The great thing about eLearning is that there are a multitude of tools that you can use to make the learning process more effective. Technological advancements have made the tool improvements quite fast. Sometimes, you have just begun to learn the program when a better and improved alternative comes out in the market.
But you do not have to waste your time meticulously monitoring the market for the latest tools to use in your learning course. You can actually use the programs that you are actually using in your personal life. And when it comes to the most common and user friendly tool that you use everyday, there is nothing better than using social media tools – most specifically Twitter.
You may think that using twitter as your eLearning tool may seem like an unprofessional way to teach. It not. It is actually effective because of the following reasons.
- It is being used by everyone. Chances are, your students are already maintaining their own personal accounts. You do not have to explain what it is all about and how to use it. They might even know how to use it better than you.
- It is very accessible. You can also expect that it will make your eLearning course, or at least parts of it, highly accessible. Students can participate in the learning program even while they are on the go.
- It does not take too much time to engage students. Twitter is meant to be a short and fast interactive tool. That means engaging your students will be easier because they know that it will only take a short time to complete.
- It is an easy way to build a community. Thank god for hashtags! You simply have to ask your students to put a hashtag in every entry so it can easily be traced. When you search the hashtag, you can see the community of messages.
- It is cost efficient. Lastly, this does not have to cost you anything. You simply have to create a specific account that will allow your students to identify your course-related account from the rest.
While these benefits will make your eLearning efforts effective, you need to ensure that you are using it for the right course. For instance, anything that requires knowledge of current events can use this tool. After all, updates on Twitter is quite fast.
Here are some tips to use Twitter effectively.
- Make sure you know Twitter. First of all, familiarize yourself with the tool. You cannot use it in your course if you do not know how to use it properly.
- Choose a specific username. This will help your students identify the account properly. Try not to include your name in the account. The course name may be more applicable.
- Let your students know that you are using Twitter. Make it a part of the introduction. In the rare event that some of them do not know how to use it, there are tutorials about how to use it.
- Set the rules. It is important to define the rules so your students will not be lost in the many updates that usually happen on Twitter. Identify the specific portions of the course that will utilize it. Will it be for practical activities, interaction, or research?
Using Twitter is a refreshing way to engage your students and keep their interest in the eLearning course. Try it to see how you can incorporate it to work in your favor.
Image courtesy of Twitter.com