Twitter as a Communication and Information Gathering Tool for Educators

Abstract

Online social media and networking sites have emerged as prominent communication and information gathering tools of the twenty first century that users may access conveniently through a number of devices. With the new generation of learners being “digital natives” and the number of technological devices that are readily available to learners, new methods of instruction are being considered in classrooms around the world. A web-based instructional module was developed to instruct K-12 teachers about how to use Twitter, a social media, as a communication and information gathering tool. Surveys were used to gather participants’ perceptions about using Twitter in their profession as an educator. The results indicate that although teachers are likely to use Twitter to gather information and resources, there are varying reasons that cause teachers to hesitate using Twitter as a communication tool.