Many of my fellow educators there seemed to appreciate the presentation and concept. Some asked for a handout so they could try it in their fall courses. I didn't have any – shame on me! But I promised to share more via the conference listserve. Well, today I can finally make good on my promise. And thanks to my friends at Poynter.org, there's hope that many more journalism instructors will have their students live tweeting this next semester.
Yesterday, the website published my article, "How Journalism Educators Can Teach Students to Live Tweet Campus Events," in its How Tos>Journalism Education section. Expertly edited by Mallary Tenore, it stresses four points: First and foremost, focus on the fundamentals; use class time to show students how it's done; make the first experience worthwhile and set goals moving forward, and continue encouraging your students.
The article is getting a great response; more than my prior Poynter.org submissions: "Flash: Educator and Students Disagree," "Some Journalism Among the Madness" and "Digital Divide in Mobile News Interest." Interestingly, when Tenore first tweeted that the article was published, she asked for feedback, something I need to do better when I post things on Twitter. Indeed, among the replies was this advice from the editorial staff @TheSkannerNews: Prepare material in advance-don't just wing it; know your hashtags!; be ready to #FF your fellow livetweeters."
My article is likely as long as Poynter.org could likely stand it. There's so much more me and others could offer about educators and students aiming to live tweeting campus events. Please visit my related blog – www.herblowe.com/live-tweeting.html – to see additional posts about the concept and my students' success. Don't hestitate to contact me if you have any questions. I know you and your students will enjoy the experience.
@mallarytenore @HerbertLowe Create an original hashtag for the event and update often. When I live tweet, I never put my phone down.
— Erin Spandorf (@ErinSpandorf) July 24, 2012
@Poynter @HerbertLowe Tell them it's okay to throw in something fun. We got good response to this @ student gov debate: bit.ly/Ml61zc
— Meghan Frick (@meghan_frick) July 24, 2012
Go, Herb! RT@Poynter: @herbertlowe explains how journalism educators can teach students to live-tweet bit.ly/SSlQRF #ASNEmo”
— Chris Juzwik (@juz44) July 24, 2012
Gr8 tips! RT @poynter: @herbertlowe explains how #journalism educators can teach students to #live-tweet campus events bit.ly/SSlQRF
— Janet Cho (@janetcho) July 24, 2012