Have you wondered what Twitter is and what if any practical applications there are for teaching and learning? Perhaps you are among the 30% of faculty who now use Twitter in some capacity and you would like to learn some tips and tricks for better utilizing Twitter in education context. During this online session offered 11/30/2012 we introduced the basics of Twitter and explored best practices for using Twitter in teaching, learning and professional development.

1. Using Twitter for Teaching,
Learning, and Professional
Development
Social Media Series

2. Presenter
Jason Rhode, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, Faculty
Development and Instructional
Design Center
Northern Illinois University
niu.edu/facdev
jrhode@niu.edu
twitter.com/jrhode

3. Today’s Workshop
• Introduce the basics of Twitter
• Explore best practices for using Twitter in
teaching, learning, and professional
development

4. Have you used Twitter before?
• If no, please select the No option X
• If yes, please select the Yes option 

5. Have you setup a Twitter account?
• If no, please select the No option X
• If yes, please select the Yes option 

6. Do you use a smart phone or tablet?
• If no, please select the No option X
• If yes, please select the Yes option 

7. Rate your proficiency with Twitter
A. Newbie: I’m brand new to Twitter, never used before
B. Novice: I’ve setup an account and followed a few
people, but that’s about it
C. Power User: I check Twitter at least weekly, post
periodically, and feel comfortable with many features
D. Pro: I tweet regularly, use hashtags, share links, and
engage in conversations with other users

8. Join the conversation on Twitter!
#twitter4tlpd

9. Pedagogical Framework
engaging presenting
students in material and
collaborations, concepts in a
connecting meaningful and
concepts with memorable
real-world Socially ways, guiding the
applications learning process
Engaged
Online
fostering social Instruction pulling together,
presence, reviewing, and
providing timely selecting
information, content,
guiding the resources, and
learning process conversations

10. Social Media Tools & Technologies
Blogs Wikis
Social Social
Podcasts
Bookmarks Networks
Video Photo
Sharing Sharing

11. Social Networks
• connections among users
with shared interests,
relationships, or contexts
• “following” or “friending”
to add a connection in
your network
• either public or private
Recommended Free Social
• used for different Networking Tools:
purposes (personal, • Twitter.com
professional, academic) • Facebook.com
• LinkedIn.com
• many networks intertwine • Google+
Diagram courtesy http://flickr.com/photos/joepemberton/3305147093

12. Twitter Basics

13. Twitter Described
“Part blog, part social networking site, and part
cell phone/IM tool. It is designed to let users
describe what they are doing or thinking at a
given moment, in 140 characters or less”
– Educause 7 Things You Should Know About Twitter

14. Twitter Search

15. Trending Topics
"most breaking" news
stories from across the
world; hottest emerging
trends and topics of
discussion on Twitter

16. Platform Independent
• Twitter messages, referred to as “tweets” can
be sent and received from multiple platforms:
– Web-based Twitter account
– Software client on any desktop or laptop
– Twitter app on smart phone
– Twitter app on tablet
– SMS from any phone
• The same Twitter account can be accessed
from any of the above platforms!

17. The Web: Twitter.com

18. Twitter App: Smart Phone

19. Twitter App: iPad

20. SMS
• Account can be
configured to allow for
messages to be sent via
SMS to 40404

21. http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2009/01/twitter_first_off_the_mark_with
_hudson_p.php

22. Election Coverage on Twitter
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2010/election.pulse

23. Iranian Election Protests & Twitter
http://www.newsweek.com/2009/06/25/a-twitter-timeline-of-the-iran-election.html

24. Hurricane Sandy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/26/hurricane-sandy-twitter_n_2025910.html

25. Following Others
Following someone on
Twitter means:
a) you are subscribing to
their Tweets as a
Follower
b) their updates will
appear in your timeline
c) that person has
permission to send you
private Tweets, called
direct messages

26. Followers
People who receive your tweets

27. Anatomy of a Tweet

28. Hashtag (#)
The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or
topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a
way to categorize messages.

29. @Mention
Any Twitter update that contains @username anywhere in the
body of the Tweet. (Yes, this means that replies are also
considered mentions.)

30. @Reply
Public reply to another Twitter user, always beginning with
@username

31. Retweet (RT)
Tweet that is reposted to your followers, either by clicking the
“Retweet” link on the Twitter website or by beginning a tweet
with RT @username

32. Direct Message (D)
private message sent via Twitter to one of your followers

33. Favorites
Favorites, represented by a small star icon next to a Tweet, are
most commonly used when users like a Tweet and wish to save
it for later.

34. Lists
Collections of other users

35. Why Tweet?
• Expand your personal learning network
• See what’s happening right now in the world
and your discipline
• Share with others your discoveries, new
knowledge gained, or resources located
• Participate in larger conversation without
personally “friending” other users
• Communicate with colleagues and students
from a mobile platform

36. Email vs. Twitter
Email Twitter
• Send messages • Send private, public
privately to selected replies, or completely
recipients public messages
• Unread messages • Unread messages keep
collect in inbox flowing by in stream
• Messages are private & • Public messages can be
only recipient can view viewed by anyone &
easily collected via
hashtags

37. Uses for Twitter in Academia
• Participating in backchannel conversations at
conferences using hashtag
• Following colleagues in your discipline
• Engaging students in authentic conversations
and learning experiences, both in and out of
the classroom
• Utilizing mobile devices in field or classroom
for real-time conversations and information
sharing

38. Why Use Twitter in Teaching?
• Extend learning experiences beyond the “walls”
of the classroom
• Bring in current events to the curriculum
• Engage students within lecture-based instruction
• Connect students from across multiple sections
or institutions
• Reach out to experts in the field
• Pull the world into your classroom
• Introduce students to informal professional
development

39. How to Get Started on Twitter
1. Setup a free account at twitter.com
2. If you have a mobile device, download &
install free Twitter app
3. Follow a few users, suggestions:
@NIUlive @FacDev @jrhode
4. Find other NIU colleagues and departments
to follow (see NIU Social Media Smashup at
smashup.niu.edu
5. Post to Twitter!

40. The Twitter Experiment at UT Dallas
http://youtu.be/6WPVWDkF7U8

41. Academic Excellence in 140
http://youtu.be/SVOY2x81_bg

42. Learning in Authentic Contexts
http://irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1222

43. More Twitter Studies
http://citeulike.org/user/jrhode/tag/twitter

44. NIU’s Social Media Use Guidelines
http://niu.edu/marketing/socialmedia/guidelines.shtml

45. Questions?
• What other questions do you have?

46. More Resources
https://jasonrhode.com/twitterinedu

47. Archives Available Online
www.niu.edu/facdev/programs/archives

48. Archives Available in iTunes
Search “NIU Faculty Development”

49. Follow Faculty Development
facebook.com/facdev twitter.com/facdev
pinterest.com/facdev

50. Continue the conversation on Twitter!
#twitter4tlpd

51. Contact the Presenter
Jason Rhode, Ph.D.
Faculty Development and
Instructional Design Center
Northern Illinois University
jrhode@niu.edu
niu.edu/facdev
twitter.com/jrhode
815.753.2475