Using Twitter to Share Learning with the World

Name: Brent Johnston Year Level: Prep St. Bernardines Primary School, Regents Park @MrJohnstonClass Our Learning Story: This year, our class has been using Twitter as a communication tool to enhance the learning outcomes of each student as they share their thoughts, pictures, videos and creations INSTANTLY. Our classroom context includes 27 students, an interactive whiteboard, 2 laptops, 5 iPads, and a fulltime (open-minded) school officer. As a team, both my school officer and I agreed to attempt 3-10 tweets per day from the very first school day of the year. Of course, there were logistical aspects to consider and organise (such as sending forms to parents - seeking permission to use their childs image and learning samples, sending letters introducing our class blog and twitter profile) before the first day. From then, it was as simple as taking photos of learning experiences and then posting (tweeting) the photos with a caption. These photos were instantly available on our Twitter news feed (on our class blog), the Twitter website and through the Twitter app on mobile devices allowing our list of followers to grow. This also meant that from the first day, parents could take

a glimpse into their childs classroom alleviating any concerns about their child settling in to school life.

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The next phase was to start using Twitter beyond simple daily event tweeting. At this stage, the students had not been involved in the tweeting process (apart from starring in the photos!). As a result, our class began collaborative tweeting - allowing the students to take photos of their learning on iPads and then tweeting the images with jointly constructed captions being produced on the interactive whiteboard. This was also the perfect opportunity to discuss how to be a responsible digital citizen and that nothing should ever be posted without permission from the teacher.

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Throughout the second semester, our use of Twitter in the classroom has transformed from being mostly daily event tweeting and some collaborative tweeting, to mostly collaborative tweeting and student tweeting. Our collaborative tweeting has moved beyond sharing our own learning, to now commenting on the learning of other classes that we follow through organised Tweet Meets. During these online conversations, the students love sharing their learning with other classes and are excited at the opportunity to have their questions (about the learning that is happening in other classrooms) answered immediately.

10(2$0%*3!+.!+,((+!$0+,.04! When posting student tweets using iPads, I wanted to give our learners more ownership over the content that was being posted.

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To help facilitate this deeper engagement, we introduced a Tweet Wall into our classroom. During our writing workshops, students are given a stimulus for writing (e.g. What do you think is in the box?) and then draft a response or message. This message is collaboratively checked and then added to the Tweet Wall. During our daily writing centres, these tweets are collected from the Tweet Wall and then communicated on iPads. Parents and other followers can then comment on a students response, which becomes a purposeful shared reading experience for the students.

Student tweet video (link)

9+6#(*+!+,((+%*3!%*!$-+%.*! Through the use of iPads as an engaging communication tool during our writing centres and exploring time, our original goal of 3-10 tweets per day is easily achieved through student tweeting. The ownership of learning communication has passed from the educators to the Prep learners. Curriculum Links: Using Twitter as a sharing tool in the classroom means that it can be embedded into all curriculum areas. For Prep students that are learning to consume and produce texts for the first time, it is an excellent tool for

developing early literacy skills and communicating responsibly using these emerging skills. Reflections: Having such a global audience has given all students more purpose to learn how to read, write, develop new mathematical skills and create quality products. They have the opportunity to share what they have done and receive feedback from an audience that extends beyond the walls of a classroom or school. Parents, grandparents, friends, other teachers and students from schools around the world have the opportunity to respond to our learning. Positive connections with parents and the local school community are also created through the sharing of classroom learning the student learning experiences have become more purposeful and transparent.