Project Results
Schedule/ Process of Lessons
After reading through the numerous articles found within the LiveBinder, I created a Twitter handle (@UNSTFamilySt), where students would be able to focus their communications. Then, I created a rough outline of skills and information regarding Twitter that I hoped to cover over the course of the term. I knew that many students were not familiar with Twitter as a social network, so I decided to keep things basic. I broke the main ideas down into brief activities that would take up only 5-10 minutes of the session, knowing that I had many other topics to cover in sessions. Please see the schedule.
Because of inevitable changes, the schedule was somewhat modified at times (for example, to facilitate initial introductions I ended up combining the second and third week activities together; and in Week 8 I did not remember to tweet in one session!). However students did manage to complete the assigned tasks, and provided feedback, both positive and negative, regarding the experience in the last week. I believe the main skills that students obtained were:
· Locating PSU campus resources on Twitter
· Using a # symbol to indicate a topic to be shared with a community
· Using @ to send communication to peers, mentors, and others on Twitter
· Posting a link to an article on a website
· Accessing websites from the "Favorites" list
· Learning the value of professionalism in communicating via social network sites
For a complete sample of student work (called "tweets" when sending information on Twitter), visit the Project Work Samples section.
Student Feedback
During the last week of sessions, students shared their thoughts about the use of Twitter in mentoring sessions. I will attempt to merge the overall themes into pros and cons, but you may see the complete list in the Student Feedback section. I will share my own thoughts afterward.
Common "pros"
· Easy access to resources, links to articles, and posts.
· Students connected with classmates.
· Some found Twitter easy to use & navigate.
· Gave time to review what was learned.
· Reminded students of assignments for class.
Common "cons"
· Many felt it was confusing, difficult to log into, or hard to navigate.
· Some reported they didn't like Twitter or Twitter is not "cool."
· Twitter is shallow, too brief, or not enough substance.
· If students didn't use it outside of class, they didn't benefit from the links.
· Took up too much session time or away from person to person communication.
· Other formats were recommended, such as D2L discussion board.
Critical Reflection
Looking back at the past ten weeks, I am satisfied that we made a thorough attempt at incorporating Twitter into mentor sessions. I was surprised at the number of students who were not already on Twitter, or interested in signing up for an account. Everyone agreed to join and try it for class, but the consensus seemed to be that Twitter was not as easy as it is rumored to be. I must admit I was surprised, as I know that many high schools at my counseling internship site use it regularly, as do I. Students also stated that it took more time to log in and find ways to send messages using # and @ symbols than simply talking or writing a brief note would take. Another problem I found was that many students did not log into Twitter between mentor sessions, and they admitted they could have benefitted much more from the links, articles, and class reminders had they logged in more frequently. I was happy to see that some students found it very intuitive and easily posted links and tweets; one student informed me that she started a Twitter page for her workplace and it was going very well!
I believe that students in SINQ courses should be challenged to use some sort of technology to communicate, as the world increasingly demands greater skill in this arena. However, I believe that the student feedback reflects the fact that Twitter may not be the best medium of technology for use in a ten or eleven week term. I found myself re-teaching basics of Twitter rather than focusing on course topics or exit tickets. Also, I agree that if students aren't logging in between classes, they are missing out on a lot of resources and links. I wonder if another, more intuitive form of technology might be better utilized to accomplish the same goals. Several students suggested the discussion feature on D2L, a format they are already tied to with Portland State. In addition, a professor in a recent graduate class used a professional webpage onto which his students posted comments about readings and lectures. This could also be a more suitable format for SINQ students.
Though I am glad that we attempted Twitter, I would recommend it for sessions that are longer in length or require a great deal of checking in already. If I were to attempt some form of technology with students next quarter, I would try out the D2L discussion feature or the comments on a webpage, such as Weebly or my own e-portfolio. I am also happy to report that this has not thwarted my interest in Twitter for my own professional use (check it out @msgraupmann)!
After reading through the numerous articles found within the LiveBinder, I created a Twitter handle (@UNSTFamilySt), where students would be able to focus their communications. Then, I created a rough outline of skills and information regarding Twitter that I hoped to cover over the course of the term. I knew that many students were not familiar with Twitter as a social network, so I decided to keep things basic. I broke the main ideas down into brief activities that would take up only 5-10 minutes of the session, knowing that I had many other topics to cover in sessions. Please see the schedule.
Because of inevitable changes, the schedule was somewhat modified at times (for example, to facilitate initial introductions I ended up combining the second and third week activities together; and in Week 8 I did not remember to tweet in one session!). However students did manage to complete the assigned tasks, and provided feedback, both positive and negative, regarding the experience in the last week. I believe the main skills that students obtained were:
· Locating PSU campus resources on Twitter
· Using a # symbol to indicate a topic to be shared with a community
· Using @ to send communication to peers, mentors, and others on Twitter
· Posting a link to an article on a website
· Accessing websites from the "Favorites" list
· Learning the value of professionalism in communicating via social network sites
For a complete sample of student work (called "tweets" when sending information on Twitter), visit the Project Work Samples section.
Student Feedback
During the last week of sessions, students shared their thoughts about the use of Twitter in mentoring sessions. I will attempt to merge the overall themes into pros and cons, but you may see the complete list in the Student Feedback section. I will share my own thoughts afterward.
Common "pros"
· Easy access to resources, links to articles, and posts.
· Students connected with classmates.
· Some found Twitter easy to use & navigate.
· Gave time to review what was learned.
· Reminded students of assignments for class.
Common "cons"
· Many felt it was confusing, difficult to log into, or hard to navigate.
· Some reported they didn't like Twitter or Twitter is not "cool."
· Twitter is shallow, too brief, or not enough substance.
· If students didn't use it outside of class, they didn't benefit from the links.
· Took up too much session time or away from person to person communication.
· Other formats were recommended, such as D2L discussion board.
Critical Reflection
Looking back at the past ten weeks, I am satisfied that we made a thorough attempt at incorporating Twitter into mentor sessions. I was surprised at the number of students who were not already on Twitter, or interested in signing up for an account. Everyone agreed to join and try it for class, but the consensus seemed to be that Twitter was not as easy as it is rumored to be. I must admit I was surprised, as I know that many high schools at my counseling internship site use it regularly, as do I. Students also stated that it took more time to log in and find ways to send messages using # and @ symbols than simply talking or writing a brief note would take. Another problem I found was that many students did not log into Twitter between mentor sessions, and they admitted they could have benefitted much more from the links, articles, and class reminders had they logged in more frequently. I was happy to see that some students found it very intuitive and easily posted links and tweets; one student informed me that she started a Twitter page for her workplace and it was going very well!
I believe that students in SINQ courses should be challenged to use some sort of technology to communicate, as the world increasingly demands greater skill in this arena. However, I believe that the student feedback reflects the fact that Twitter may not be the best medium of technology for use in a ten or eleven week term. I found myself re-teaching basics of Twitter rather than focusing on course topics or exit tickets. Also, I agree that if students aren't logging in between classes, they are missing out on a lot of resources and links. I wonder if another, more intuitive form of technology might be better utilized to accomplish the same goals. Several students suggested the discussion feature on D2L, a format they are already tied to with Portland State. In addition, a professor in a recent graduate class used a professional webpage onto which his students posted comments about readings and lectures. This could also be a more suitable format for SINQ students.
Though I am glad that we attempted Twitter, I would recommend it for sessions that are longer in length or require a great deal of checking in already. If I were to attempt some form of technology with students next quarter, I would try out the D2L discussion feature or the comments on a webpage, such as Weebly or my own e-portfolio. I am also happy to report that this has not thwarted my interest in Twitter for my own professional use (check it out @msgraupmann)!