This document discusses how a high school science teacher used Twitter to engage students in a cell biology project where they created Twitter accounts for organelles. Students campaigned to get their organelle elected as the president of the cell. Scientists began interacting with students on Twitter, sparking discussions that expanded beyond classroom expectations. The viral nature of the project led to media coverage. Students learned from scientists and each other. The teacher found Twitter helped develop excitement for science and a professional learning network.

1. Using Twitter to engage students in the
science classroom
Brad Graba
@mr_graba
www.mrgraba.net
William Fremd High School
Palatine, IL
#NSTA14

2. We’ve all seen this in class…

3. Can we turn it into this?
With the use of Twitter
and social media, we
can

4. The evolution of social media

5. The evolution of social media

6. The evolution of social media
• http://twynmawrmom.blogspot.com/2012/11
/how-to-explain-twitter-to-old-people.html

7. Twitter conventions
• @yourname
• 140 characters
• Hashtags (#)

8. Twitter conventions
• @yourname
• 140 characters
• Hashtags (#)
• RT/MT/HT

9. People/Organizations Whom I Follow

10. People/Organizations Who Follow Me

11. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations

12. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations
• Journalists

13. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations
• Journalists
• Authors

14. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations
• Journalists
• Authors
• Celebrities

15. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations
• Journalists
• Authors
• Celebrities
• Athletes

16. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations
• Journalists
• Authors
• Celebrities
• Athletes
• Politicians

17. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations
• Journalists
• Authors
• Celebrities
• Athletes
• Politicians

18. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations
• Journalists
• Authors
• Celebrities
• Athletes
• Politicians
• Scientists

19. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations
• Journalists
• Authors
• Celebrities
• Athletes
• Politicians
• Scientists

20. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations
• Journalists
• Authors
• Celebrities
• Athletes
• Politicians
• Scientists

21. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations
• Journalists
• Authors
• Celebrities
• Athletes
• Politicians
• Scientists

22. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations
• Journalists
• Authors
• Celebrities
• Athletes
• Politicians
• Scientists
• Educators

23. Who Uses Twitter?
• News Organizations
• Journalists
• Authors
• Celebrities
• Athletes
• Politicians
• Scientists
• Educators
• STUDENTS!

24. Why use Twitter?
• Breaking news

25. Why use Twitter?
• Breaking news
• Great place for
scientific resources

26. Why use Twitter?
• Breaking news
• Great place for
scientific resources
• Professional Learning
Networks

27. Why use Twitter?
• Breaking news
• Great place for
scientific resources
• Professional Learning
Networks
• STUDENT
ENGAGEMENT

28. The project
• Run a presidential
campaign

29. The project
• Run a presidential
campaign
• Goal: get your organelle
elected president
• Create posters, flyers,
goodies, Facebook page,
Twitter account, etc.
• Smear at least 5 other
organelles
• HT Marna Chamberlain,
Piedmont HS, CA

30. In the beginning …
• Students were
encouraged to create
Twitter accounts for
organelles

31. In the beginning …
• Students were
encouraged to create
Twitter accounts for
organelles

32. In the beginning …
• Students were
encouraged to create
Twitter accounts for
organelles
• Used for promotion

33. In the beginning …
• Students were
encouraged to create
Twitter accounts for
organelles
• Used for promotion
• And smearing

34. Organelles got busy creating & tweeting

35. Organelles got busy creating & tweeting

36. Some scientists took notice …

37. Some scientists took notice …

38. Some scientists took notice …

39. Some scientists took notice …

40. and began interacting with students!

41. and began interacting with students!

42. and began interacting with students!

43. and began interacting with students!

44. and began interacting with students!

45. People around the Internet began
to notice

46. The level of discussion went
beyond my expectations

47. We made it to BBC Radio!
• And were blogged about here …
• And here …
• And here …

48. We received some great resources!
• “Hidden Life of the Cell” video from BBC
television before it was available in the US
• Narrated by David Tennant (of Dr. Who
fame)

49. We received some great resources!

50. And provided at least one resource!

51. Scientists learned from each other!

52. Voting took place online

53. Voting took place online

54. Storify helped us wrap up the
project
• Storify: a curation tool
for social media
• Students narrated the
highlights of their
#organellewars
experience.
• Peroxisome Storify
• Cytoskeleton Storify
• Ribosome Storify
• #OverlyHonestMethods
Storify

55. My students were inspired

56. I developed a Professional Learning
Network (PLN)

57. I developed a Professional Learning
Network (PLN)

58. #Organellewars on Twitter
• Changed
– Student experience
• Scientists became real people
• Engaged in content
• Public audience = accountability
– Teacher experience
• Able to engage with real scientists on variety of topics
• Able to have students excited to learn about cells
– Scientist experience
• Able to engage in outreach with high school students to
encourage them into scientific fields

59. My role
• Encourage student tweets/questions &
compliment good ones
• Monitor students & their
interactions/followers
• Engage scientists w/my own questions
(model for my students)
• Admit what I know and don’t know
• Allow my own excitement/enthusiasm to
show

60. A few examples of me in my roles

61. A few examples of me in my roles

62. A few examples of me in my roles

63. A few examples of me in my roles

64. Any questions?
• Ways to contact me
– @mr_graba on Twitter
– bgraba@d211.org via e-mail