Presentation for College and Arts & Science Learning and Teaching conference 18/1/13 at Nottingham Trent University. Abstract: In a 2 hour session with year 2 students a range of technologies were used to develop their understanding of creativity, e.g. wikis, discussion boards, screen casts and open ether pads. To support the use of these technologies twitter was used to move students on through the session, provide assistance and motivation to individuals who were all working at their own computer (some at home, others in university). This session will demonstrate how twitter can be used with students for an online session. Session plan is also available on http://www.slideshare.net/ALHardy/keeping-pace-with-twitter-dtes2-session-3

1. Educational use of twitter:
keeping the pace
Alison Hardy
School of Education
@hardy_alison
Todays meet:
http://todaysmeet.com/keepingpace

2. Research question
• How can twitter be used, in conjunction with
other web based technologies, in a time
limited educational setting?

3. What am I using twitter for?
• Give out notices
• Remind students
• Sharing information/ resources
• Sharing what I am reading now
• Canvassing opinion
• Keeping up to date with my subject
• Chatting to colleagues, peers and students (a
little)
NB: separate course & personal accounts, I don’t
follow students

4. Why twitter?
• Free access
• Short comments: 140 characters or less
• Interactive
• Search tools within twitter: hashtag
Issues/limitations with twitter
• Tweets can be difficult to find
• In the moment

5. Context
• Year 2 UG module
• Students experienced in using wikis and
discussion boards
• Prior to the session most were following me on
twitter
• I had been using twitter for 11 months
• 59 tweets sent by me between 9.33 am and
12.13pm.
• The session ran from 10- 12 on a Monday
morning

6. Twitter name: @hardy_alison
Todays meet: http://todaysmeet.com/keepingpace

7. Setting up
List of students on twitter
Private list

8. Wiki
Information given before the session

9. Screenr
Screencasts of instructions

10. NOW discussion boards
Used during the session

11. Session plan 1
Content page from NOW for the session

12. Stage Time Subject matter Lecturer activity Student activity Resources/Differentiati Assessment Category
on/Notes of
activity
1. Prior to start Practice topic in Screenr prepared Make at least one post to NOW discussion All to have made a post Student
Stage 2 NOW Tweet: topic ‘Practice topic’ Some to have replied to led
#dtes2 Ready to start #dtes2 ? another post
Few to have started a new
thread
2. 10-10.05 Introduction to Screenr with information Watch screenr and find Wiki Lecturer
Stage 3 session about where resources are relevant resources NOW: content for today, led
#dtes2 for this morning’s session discussion and buzz
Screenr
Skype?
Twitter
Individual notes on topics
3. 10.05 - 10.25 Online discussion Monitor online discussion 1. Read instructions NOW All to have made an Student
in groups of 3 on on topic Individual notes on topics appropriate post which led
Stage 4 NOW 2. Contribute to uses reading
#dtes2 discussion topic as Some summary/
per instructions! conclusion of the topic
Few to have identified key
points for sharing with
peers
4. 10.25 – 10.40 Preparation for 1. Post groups for next 1. Check new groups – NOW discussion on topic None Student
Stage 5 jigsaw & grab a stage on wiki on wiki Individual notes on topics activity
#dtes2 coffee 2. Open new 2. Read instructions Twitter
discussion forum for new discussion Wiki
3. Get a coffee in NOW
4. Read tweets! 3. Prepare
information for
sharing about your
topic
4. Get a coffee!
5. Post a tweet about
how this morning is
going
Session plan 2
Section of lecturer's plan showing stages of session

13. Hashtag
26 tweets sent by me during the session to all students taking part, most using
#dtes2
Definition: 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. (Twitter, 2013)

14. Analysis of my tweets: How I planned to use
twitter
Keep the pace Provide examples and advice

15. How I actually used twitter
Category of Total number of Tweets with only one Tweets with >1 focus
comment/tweet lecturer tweets focus
Instruction to whole 18 2 16
group
Encouragement 26 12 14
Identifying good 4 0 4
practice
Helping out/ advising 22 12 10
Chat 14 8 6
Keeping the pace 21 0 21

16. Examples of categories 1
Instruction Encouragement

17. Examples of categories 2
Highlighting good practice Help and advice

18. Examples of categories 3
Instructing, keeping pace and Chat
helping

19. Example of categories 4
Pace

20. Feedback from students

21. Conclusion/ further discussion
• Needed significant set up time
• Tweets written in advance – make use of other applications such as
TweetDeck