Twitter in HigherEd

Twitter can be an extremely effective tool in higher education for faculty who are looking to reach out to their students and other educators, and as a research and collaboration tool. College employees can also use Twitter for research, communication and marketing. The following are a few ways that Twitter can be effective in higher ed.

1. Twitter for Research
Head to www.twitter.com/search and type in a keyword, phrase or hashtag (see below for a list of education-related hashtags). You don’t need an account for this, unless you want to follow people or post your own tweets. You can scan through the search results that appear for interesting conversations and links. Looking for interesting people to follow? Choose the “People” link from the left sidebar, and you’ll be presented with a list of other Twitter users you can follow. Encourage students to do the same.

2. Connect with Students
Have students tweet their questions during classes for greater engagement, or use Twitter to poll students and display the results. Use a dashboard tool like HootSuite or a Twitter display tool like Visible Tweets to show responses and encourage interaction. Use a hashtag for your class to make it easy for everyone to follow along (example: #ADV1676, #MKT2213).

3. Collaborate Beyond the Classroom
Connect to other classrooms learning similar topics and encourage sharing and communication among students. Partner up with local charitable organizations and tweet about current events or topics of local or national interest.

4. Host a Twitter Chat
Set a time and date where students can log onto Twitter and participate in a Twitter chat. Create a hashtag for the chat (example: #ACGradChat). Facilitate the discussion by posing questions to students and encouraging them to participate. Invite a subject matter expert or industry contact to participate in a Q and A session with students via Twitter.

5. Creative Writing and Storytelling
Students can participate as a group in making up a story or character and contributing tweets that help tell a story. Teachers can also use Twitter to develop stories through a series of tweets.

6. Post Announcements
Twitter is a great way to spread messages and announcements relevant to the student population at large or individual classes. Post event listings, happenings around the college, cancellations and test times. Make sure to post pertinent information on other channels as well to ensure that all students have access to the information.

7. Share interesting information
Don’t limit students to just reading what’s in their course materials. Use Twitter to share interesting articles you’ve come across that they can easily connect to their classroom experiences and to college life. Encourage students to share articles they find too.

Links

Algonquin College Twitter Account
Twitter Directory for Higher Ed topics
The Complete Guide to Twitter Hashtags for Education
Education Twitter Chats: #edchat, #edtech, #edpolicy, #edu, #elearning, #alumchat, #BeAGrad, #highered