Twitter as an ally in learning

Parents, teachers, and school administrators are wary of student use of social networking sites, particularly Twitter, a micro-blogging platform that enables users to post messages (or Tweets) up to 140 characters. It sits well with the students since they need not compose a long article, which admittedly most of them find it hard to sustain.

Our students spend so much time with it, losing their precious little time to studying. We are afraid that, if unchecked, this will have a detrimental effect on our students’ academic performance.

A recent study, however, shows just the opposite. The study, “The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades,” is led by the team of Reynol Junco, a leading scholar who explores the nexus between social media and education.

125 college students participated in the study. One group of 70 students was required to use Twitter for educational purposes. Another group of 55 students was required to communicate through a traditional learning system.

The findings belie the claim by many that social networking sites, particularly Twitter, are detrimental to the academic performance of students. Junco et. al. found out the following:

• The Twitter group’s score in engagement—defined as “the amount of physical and psychological energy that the student devotes to the academic experience”—was almost twice as much as the group who used traditional communication methods.


• At the end of the semester the Twitter group’s average GPA was .51 higher than the control group.


• Students were also surprisingly comfortable with candid expressions of their feelings and their short-comings.


• Student use of Twitter generated more and different types of questions than would have been generated in typical class discussions on the same topic.


• Using Twitter in educationally relevant ways had a positive effect on student engagement.

Social media is not just a fad, only popular to this generation, and will soon wither into oblivion. It is, as Eric Qualman argues, a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.

As teachers, we must understand the dynamics of our students. We must meet them where they are, Reynol Junco said. And nearly all of them are in social media. We must seize the opportunity this digital era presents to us and take full advantage of the social media, particularly Twitter, if only to help our students learn.

Embittered over 'tweets' in Twitter, or How not to deal with controversial digital speech?

You updated your Twitter. You made a comment about your school. You are sure your school administrators wouldn't like. But, you think, it's a fair and valid comment. And to be scientific, it's a comment that is based on empirical evidence.

Then somebody print-screened your and your friends' tweets. The print-screened tweets found their way to your school administrator's table. The next day, you and those who made "negative" comments were called by school administrators.

You asked why. Nothing, they replied. The admin just wanted to talk to your group. Then you found out why. The admin was disappointed, nay, offended by you and your group's tweets. You were reminded not to do it again and to be careful with your tweets.

Worse is, just when you thought it's over, you found out you were punished. Your conduct grades were decreased. Why? For making such comments.

Too often, students find themselves embroiled in this situation. And too often, school administrators take punitive steps to respond to this.

It can't be denied that the Internet and the social networking sites are now the new plaza. That's where most of the young people stay and hang out, though they don't necessarily have to leave their homes. That's where students talk, send Private Message, Comment, Like,  Tweet and Retweet, search, select and invite Friends, and Share stories, photos and links.

Indeed, that's where everything gravitates towards, at least for the "Digital Natives."

The pervasiveness of the Internet and especially the social networking sites in the lives of young people poses several challenges, among others, to the school administrators.

The Internet has given young people another venue where they can exercise their freedom of speech and expression. Through the Internet, they voice out their opinions. They comment on issues which they think matter---the impeachment trial of CJ Renato Corono, the deluge of concert by foreign artists this Valentine season, the death of Whitney Houston, and, yes, the improvements or lack thereof in their school. They express their disgust over everything else they find disgusting.

No less than the Constitution guarantees and protects that freedom. And the students can enjoy that same freedom, and indeed a robust exercise of that freedom must be encouraged, provided they are forewarned not to go beyond the ambit of the law. As Justice Dante Tinga said, in his separate opinion on Chavez vs. Gonzales, "For as long as the expression is not libelous or slanderous, not obscene...it is guaranteed protection by the Constitution. I do not find it material whether the protected expression is of a political, religious, personal, humorous or trivial nature - they all find equal comfort in the Constitution. Neither should it matter through what medium the expression is conveyed, whether through the print or broadcast media, through the Internet or through interpretative dance. For as long as it does not fall under the above-mentioned exceptions, it is accorded the same degree of protection by the Constitution."

This freedom of speech, however, like all other freedoms, can be potentially abused. And if it is abused or seem to be abused, how then should we deal with it?

Should we punish students or threaten them with suspension or deduction of grades for posting innocuous remarks in Twitter or Facebook? Should we berate the students and give them a mouthful of reminders?