Teaching with Twitter Guide

Webinar Archives and Resources

CCC Digital Learning Day 2019 event archive and resources:

    • Session: Networked, Global Learning with Twitter

@ONE Webinar:

    • Session: Twitter, Really? from February 4th, 2018

Accessibility Tips

If you encourage your students to use Twitter, here is suggested language to provide to your students to support equal access.
“Both the iOS and Android Twitter apps are quite accessible using VoiceOver or TalkBack respectively. Many Windows PC users enjoy the extra screen reader accessibility features provided by the third-party Chicken Nugget Twitter app, which interfaces directly with the Twitter feed. Night Owl is a popular third-party option for Mac VoiceOver users.” Also, consider using EasyChirp for a more accessible Twitter interface.
Recently, Twitter has been tightening its restrictions, and the future of these and other third-party solutions is a bit murky. Consequently, you may wish to begin your Twitter experience using one of the official Twitter mobile apps, or at the website.”
Creating accessible images on Twitter
    • When you post images to Twitter, please use Twitter's image description feature to ensure they are accessible to everyone.
    • When using hashtags, avoid using all upper caps. For example, use “OnlineTeaching” instead of “ONLINETEACHING”
Additional Twitter Accessibility Resources
To learn more about Twitter's accessibility, follow @TwitterA11y

Creating a Safe Experience for Your Students

  1. Explain the relevance to student learning. Be clear, upfront with your students about why you are encouraging the use of Twitter in your class. What skills will they develop through this experience? How will these skills transfer to their lives? Why are you choosing Twitter over Canvas for this activity? What do you hope the outcomes of using Twitter will be? Providing clarity about these questions will help your students understand the relevancy of using Twitter.
  2. Discuss the public nature of Twitter. Do not assume that everyone knows what they Tweet is public. Make this clear. Public participation is a reflection of who we are and an opportunity to put our best foot forward.
    • Have all students read and discuss the Twitter Privacy Policy. Prompt: Identify one thing that surprised you and one thing you already knew.
  3. The set up: You will have students who already have a Twitter account and students who have never used Twitter. Take a poll to determine which students fall into each group and support each group effectively.
    • For students who are already using Twitter:
      1. Choose an account: existing or new?
        1. Encourage students to reflect on what they share on Twitter. They may choose to Tweet from that same account in response to your Twitter assignments, but that content will be visible to classmates and their instructor. Is that an issue? This is their choice and making this choice mindfully is important.
        2. Encourage students to consider creating a second account. In the iOS or Android app, it is easy to link these two accounts and toggle between them. For easy toggling, instruct students to have two visually distinct avatars for the two accounts.
      2. For students who are new to Twitter, provide guidance and options. Setting up a Twitter account is free and easy, but all humans have the right to manage their digital identities and privacy. Here are some things to share with students:
        1. Selecting a username: Choose a username that reflects your real name if you’re comfortable with contributing to your digital identity. If not, that’s ok! Select a username that keeps your identity undisclosed. Just share this username with your instructor so you can earn credit for your contributions.
        2. Selecting an avatar: Much like your username, you have the choice to use a photo of you or another visual icon. Make the choice you are comfortable with.
        3. Support those who aren’t ready to use Twitter. If students appear reluctant or resistant to creating a Twitter account, be sure they know that’s ok. This is, ultimately, their choice. Tell them, “I am here to support your success. I will provide you with access to a generic Twitter account you can use for the course. It will not identify you in any way but will allow you to contribute with the rest of the class. (Note to instructor: Create one or two generic email addresses that you do not use. Save those emails and passwords somewhere where you’ll find them later and then use each of them to create a generic Twitter account. Give the log-in credentials to the student who needs it. At the end of the term, change the password and then use hold on to those credentials for a future student.”
        4. In-class device support. If you’re teaching in a physical classroom and plan to encourage student use of Twitter during class, be mindful that some students may not have a mobile device. Provide them the option to use an in-class desktop computer, post a contribution on their behalf.

Supplementary Resources