Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging platform where users post "tweets", small messages of up to 140 characters. Tweets can also include pictures, videos and links. Registered users are able to create their own profiles and are able to send and read messages, while those without accounts can only read messages.
Benefits
Twitter is free to use and you are not required to have a Twitter account to read or view Tweets. Twitter can be accessed from any device with internet connection, anywhere around the world. On Twitter users have the ability to add hashtags (#), which connect them to a topic or group that can also be viewed. Specific hashtags include: #MarsFieldTrip, #virtualfieldtrip and the twice-tagged: #virtual #fieldtrip. In the classroom teachers and students can use Twitter accounts to post and read. Additionally other accounts relevant to a particular subject can be viewed. For example, if you are learning about space, why not view the Twitter page of @NASA and learn about current events and information. Two examples of recent tweets are below.
Drawbacks
To post a Tweet, you need to create an account which requires an email address and personal information. This can be a problem for many classrooms as the collection of student information is not always allowed, however if your intention is to disseminate information to the students and not to have them contribute, this is not an issue. Likewise, Twitter might be considered limiting because it only allows 140 characters per page. As a result of the internet requirement, it could also be more accessible to certain students than others at home.
Benefits
Twitter is free to use and you are not required to have a Twitter account to read or view Tweets. Twitter can be accessed from any device with internet connection, anywhere around the world. On Twitter users have the ability to add hashtags (#), which connect them to a topic or group that can also be viewed. Specific hashtags include: #MarsFieldTrip, #virtualfieldtrip and the twice-tagged: #virtual #fieldtrip. In the classroom teachers and students can use Twitter accounts to post and read. Additionally other accounts relevant to a particular subject can be viewed. For example, if you are learning about space, why not view the Twitter page of @NASA and learn about current events and information. Two examples of recent tweets are below.
Drawbacks
To post a Tweet, you need to create an account which requires an email address and personal information. This can be a problem for many classrooms as the collection of student information is not always allowed, however if your intention is to disseminate information to the students and not to have them contribute, this is not an issue. Likewise, Twitter might be considered limiting because it only allows 140 characters per page. As a result of the internet requirement, it could also be more accessible to certain students than others at home.
Example Twitter Posts from @NASA
In these sample Twitter posts from @NASA we can observe examples of hashtags. Notice for example #space #Ceres and #SpaceApps below. Within these tweets, links to other websites and other information is embedded. The Ceres' layers tweet is linked to a webpage. Often, website addresses are shortened and the destination link is not immediately obvious. For safety reasons, it is best to test out shortened links ahead of time.
|
|