In an effort to improve classroom discussions, I used Twitter as a collaboration tool in a short story class in the summer of 2009, and have since written an article about my experiences. In the coming weeks, I will share those experiences with you by serializing the article here on The Wheel. Alternatively, you can read the full text.

For those of you who prefer bullet-points to narrative, check out these tips for teaching with Twitter:

Establish a Twitter account just for your teaching, and encourage students to create a dedicated Twitter account for the class. Choose a hash tag that works for your class or subject area. Set clear expectations of how you expect your students to use Twitter. Reread the class Twitter stream as part of your final preparations for class. Validate and reward substantive and helpful Twitter participation. Tweet Multiple Media. Set up a RSS feed of class tweets on the course web page. Use Twitter to share your work as a faculty member with your students. Use a time-delay application to front-load your tweeted wisdom. Consider using Twitter as a personal response system (aka “clickers”).

– Dr. Andy Jones

Jones, A. “How Twitter Saved my Literature Class: A Case Study with Discussion.” (2011). Teaching Arts and Science with the New Social Media. A collection edited by Charles Wankel. United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 91-106.