Utilizing Twitter in the Classroom

Why Twitter attracts me:

1. Connects locally, state, nationally, and globally

2. Connects industry to business to classrooms

3. Educates anyone willing to read < 140 characters

4. Exposes creativity and individualism 

5. Tracks trends and news

6. Challenges a new type of writing (short and sweet)

7. Professional digital portfolio for an individual, business, or program 

8. Accessible through computers, tablets, and phones

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The social media platform of Twitter presents opportunities to digitalize the classroom that teachers did not have ten years ago. The best part is that we can individualize Twitter to fit our program and classroom needs. Specifically looking at school based agricultural education utilizing Twitter in each part of the three circle model, which consists of of SAE, classroom instruction, and FFA can fully maximize Twitter's full potential.


The first step to fully utilizing Twitter is to understand the lingo that accompanies the platform. Hashtag (#), retweet, direct message, and the list goes on. To help learn the platform I am going to reference a blog titled: "Mom This is How Twitter Works". This blog uses visuals and explanations to describe how Twitter functions and how to use each individual part.

Below I compiled a list of my own and of other Twitter users suggestions on how to use Twitter in school based agricultural education broken down into the three circle model categories.

Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE):
- Use twitter as a promotional tool for each type of SAE project so underclassmen can understand their options
- As a teacher, posting required parts of degrees that students often forget they need
- Posting pictures as a student can serve as an archive for when a picture is needed later on for a degree or promotional material
- Assign students to each week post a short story on their SAE project
- Students can use twitter as a vocabulary builder. As each student goes through their SAE project they can tweet the different words they learned that pertain individually to their project.

Classroom Instruction:
- Send our reminders for upcoming homework, projects, quizzes, and exams
- Use as a current events resource 
- As an assignment go on a scavenger hunt. This can be used in any subject.
- Bring a speaker in to train students on being professional with social media handles
- Have a discussion on twitter as an assignment to engage other FFA chapters, industry professionals, and Ag teachers

National FFA Organization:
- Create a hashtag and tweet out local, state, and national events the program is involved in to connect with families, friends, supporters, the school, and community
- Follow the state and national FFA handles to keep up on FFA news and promote your chapter on their accounts by being retweeted
- Take a poll obtaining opinions on a potential event or meeting time
- Sync with blogs, school webpages, Facebook, etc.
- CDE teams and individuals post supplemental material they are using to study on Twitter

Here is a list of generic uses that can be tailored towards any program of ways to use Twitter in the classroom: