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"I've previously highlighted a pedagogical framework for using Twitter in the classroom, as well as shared more practical advice for teaching with Twitter. Both of these posts came out of my early integration of Twitter in my classroom, way back in 2009. After taking a two-semester break from using Twitter in any of my courses, I'm back at it again this semester. Unlike previous semesters, when I had been using Twitter in an open-ended fashion, I have been much more focused this time around. Rather than trying to encourage the free-form dialogue I myself enjoy on Twitter, I've been giving my students very structured Twitter "assignments."

"Professors who wish to engage students during large lectures face an uphill battle. Not only is it a logistical impossibility for 200+ students to actively participate in a 90 minute lecture, but the downward sloping cone-shape of a lecture hall induces a one-to-many conversation. This problem is compounded by the recent budget cuts that have squeezed ever more students into each room. Fortunately, educators (including myself) have found that Twitter is an effective way to broaden participation in lecture. Additionally, the ubiquity of laptops and smartphones have made the integration of Twitter a virtually bureaucracy-free endeavor. This post describes the two main benefits professors find when using Twitter in lecture."

I do think that the author's conclusion about it being a great way to deal with growing class sizes due to budget cuts is simplistic and misses the point about it being a great way to engage students, period. Be sure to watch the video.

"Whether you're a new Twitter user or a seasoned pro, there are probably some things you should know. From the key terms to the hashtags to how long your tweets should be. In an effort to help share some of the best bits of wisdom we've learned over the years, this 1-page printable Twitter guide should help you and your followers / friends learn a bit more about how to use Twitter. It's short, sweet, and offers some useful tips, tricks, and lingo."

"In simple English, you can no longer subscribe to any of the Twitter streams - be it search results, timelines of users, their favorites or even Twitter Lists - in your RSS Reader. That said, there is any easy workaround." "

"Some professors are using Twitter in innovative-and effective-ways that benefit students. Here are five unique ways Twitter is enhancing education:"

"Twitter is a tool that can enable ad hoc conversations and interactions among your students, in ways that you can track and foster. Your students may not all be familiar with Twitter, but its simplicity and availability, much like text messages on a phone, has a broad appeal."

An overview of Twitter and ways of using it in education. A Twitter primer with reasons, stories and resources. 

"Dr. Rankin, professor of History at UT Dallas, wanted to know how to reach more students and involve more people in class discussions both in and out of the classroom. She had heard of Twitter... She collaborated with a graduate student, Kim Smith, from the Emerging Media and Communications (EMAC) and reached out to EMAC faculty for advice.  As a Graduate student in EMAC I assisted her in The Twitter Experiment and documented the project to share with others. "

"How to create an account:"

"Twitter is an online social networking tool in which users post 140 character updates of what is going on in their lives along with links to things they think are interesting, funny, or useful to their followers ("following" being essentially what "friending" is on other sites). People use twitter in many ways, some as a newsfeed by following prominent people or networks, some as a pseudo-chatroom by limiting their followers and whom they follow to close friends and family, and some as a microblog for updating people about the work they are doing and their personal lives."

"I am hoping to create a directory, listed by school division (or other organization), of Saskatchewan educators on Twitter. If you are a Saskatchewan educator, please help by listing yourself, colleagues, or others that you know that are on Twitter."

Scroll to near the bottom for lists from the University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina and pre-service teachers.

Good information on using Google Reader to stay on top of Twitter. You can also use it to follow individuals (he uses it to follow particular hashtags).

"Once students started Twittering I think they developed a sense of each other as people beyond the classroom space, rather than just students they saw twice a week for an hour and a half" "Dr. Parry declared that "it was the single thing that changed the classroom dynamics more than anything I've ever done teaching."

"A self teaching tutorial on twitter. I tried to bring out the essence of educational micro-blogging."

"Twitter is what you make of it, and its flexibility is one of its greatest strengths. I'm going to explain why I have found it useful, professionally and personally, and lay out some guidelines for academics who don't know where to start."

"Think Twitter is just a waste of time? Think again. Its organizational structure makes it an effective tool for connecting with students and others online" While this article is aimed at K-12, it also applies to higher ed.

"Spam - it's annoying, it's potentially dangerous and it's everywhere. Lately, there's been a surge of it on Twitter, clogging up direct message inboxes and feeds. Receiving spam is bad enough, but when you're the one doling it out, it feels even worse. It can cause you to lose followers, infect your friends' accounts or computers and put your own account in danger."

"A five-part guide to using Twitter as an academic"

10 quick ideas for how to use Twitter in your teaching.

"It all started when a student approached Professor John Boyer after class one day and, inspired by a documentary they viewed about Southeast Asia, suggested the class talk to Aung San Suu Kyi. Boyer's knee-jerk response was skepticism; why on earth would a prominent world figure talk to a class of college students across the world? But with the help of other students in the class, they put together a video pitch, and it gained enough traction on social media to make the seemingly impossible happen: Boyer's students got their interview."