Description
Twitter is a messaging system that we will be using throughout the semester. In class, we will sometimes conduct short discussions exclusively via Twitter. Other times I will post a stream of our tweets on the screen as a supplement to our verbal discussion. You can use Twitter in class to introduce new questions, add additional comments, or share information (links, etc.) relevant to the course material. Finally, we will use Twitter outside of class to share information about topics related to the course; to communicate with each other; and, as you build followers, to begin to establish a professional persona online.
Using Twitter in this way gives you some new power that you would not necessarily have in other classrooms. Use this power wisely and do so in a way that is appropriate and respectful of your classmates’ time and interest.
Assignment instructions
You must complete tasks 1–6 before midnight, Thursday, January 12; task 7 should be completed before the start of class on Tuesday, January 17:
- Create a Twitter account (if you don’t already have one).
- Fill out your profile. Include your real name in either your profile description or username.
- Make your profile public. (If you already have a private Twitter account that you want to keep private, create a new account for this class.)
- Find and follow people from the area (WVU, Morgantown, or your hometown) and in your major or chosen profession. After a few days, if you don’t want to follow them anymore, stop following them.
- Post a message to your account which includes the following hashtag: #engl303. In the future, include this hashtag in all messages you want to be seen by the class. (FYI: there are two sections of this course that will be using this same hashtag, so you will be interacting with students from the other course on Twitter.)
- Begin posting Tweets.
- Finally, on Friday search for the course hashtag and follow all the other members of the class.
You should check your Twitter account at least once a day for the rest of the semester.
assignment via: David Silver; image credit: Laughing Squid