Twitter has caught fire across many professional fields as well as personally, but it seems to be in the beginning stages in the realm of higher education. The creative ways Twitter users have incorporated microblogging has become inspirational, so the recent trend of using Twitter at college is sure to keep evolving into an ever more impressive tool. Make sure you don’t get left behind by incorporating some of these educational and fun ways that Twitter can be used in the college classroom. In the subject of “Communication,” Twitter offers new and exciting ways to open up the lines of communication in the classroom. Find out some of the ways it can work with this list:

·         Direct Tweet. Professors and students can contact each other through direct Tweets without having to share cell phone numbers.

·         Get to know your classmates. A class Twitter group will help facilitate professors and students getting to know each other, especially if the class is part of a more intimate setting such as a seminar.

·         Collaborate on projects. When working together on projects, set up a group using an app like Tweetworks to facilitate communication between everyone working together.

·         Make announcements. Professors can send out reminders about upcoming tests, project due dates, or any news that needs to be shared via Twitter.

·         Brainstorm. The ability to share ideas as the occur any time and any where creates an excellent opportunity for brainstorming on class topics.

·         Take a poll. Ask student their opinions or get feedback on future projects or topics by using an app like PollDaddy.

·         Share interesting websites. Both professors and students can post interesting websites that are relevant to their class.

·         Daily learning. Twitter feeds happen much more frequently than the two or three times a day a student is in class, therefore using Twitter in the classroom means there is a daily opportunity for learning.

·         Ambient awareness. This blog post on TwiTip offers an excellent description of ambient awareness and how it facilitates getting to know those you follow in more meaningful ways.

Find people in academia to follow. If you need help finding professors, students, or other people associated with your field of interest, check out this list:

·         Twitter Professors: 18 People to Follow for a Real Time Education. Mashable’s Lon S. Cohen lists 18 professors you should follow and why.

·         Twitter Grader. This tool will grade your Twitter presence, but it also provides a listing of the Twitter elite in your area, providing an excellent opportunity to find people to follow.

·         Follow Fridays. This popular activity of recommending others to follow provides you an excellent opportunity to find professors, among others.

·         Tweetizen. Use this tool to find groups of others on Twitter with your same interests or start your own group.

·         TwitterLocal. Find local Twitter users based on whichever geographic location you supply. This tool is used in conjunction with Adobe AIR.

·         WeFollow. Add yourself and find others in this user-powered Twitter directory where you can search by hashtags.

·         Twubble. This tool searches your friend graph and selects others you may be interested in following. This is a great way to discover others associated with your school.

·         Colleges & Universities Directory. From Just Tweet It, this directory will connect you with others in academia–both professors and students.

·         Professors :: Twellow. Professors on Twitter can add themselves to this directory. Find out if there is anyone from your school listed here.

Get many other ideas here for using Twitter. –OnlineColleges.net

Thanks and gratitude to Luke H. Mortensen, PhD, FAHA, Assistant Dean, Faculty Development &  Professor of Physiology-Pharmacology @ DMU in Des Moines, IA