WPP Part A

At Kent Innovation High every student has a computer and therefore access to endless amounts of information. This obviously has is benefits and at the same time creates obstacles. Students often go to the first Google search and/or get side tracked with all of the other possibilities. During my CEP810 course I became, lets say, addicted to Twitter. I realized quickly how much great information and resources Twitter offered while providing the ability to narrow the research. What I appreciated most was the ability to ask questions or share information.

This got me thinking about my own classroom and the students that I facilitate. So in the first week I had all of the students make a Twitter account. We then began to use Twitter as a back channel, a source for formative feedback, and a means of sharing student's ideas outside of the classroom. I even started having students look for and follow experts.

It was CEP 812 that got me thinking about using Twitter in a fashion that would connect students with ideas and research that related to their projects. Although the WPP project is done in December, I plan to continue with my research on using Twitter as a research tool. In fact I have been given the opportunity to share at MACUL about using Twitter in the classroom to implement the ISTE NETS for students.

I have found several leads or individuals who are promoting Twitter for research. Martin Paul Eve is a researcher in Sussex. I have tweeted Martin to ask for suggestions. The London School of Economics and Political Science have created a guide to using Twitter for research. There is even a #research that can be followed.

To narrow the focus for the WPP Project I will give a pre-survey to the students regarding their research capabilities. I will then plan to have students do tweet "starts" or "enders" during class four to five times a week; asking them to search the hash-tag of their topic, find experts to follow, and create a post.

I will do a second survey before the 11/30 to gauge students growth, success, and their own thoughts about Twitter. I hope to gather feedback once or twice more before MACUL. Success will rely on the students feedback on surveys, the products that they develop based upon their connections, and the creation of student plns.