Education Week (@educationweek)

Study reveals surprising ways teachers are using Twitter in education An article in a recent issue of the CITE Journal reveals some surprising findings on how teachers are really using Twitter in education. The article, called “Participatory Learning Through Social Media: How and Why Social Studies Educators Use Twitter,” analyzed Twitter as a means of participatory learning, or a way of actively engaging with communities. Through a Twitter-distributed survey of 303 social studies educators from diverse schools and backgrounds, authors Daniel G. Krutka of Texas Woman’s University and Jeffrey P. Carpenter of Elon University examined how the teachers were using the social media and microblogging platform for professional development (PD), communication, and class activities. The survey included open-ended questions such as, “Please explain what aspects of Twitter you find most valuable, and why”—about half the participants responded to this question in particular.

Using Twitter for Professional Development The term “professional development” conjures up thoughts of travel, conference fees, arranging substitutes, and loss of precious instructional time. But does it have to entail all that? Actually, no. A growing number of educators are using Twitter—yes, the microblogging platform Twitter—as a quick, easy, low-cost alternative. If you aren’t yet familiar with Twitter, it’s a social networking platform where users share everything from what they had for breakfast to professional dilemmas – all in 140 characters or less.