Facebook and twitter for learning and teaching

Richard VallanceELT Project Officer, LLS

@rich_vThursday 3rd December 2015

Outline of session

• Twitter & Facebook• For each:

– Overview– Why you might use them for L&T– Key benefits– Issues & practical considerations– Teaching examples

What is twitter?• Web-based & mobile application• 140 character ‘tweets’ / like short blog posts / lists and

feeds• Twitter users build a list of ‘followers’ whose tweets they

follow• The tweets of those that you follow appear on your home

timeline• Tweets can be categorised with a hashtag (e.g.

#IChoseDMU)• Twitter can be embedded into most websites & blogs

Why use twitter?• Effective learning tool to complement other face-to-face

activities and use of Bb• Encourage students to use Twitter to gain access to the

latest news/thinking in their subject area• Hashtags frequently used for a backchannel for questions

and discussions during teaching, conferences and events• Course/module hashtags commonly used for topical

information, questions or course info• New polling feature

Key benefits• Skills development for students• Ability for students to build personal & prof. networks• Increased engagement through mobile use/usability• Integrate Twitter feeds (users/#) into Bb/DMU Commons• Students may ask questions not asked in class• Can facilitate educational and emotional support through

a class network• Immediacy of feedback • Twitter accounts can be made private

Issues/considerations• 140 characters – is it a hindrance?• Too many communication channels?• Students uncomfortable with tweeting• Guidelines for fair usage needs to be made clear• Issues for tutors (monitoring tweets; ground rules)• Boundaries between academics and students are removed• Tweets can be unthreaded so conservation is disjointed

Teaching examples

A lecturer….Set up a Twitter account to keep students informed about news and developments in their subject area and to highlight new work.

[Examples]

Teaching examples

A lecturer…. Incorporated Twitter into lectures to encourage participation before, during & after teaching sessions. A hashtag (#) for module is provided to students and students are encouraged to tweet questions before and after sessions. Tweets can be brought up on screen at the end of class.

[Examples]

Teaching examples

A lecturer…. Arranged for a prominent academic to respond to student queries as part of a student debate around a topic.

[Examples]

Teaching examples

A lecturer…. Used Twitter as a role-play exercise where students ran accounts as historical/literary figures and tweeted based on what that person would say.

[Examples]

Teaching examples

A lecturer…. Posted daily tasks or exercises as revision challenges towards exam periods.

What is facebook?• Social media tool which allows groups and individuals to

engage in peer-to-peer conversation• Users require setting up a ‘Profile’ to interact with

approved ‘Friends’ or join a Group• Members can set-up public or closed Groups, ideal for

courses or modules• Tools include a wall/news feed and the ability for people

to post information/resources/comments to these.• Marketing/PR usage > Learning & teaching

Why use facebook?• In a structured way, it can be used to construct learning in

a social setting.• Public facing sites can attract students / student work can

be profiled• Students have a high level of understanding of its use• Students may be able to access their networks faster via

Facebook than via traditional mechanisms (e.g. Bb)• Students may use it already in private groups• References, links and resources can be shared easily

Issues/considerations (1/2)

• Does an existing internal tool already do the same job?• Understanding of security settings is paramount (e.g.

Group visibility)• Without clear learning objectives it can be shallow• Context-specific advertising appears in Facebook• Personal / Academic personas can be blurred –

problematic with personal nature of Facebook• Issues around complying with harassment/bullying

Issues/considerations (2/2)

• Pages are more for PR• Groups are more closed and private• Making students aware of the risks of posting information

online• How will the site be monitored?• Defining your accessibility• Personal profiles or professional ones?• Do you need to set-up specific guidelines?

Teaching examples

A lecturer…Set-up a Facebook group which the class joined. Students were asked to post news related to their course. Students were socially motivated to join in, others were simply able to observe. Within the group, students didn’t have to ‘friend’ people or provide personal information.

[Examples]

Teaching examples

A lecturer…Set-up a Facebook group and switched the settings so that the language was all in French. Students were encouraged to communicate in this ‘French’ environment, interacting only in that language.

[Examples]