Tweet for homework?聽 This spring, CU 麻豆影院 students nominated Sociology graduate student Amanda Tyler聽for an ASSETT Outstanding Teaching with Technology Award for her teaching of Sociology 2044, Crime and Society.聽 One student wrote, "We used both Clickers and Twitter to enhance learning and incorporate current events into the curriculum."聽 Tyler spoke with ASSETT about how important it is for her to involve students in class discussions: "... I work toward聽creating an environment where students are able to discuss class material,聽even when the class has聽a large number of students.聽 Clicker questions are a great way for me to engage my students in conversation."聽聽She says that she uses Clicker questions to poll students about their opinions and聽start聽discussions.聽 Tyler explains that when students don't have to worry about whether their answers are聽right or wrong,聽the class can better聽engage multiple opinions.聽 Also,聽Clicker questions help her gauge her students' understanding of material.
Using Twitter聽in Class Discussions
Additionally, Tyler creates聽class聽Twitter pages as聽venues聽for student participation.聽 She embeds the class Twitter page聽feed onto the D2L聽course page and asks students to Tweet聽current event news stories or videos about class topics and聽write聽their own聽discussion questions for homework.聽聽Tyler says that she believes that Tweeting provides聽an opportunity, "... For students to apply course material to their everyday world."聽聽聽Tyler truly involves students in class discussion聽when she聽uses students' Tweeted questions as聽the class's Clicker questions.聽 "Students often Tweet insightful questions that engage聽their peers聽in further discussion, so I like to聽highlight these questions聽in my lecture slides," says Tyler.聽 In class,聽she projects the class Twitter聽feed onto the board and聽often invites students to Tweet their ideas during lecture.聽聽Tyler says that she聽finds聽that giving students聽the opportunity to join the spotlight聽motivates them:聽"I think Twitter makes class more fun!聽 I believe that when students have fun learning, it is more likely that聽they do their homework, and they will want to attend class."聽聽Tyler says that she聽hopes that Tweeting may even聽help students better remember course material: "They might visually remember聽a term they learned in a Tweet, which will stick with them later ..."
Case in point: one day during a discussion聽about the value of eye witness testimony in court procedures,聽Tyler staged a mock eye witness activity.聽聽A colleague聽came into the classroom聽and quickly left again.聽 Tyler聽asked her students to Tweet to the class Twitter page what they remembered they saw.聽 When the students' realized how few of them had accurately remembered what the聽man had been wearing, they better understood the validity that is often lacking in eye witness testimonies.
In order to give students participation credit for their聽Tweets,聽Tyler assigns specific hashtags to each week's Tweets and聽periodically asks聽them to submit screen shot logs.
Tyler looks forward to a career in teaching at the college level:聽"Teaching is one of my greatest passions!聽聽It聽always聽keeps me on my toes.聽聽I am constantly researching and thinking about聽new ways聽to engage my聽students.聽 Being nominated for this award is an incredible honor!"
