Rethinking Twitter

Abstract

Despite being more widely known for its contributions to pop culture, and more recently political news and events, a growing body of literature exists about Twitter's use in education. This chapter presents a framework for using Twitter as an instructional review tool, leveraging its timely, unique, and efficient communication style while incorporating theories of memory and cognitive psychology that are more than two centuries old. The authors present applied practice study examples of how Twitter may be used as a means for distributed practice in learning concepts. While practitioners may be concerned about student adoption of Twitter, research presented in this chapter reports that Twitter is user-friendly and is most engaging for students when an instructor frequently participates.

The Effect of Twitter in Academic Achievement and Students’ Motivation toward Mathematics

“…Some authors have reported that twitter can be a great adjunct to the learning process when applied to educational content. This is because it is an unconventional tool, and has the potential to pique the interest of students (Buzzelli et al, 2019;Vilchez, 2016). In addition, students and teachers can communicate via Twitter almost instantly by writing their thoughts, questions, or answers using messages composed of 280 characters or less (Dunlap & Lowenthal, 2009;Vilchez, 2016).…”

“…These benefits include all of the following: (a) giving quick help for the problems of learners; encouraging class participation and discussion; (c) improving writing skills for learners; (d) facilitating student interaction; (e) obtaining respect from others; (f) helping learners to engage into a community of practice; (g) supporting selfdirected and independent learning via participating in informal learning activities; and (h) permitting the formation of relationships during the class as well as the continuation of such relationships after the class ends. In addition, Twitter may also improve other behavioral aspects as well, including: (a) self-regulation, (b) online and in-class attendance, (c) persistence, (d) adherence to the instructional rules, (e) student feelings toward school, (f) enjoyment of the instructional activities, and (g) increasing parental support for learning (Buzzelli et al, 2019;Fredricks et al, 2011).…”