Twitter

“What are you doing right now?” Maybe you have the urge to post your status online for, possibly, the world to view. “What’s happening?” is posed for all “tweeters” or “twitterers” to answer each time they write a “tweet”- a 140 characters or less text message. Twitter is a free, worldwide social media site that keeps users connected with one another in real-time by following tweets of interest. Twitter users range from individual accounts of one’s friends and family, colleagues and other professionals, celebrities, news sources, organizations, or businesses marketing to their customers. The site’s users are able to post an unlimited amount of updates either in the form of images and text; which can be read and responded to through any instant messaging device connected to the Internet. When Twitter was initially introduced to the world, it received much backlash from critics questioning the need and importance of such mini-blogging. Now in its fifth year, Twitter has taken on a life of it's own and more and more users are finding a good deal of the information meaningful within the context of their everyday lives.
 * __ Description __**__ : __

// Twitter in Plain English // : media type="youtube" key="ddO9idmax0o" width="425" height="350"

//The New York Times - Twitter// media type="custom" key="10681944"

In 2006, “Twitter became the brainchild of three programmers who worked at the podcasting company Odeo Inc. in San Francisco. The founders are Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone. They were looking for a way to send text on their cell-phones and a way to reinvent a dying company,” (5). They came up with Twitter and opened it up to the public, not completely sure of how it would be accepted into society.
 * __ History __**

Twitter’s initial introduction into the public sphere was problematic and to a degree unsuccessful. Most people were uninterested and confused about the purpose of tweeting. Some critics deemed the site useless due to its "meaningless" tweets about everyday life. However, Twitter began to take on a life of its own as tweeters started to create new ways for the site to be used beyond its original purpose. The creators of Twitter and the world could now see the benefit to such a manipulatable tool.

Eventually, Twitter seemed to impact more and more individuals and started to become of interest to a large population. In 2007, the average daily tweets were around 5,000; compared to now, where Twitter sees 50 million tweets posted per day, (6). The information shared on the site started to reveal depth and importance, (3). It has changed the way news media, politics, and businesses communicate with their constituents. With the help of Twitter, anyone can tweet their own instant newscasts to update their followers about events in their region of the world; for example, a tsunami or hurricane's destruction. Politicians are now more capable of providing instant, real-time feedback about issues being discussed in Congress and closed door meetings. Numerous big named businesses, like Starbucks and ATT, us the site to promote deals and upcoming products.

Our global society seeks information on a constant basis, looking for the now and not the “one minute ago” idea; Twitter’s ablility to capitalize on such instant communication has brought it to success. The amount of growth in user accounts, daily tweets, and applications over the past 5 years shows its potential and continual influence on the globally-connected community.

//Evan Williams on listening to Twitter users:// media type="custom" key="10681794"

There are numerous ways for Twitter to be used in an educational setting. The main purpose of Twitter is to encourage communication by sharing thoughts, opinions, and relevant information. Therefore, Twitter encourages fruitful and instant discussion amongst people. Injecting Twitter into any conversation can potentially and fundamentally change the rules of engagement. It adds a second layer of discussion and brings a wider audience into what would have been a private exchange. It also gives the event an afterlife on the Web; which allows learners to connect with one another outside of the “classroom,” (3). The following is a list of ways that Twitter can be used as an educational tool:
 * __ Impact on Teaching and Learning __**
 * Teachers and learners can follow news sources to gather research for a current events or research project.
 * It can give teachers prompts for discussion on breaking news or relevant topics of interest.
 * Twitter can be used as a communications tool for collaborating with group members; sharing of information- videos, links, images, etc.
 * Twitter can be used as a way to remind students of daily assignments, important due dates, and lesson objectives.
 * Twitter can be used to continue the conversation outside of the class and as a reflective opportunity.
 * It encourages active participation during lectures and discussions by providing a less intimidating sharing environment.
 * Student comments are recorded and can be used as a study aide.
 * It allows for teachers to gain instant feedback from their students and set up polls, if desired, to track responses.
 * It opens communication lines between teachers, parents, and learners who may have questions or concerns for an assignment.

Video 1- //Twitter in Classroom?// media type="youtube" key="4OxIz_3o3O0" width="425" height="350"

Video 2- //The Twitter Experiment - Twitter in the Classroom// media type="youtube" key="6WPVWDkF7U8" width="425" height="350"

=__** Practical Applications **__=
 * Broadcast news as it happens
 * Use Twitter for business; such as, marketing and promoting of products
 * Ask for help and get answers
 * Educate others- become a resource for other teachers
 * Network and build relationships on a local, national, and global scale
 * Find interesting people to follow
 * Join live discussions on topics of interest
 * Gather research for topics of interest
 * Schedule events with family and friends
 * Keep up with trends

//** Below is a three part series on how to use Tweetdeck for Twitter; a social media dashboard that can help with practical applications **//** : **

Part One media type="youtube" key="FsFmaCEOqyw" height="350" width="425"

Part Two media type="youtube" key="uFxkkHsg-So" width="425" height="350"

Part Three media type="youtube" key="8VdQprmIKYU" width="425" height="350"

The best way to understand how Twitter functions is to create an account and try it yourself!
 * __ Examples or Demonstrations __**

//Step 1//: go to [|www.twitter.com] and click on “Sign Up”...It's FREE! //Step 2:// Join the Conversation
 * 1) Type in your Full Name
 * 2) Choose a relevant username
 * 3) Create a password
 * 4) Provide an email address (you have the option to allow others to find you by your email- check that box if you’re interested)
 * 5) Click on **Create an Account**
 * 6) Create a user profile and search for tweets of interest to follow.

Twitter always asks the question "What's happening?" Each answer to that question is considered a Twitter update, or what people often call a "Tweet." Each update is 140 characters or less. To Post Your Tweet via the Web: You will immediately see your Tweet in the timeline on your homepage, as shown below.
 * How To Post a Tweet ** (1)
 * Log in to your Twitter account
 * Type your Tweet into the "What's happening?" box at the top of your screen (shown below).
 * Make sure your update is fewer than 140 characters. We'll count the characters for you! Remaining characters show up as a number below the box.
 * Click the Tweet button to post the Tweet to your profile.

See Twitter in ACTION: media type="youtube" key="NshQFrpC2O4" width="425" height="350"


 * Hashtags(#) are important Twitter code that has become a popular way to organize the millions of tweets that are posted daily. They provide some level of organization for a user to search Twitter and find tweets on a similar topic of interest. The # symbol is used, by any Twitter user, to mark or tag a keyword or topic in a tweet so that it becomes much easier to search for a larger audience. Tweets that contain hashtags should be meaningful and relevant to that topic; don't waste people's time by adding hashtag (#) marks to all your tweets.

"For new Twitter users, and even veterans, figuring out what a specific hashtag is being used for can be a major chore. When a hashtag starts to trend, it gets even more difficult to parse the information stream. So what’s the most efficient way to figure out those nasty hashtags? Luckily, there a few great tools that can assist in hashtag enlightenment:" (7) > **What the Trend? **: This useful little service makes it really easy to learn about trending hashtags. When something starts trending, // What the Trend? // will provide a quick blurb on what’s going on. > ** Twubs : ** Twubs, which we [|recently reviewed], uses a wiki system to help disseminate information on a hashtag. It aggregates tweets and imports pictures to help illuminate the topics being discussed. > ** Hashtags.org : ** While not the best at helping you understand the meaning behind a tag, // Hashtags.org // is good at showing you its use over time and recent tweets, which oftentimes is enough to figure out the meaning behind the tag. > ** Tagalus : ** Tagalus is a simple dictionary for hashtags. It’s very easy to find information on thousands of hashtags as defined by other users. You can also define a hashtag by tweeting tagalus.

// There are over 2000 different types of software options to help with Twitter applications: //
 * __ External Links __**
 * 1) Get More out of Twitter with Twitter Apps. (Part 1)
 * []
 * 1) Get More out of Twitter with Twitter Apps. (Part 2)
 * []
 * 1) [|m.twitter.com] Access Twitter from your mobile device.
 * 2)  [|www.hope140.org] Learn about how Twitter is making a difference.
 * 3) [] set up a Tweetdeck account to organize your social media accounts
 * 4) [] provides social media management on your mobile device
 * 5) [] social media dashboard
 * 6) [] -create polls through twitter
 * 7) []-share your social calendar
 * 8) [] -learn how to search twitter

// Articles and Websites for further inquiry: //
 * 1) Nine Reasons to Twitter in Schools []
 * 2) 34 ways to use Twitter in the classroom []
 * 3) The Ultimate Twitter Guidebook for Teachers []
 * 4) Twitter guide for newbies []
 * 5) Twitter help for educators http://www.vrml.k12.la.us/curriculum/tech/socialnetwork/twitter/twitter.htm
 * 6) List of educational hashtags- []
 * 7) List of educational chats- []

1. http://twitter.com 2. [] 3. [] 4. [] 5. [] 6. [] 7. http://mashable.com/2009/05/17/twitter-hashtags/
 * __ References __**

Carly Mounts is currently a Secondary Education teacher at Kalaheo High School on the Windward side of Oahu, Hawai’i. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Secondary Education and is currently working toward her masters in Educational Technology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
 * __ About the Author __**