1. Teaching with twitter: An extension to the learning environment
Twitter account ith, tie paper, innovation agility
[2 mins]

2. Teaching with twitter: An extension to the learning environment
Paul Middleditch University of Manchester
William Moindrot
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Twitter account ith, tie paper, innovation agility
[2 mins]
Early results in: Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice 2015 Vol 3(2)

3. Teaching with twitter: An extension to the learning environment
This session is interactive so please prepare a web enabled device as follows:
visit
Session ID: manc (lower/upper case)
You should see “Faded clock”
Need to check that these instructions are still correct [because I’ve not used it in 6 months!]
[2mins]
Feel free to leave anon feedback via your mobile device during any part of this presentation [use messaging from the top right menu button]

4. Teaching with twitter Today’s talk………..
Background on use of twitter in teaching
Benefits of using twitter
Student innovations in the use of twitter
Recommendations
Conclusion

5. Teaching with twitter Project: `Teaching with twitter’ 2013 - 2016
Twitter is a well known communication tool but how can it be used to improve the student experience in higher education?
Early Aims:
To re-instate the ‘lost’ communication channel in the VLE and create course community/social benefits.
To reinforce engagement type found from the free text facility in Turningpoint Responseware.

6. Do you have a twitter account?
Yes and I am a regular user.
Yes and I am an irregular user.
No, but I am thinking of opening one.
No and I am not thinking of opening one.

7. Which use of twitter do you see as being of most value?
To reinforce course announcements.
Enable students to ask questions about the course.
To enable students to learn from each other.
Provision of other benefits to students.
Which of these are a problem, or which of these give you most good ideas for use?

8. Twitter in Teaching at Manchester since 2013
ECON10042 – 1st Year UG Macroeconomic Principles – approx 450 students
ECON20401 – 2nd Year UG Macroeconomics IIA – approx 500 students
Contact between lecturer and student is efficient, from palm to palm and immediate.
Students are more likely to engage with technology more ‘in sync’ with their lifestyles, including the introvert.
Student questions are focussed (140 chars.) making queries easier to respond to.
Students have found innovative ways of using twitter to revise and participate.
Answers to questions are ‘reply all’ saving time on repetition.

9. Student led innovations from twitter
Some less obvious benefits that have presented themselves from the students’ own use.
Students have used the image attachment to ask me questions on their technical/maths attempts.
Students have found a platform to learn from each other (aka peer interaction).
Students have a channel to feedback to you on how the course is going and also to contribute.

10. Innovation: Images to bypass 140 limit
With a limit of 140 characters students learned to include a photograph of their mathematical attempts in their tweets.
With images embedded in this way there is no need for screen switching, making questions easier to answer.
Students enjoyed the immediacy of a response from their lecturer. A shortcoming became an enhancement!

11. Innovation: community for group work
Students learned to collaborate with each other from watching the interactions of others:
twitter enables peer interaction.
Begins by watching conversations between convenor and individual student.
Join the conversation initiated by others and student to student interaction is facilitated.

12. Innovation: tweet to feedback to lecturer
Students felt comfortable interacting and communicating in an informal setting.
More introverted students are less inhibited to interact and break the ice with peers.
Using twitter as a feedback to the lecturer, students have more control over their own environment.
Twitter fosters social engagement.

13. Other suggestions from students
Pinning: You can choose a tweet that will continue to top your timeline.
Polling: Now twitter can be used as an instant polling tool.
Advising students to register course account for smart phone notifications.
Choosing a structure for use across cohorts. Ie course/or cohort specific accounts

14. What did the students think?

15. Open comments on the OEQ
‘…very engaging with the students and creative. He was the only lecturer who used Twitter so efficiently and the introduction of the interaction lectures were by far the greatest motivation for me to come to lectures...’
I don't use twitter myself but I think the social media aspect of the course makes it even more accessible.
The lectures were interactive as well with the polling system. He also made use of social media through twitter to keep in touch with students making it more informal.
The twitter was also brilliant especially for clearer understanding. I did not have to personally ask any questions through twitter, as reading all the tweets from other students automatically answered all my queries and using the hashtag made finding tweet related to macro3a easy and painless.
Covered all material. Twitter interaction very useful

16. Average scores for OEQs
2011/13 vs 2013/15 (with twitter)

17. Which use of twitter do you see as being of most value?
To reinforce course announcements.
Enable students to ask questions about the course.
To enable students to learn from each other.
Provision of other benefits to students.
Which of these are a problem, or which of these give you most good ideas for use?

19. Recommendations for first use in teaching
Use twitter as an ‘optional’ extension of the learning environment rather than a replacement for an existing communication channel.
A tentative approach may be more suitable for first use. The level of student use will reflect your own.
Think about if you want to follow your students back to enable private tweet (PVT).
To encourage student interaction respond positively, remember this is a ‘public’ platform.
NOT a great tool for course announcements, but you can make use of ‘pinning’ for important messages.
As a support role easier to use,
Easier to ptompt
wifi

20. Further recommendations
Think about using ‘course specific’ accounts if you want to use this as a teaching tool (intranet feel and safeguarding).
Choose between individual course accounts or cohort specific accounts if you teach across years.
Retweet/Like student interaction to encourage activity and participation on the account.
Re-inforce course material by commenting on current affairs/news as a neutral observer to add value.
Twitter is most useful as a revision tool, so you may want to prepare for this in the run up to the exam.
As a support role easier to use,
Easier to ptompt
wifi

21. Further information and contacts
Finally, why not visit the courses taught in Economics at Manchester to see it in practice (2015/16):
@MacPrin_PM2016
If you have any further questions and also any suggestions for this project then we would very much like to hear from you; please contact…
Will:
Educational Technologist
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK.
Paul:
Senior Lecturer in Macroeconomics
University of Manchester, UK.