{"id":8248,"date":"2016-02-16T08:53:34","date_gmt":"2016-02-16T12:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edtechteacher.org\/?p=8248"},"modified":"2026-02-24T11:26:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T16:26:54","slug":"four-reasons-i-use-twitter-in-my-classroom-guest-post-from-christine-boyer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edtechteacher.org\/four-reasons-i-use-twitter-in-my-classroom-guest-post-from-christine-boyer\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Reasons I Use Twitter in My Classroom – Guest Post from Christine Boyer"},"content":{"rendered":"

This guest post from Christine Boyer (@5Boyer<\/a>) first appeared on Daily Genius<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"DG-Boyer1\"<\/p>\n

Using Twitter in my classroom has certainly elevated my tech savvy status with parents as well as my instagramming 5th graders who have never known a world without digital devices. \u00a0We live in a very social world, so why not use social media in the classroom? Social media is a part of daily life for millions of people on our planet and it\u2019s not going away any time soon. \u00a0Using it in my classroom allows me to model appropriate use and teaches my students necessary skills they will need for their lives beyond our classroom.<\/p>\n

While there may be many extraneous reasons to use social media in my classroom (it makes my life easier because it\u2019s organized as well as time and space efficient), it really comes down to four main reasons:<\/p>\n

1. To connect with parents:<\/h1>\n

Using social media in a classroom gives parents a window into their child\u2019s day. The learning becomes transparent as I tweet all content area charts (see below) made in class so they are available to all students at home, to be used as teaching tools\/support for their homework and review. \u00a0Homework assignments are also Tweeted after reviewing them in the classroom. We all benefit when there is ample time to discuss the assignments and less time spent copying the assignment.<\/p>\n

\"DG-Boyer2\"\"DG-Boyer4\"\"DG-Boyer3\"<\/p>\n

Tweeting charts lets the parents know what their children are doing in school and in addition, students often use them as reference tool for future assignments and homework as they are archived in our class Twitter account.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0To expand the walls of my classroom:<\/h1>\n

Our class Twitter handle is @5Boyer<\/a> and while I start the year orchestrating our tweets, my savvy students quickly start to ask, \u201cDo we have to copy that or will you tweet it?\u201d or \u201cCan you take a picture and tweet it, I want everyone to see what we\u2019ve done?\u201d My students have many questions and it would ultimately be a shame if I was the only voice that answered them. We tweet to others to ask questions, why not go straight to the experts? \u00a0Once my class Tweeted to the International Space Station asking, \u201cHow many sunsets do you see in a day?\u201d AND The ISS Tweeted back! \u00a0Imagine how exciting that was for 23 fifth graders (not to mention their teacher). Tweeting student work now becomes an instant celebration as it is shared with a much wider audience. \u00a0As a teacher, I retweet relevant information and LOVE how that sparks a conversation in the classroom. \u00a0Note in the tweet below, I was at home reaching out to my class as the spacewalk was starting before school hours. I added others to the tweet by inserting their twitter handles, check out their response.<\/p>\n

\"DG-Boyer5\"<\/a>In most of my tweets I add the hashtag #heathcotepride<\/a> as our amazing tech guru has created a living bulletin board for all school related tweets and to his credit almost all of our staff is tweeting!<\/p>\n

3. To connect with others who share the same passions:<\/h3>\n

Professionally, I have built a network of teachers, learners, and experts whom I can learn from every day, including innovators who draw on gamification elements from platforms like anonymous crypto casino<\/a> to design engaging reward systems for online student challenges. There are incredible things happening in the world of education and I have a front row seat with an international view. Only social media can deliver that. I can connect with others who will be attending the same conference, see what\u2019s going on in classrooms around the world or simply be inspired by other amazing teachers. Additionally, Twitter chats make it possible for me to participate in professional conversations in my pajamas. Twitter chats are when a group of twitter users come together at a predetermined time to discuss a certain topic using a specific hashtag with each tweet. Chats serve as a networking opportunity in addition to an awesome learning environment!<\/p>\n

#edtechchat<\/a> is one favorite and @iChrisLehman<\/a> hosts many thought provoking chats focused on reading and writing.<\/p>\n

4. To conduct research:<\/h1>\n

Twitter offers direct access to the experts and the information is current. \u00a0Many museums are on social media and post highlights on museum exhibits, special events and relevant articles. Scientists, journalists, athletes, engineers, bankers…millions of professionals are on social media. When my students are given a choice within their research projects, they often choose topics\/people that are trendy and not easily researchable in books, (and if there is a book, it\u2019s not in language a fifth grader can easily understand). Recent research topics have included: How Has Social Media Impacted Our Daily Lives? What are Football Combines?, When Will Time Travel Be Possible? \u00a0<\/i>and Astronaut Scott Kelly and Life in Space. \u00a0<\/i>Students learn how to use social media as a primary source when making connections with the experts in the field that they are studying. Available literature may not be accessible, but people rarely deny a student the opportunity to conduct an interview once the initial contact has been made.<\/p>\n

In the process of writing this post I became curious as to what my students might say so I asked them, \u201cWhat do you all think of social media in the classroom?\u201d, here\u2019s what they said;<\/p>\n