Let your students journey into the foreign language and its culture 140 characters at a time! Twitter provides the platform for authentic language and, when applied in and/or outside of the classroom, target language use becomes self-perpetuating and generative. Introduce Twitter to your classroom so students can interpret input, produce output and engage in conversations. Microblogging on Twitter helps motivate language learners to communicate more frequently in the language because this social networking tool is always on, always connected—accessible via web, text, mobile applications, and more. Join the microblogging expedition (create your own account on http://twitter.com) and explore the creation of a language learning community with your students and native speakers.

2. Getting to Twitter Town

3. Twitter Town’s Sheriff Professor of Italian at Montclair State iVenus – Apr 2007 profeac – Jan 2008 profenza – Jan 2009 Students have used Twitter in ITAL103 (Intermediate) Grammar & Composition (Advanced) Cultural Studies (in English)

4. The Laws of the Land Text-based posts only 140 character message size constraint Community members include “friends” (people you choose to follow) and “followers” (people who follow you) Public or private participation allowed

5. The Lay of the Land The last thing you micro-blogged: a.k.a. a tweet Where you update/ tweet The Town Square = the Timeline Town water cooler = Popular topics

6. Twitter Town Passports

7. Digital Natives in Twitter Town What benefits will students and/or teachers perceive with this type of social network? What disadvantages? Raise your hand Or chat

8. Twitter Town & You Tweets are a source of information; people in certain places, at certain events, sharing at a global level How is this applicable to the foreign language classroom? What would you communicate to your students in 140 characters or less? Use the hashtag - #larc09

9. #Hashtag Create groupings by adding context and metadata

10. @Replies a.k.a. Mentions The @Replies feature was introduced because we noticed lots of folks putting the @ symbol in front of Twitter usernames as a way of addressing one another. For example: @biz what are you drinking in your avatar? (It's a soy latte.) @username also now in the middle of tweets as a way to simply reference another account

11. The Retweet (RT / via …) Sharing and crediting sources

12. The Power of the Retweet

13. Benefits to Twitterers They can: be engaged in either synchronous or asynchronous modes of communication (always on, always connected) interact with individuals or community members in the L2 participate in the virtual classroom and in the L2 culture

14. Not just a place to visit Twitterers can: micro-blog about what they are doing (learner written output) read what others are doing (learner’s comprehensible input) communicate directly with someone they are following (negotiation of meaning)

15. Twitter Town Tips Create a Twitter handle for academic use only Use class time to have students create their handle, follow classmates and tweet for the first time Prompt them initially to have them feel comfortable with tweeting Develop your best practices for course objectives

16. Educational Things To Do Follow a Professional Follow a Famous Person Grammar Rule Based Writing Maximizing the Teaching Moment Public Note Pad Writing Assignment Class chatter Classroom community Get a Sense of the World Track a Word Track a Conference Instant Feedback Source: AcademHack www.outsidethetext.com/home/2008/twitter-for-academia/

18. technology-related matters, (e.g., how do I tweet from my cell? how do I personalize my Twitter homepage like you did?) Studentstweeted rather than e-mailed the instructor with questions

19. Students’ Reflections Twitter can transform social networking to educational networking. Twitter helped reduce affective filters. Learners stated that twittering had them asking for more information and allowed them to clarify using the L2.

20. Twitter Town & You What would you communicate to your students in 140 characters or less? What prompts would you use? Use the hashtag - #larc09

21. Tourist Attractions There are many different applications that can enhance your visit to Twitter Town http://twitter.pbworks.com/Apps

22. Thanks For Visiting. Y’All Come Back Now Soon