Draft Progress Report for the Action Research Plan

What effect, if any, does the use of Twitter have on student understanding through use of real-world, real-time application of content-area concepts?

The importance of the use of educational technology is becoming more of a given. Now the question turns to “How do we use educational technology to teach today’s students?” As stated by Marc Prensky in 2001, we have to teach the important “legacy” content such as reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as “future” content like ethics, sociology, and politics, to name a few. In Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Prensky writes, “As educators, we need to be thinking about how to teach both legacy and future content in the language of the digital natives.” By looking into the use of Twitter, we may be able to address both of these contents. Further, we can extend the use of technology across socio-economic lines.

With the reduction of budgets, the use of established, free media is ideal. My action research project will track the students’ use of Twitter, with assigned lists and response requirements to determine the effectiveness of following real-world issues, playing out in real-time. Will the students’ ability to follow, comment and respond to other students comments further their understanding of concepts? Sub-categories will be “What type of classes are most conducive to Twitter?” and “How does the use of Twitter aid the shy or reticent student?”  This idea was presented both individually and as a professional development seminar during teacher in-service.

If we can show a correlation between an educational use of Twitter and student understanding, and the best use in different sorts of classes, i.e. math/science classes and liberal arts classes, we can create easy to use templates. These templates can then be presented during professional development to be used in the classroom.

Prensky, M. (2001). “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants”. In On the Horizon, October 2001, 9 (5). Lincoln: NCB University Press. Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky - Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants - Part1.pdf