people with the opportunity to learn without having to travel or enroll full-time in a higher learning institution. For example, my mom is currently taking a course through Dickinson about former President Lincoln and without web writing and the ability to submit work online she would not have the opportunity to have this learning experience from her home. So while there are still critics of web writing and of the use of social media within the classroom, it is obvious that the potential benefits of web writing outweigh any potential setbacks. At least when used correctly, web writing has the potential to teach students how to write in ways that challenge them and that make them engage more deeply in class discussions and projects. Web writing is an invaluable tool that with continued exploration will vastly improve writing and engagement in classrooms across disciplines.
Works Cited.
Abe, Paige, and Nickolas A. Jordan. “Integrating Social Media Into The Classroom Curriculum.” About Campus 18.1 (2013): 16-20. ERIC. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.
Dhir, Amandeep. “Tweeters on Campus: Twitter a Learning Tool in Classroom?” Journal of Universal Computer Science. 19.5 (2013). Web. 10. Oct. 2013.
O’Donnel, Michael. “Science Writing, Wikis, and Collaborative Learning.” Web Writing: Why & How for Liberal Arts Teaching & Learning, Michigan Publishing. (2013). Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Inverness, Research. “Keeping The Promise Of The 21St Century: Bringing Classroom Teaching Into The Digital Age. Policy Brief.” Inverness Research (2009): ERIC. Web. 3 Oct. 2013.
Kinzie, Susan. “Some Professors’ Jitters Over Twitter Are Easing: Discussions Expand In and Out of Class.” The Washington Post 2009: Academic OneFile. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.
Wright, Leigh. “Tweet Me A Story.” Web Writing: Why & How for Liberal Arts Teaching & Learning, Michigan Publishing (2013). Web. 10 Oct. 2013.