The first thing you need to do is create a class twitter account. Twitter is free and you can join by clicking here. You will need one twitter account per class. All students can log in to the one account and tweet from it.
When setting up your class twitter account remember to set it to PUBLIC. If your account is set to PRIVATE, no one will be able to see your profile or tweets.
To access twitter on your laptop you will need to go to the twitter website. To access twitter on a iPad you will need to download the twitter app from the app store.
It's always a good idea to come up with a cool class twitter name. Something that will make your class easily recognisable.
Next you need to fill out your class profile. Your profile needs to have a photo, information about your class, your teacher's name. This information lets the other classes know who you are and helps them to connect with you.
Having your profile filled out is important and classes who do not complete this step will not be allowed to take part in Chapter Chat.
The next step is to teach your class how to use twitter. Make sure they know all about sending a tweet, timelines, replies, likes and retweets. It's always a good idea to model this and get the kids to practice prior to their first chat. We never use HASHTAGS during the chat as they can attract spammers.
Before taking part in the twitter chat make sure all your laptops and iPads are logged in to your class twitter account. The chat can be busy and the last thing you need is to waste time on devices that are not set up correctly.
Tweetdeck is an awesome app/website to use on your laptop when taking part in Chapter Chat. It allows you to put all your tweets into columns. On my Tweetdeck I have a column for classes I'm following (Home), a column for @KKPSBookChatNZ, a column for my class @KKPSZone31 and a column for notifications. To set up a column go to Tweetdeck and hit the + symbol on the sidebar.
You can download the Tweetdeck app by going to the App Store on your laptop or login directly by going to the Tweetdeck website.
PRIOR TO THE CHAT
Read the weekly chapters try and complete the weekly questions. The Reading schedule for each book can be found on the KKPS Book Chat Blog and the questions are posted every Sunday night.
Tasks are set as a guide. You do not have to complete them and you are free to make up your own. Tasks are found on the book page.
If you have completed a task and you want to share it with everyone you can at any time. When you share your task make sure you tag @KKPSBookChatNZ in your tweet. That way we will definitely see it.
Before the chat it is a good idea to go over the questions. Have your answers ready to share or comment on someone else's tweet.
KKPS Book Chat is about books but it is also about learning to write good sentences. Before taking part in the chat please go over 'What makes a quality tweet poster'. Tweets with GIF's and silly pictures are not acceptable. Classes who consistently tweet silly things will be blocked from the chat.
Cyber safety is extremely important part of KKPS Book Chat. Prior to the chat please talk to your class about acceptable behaviour on-line.
WHEN IS THE CHAT
The twitter chat is open all week for you to share your activities. When you are ready to share your answers tweet them.
When you put your answer on @KKPSBookChatNZ it needs to follow the format below and include your name.
If the question was, 1. Name the gems on the Belt of Deltora.
Your answer on Book Chat would be, A1 The gems on the Belt of Deltora were topaz, amethyst, diamond, emerald, lapis-lazuli, ruby, and the opal. [Jill]
You can participate as an individual, a group or whole class.
If you are participating in a group or whole class it is a good idea to put Tweetdeck up on your big screen in class so everyone can see the different columns. This allows kids to easily see the questions.
During the chat kids can LIKE tweets that they think are great. RETWEETING tweets is not allowed as it makes it hard to know which tweets are new and it also clogs up the timeline.
AFTER THE CHAT
Go back over your class tweets and highlight great tweeting!
Check the KKPS Book Chat Blog to see which tasks have been chosen as examples of awesome work!
With so many tweets and tasks it is impossible to share them all on our blog. Only tweets and tasks that stand out and are completed to a high standard will be shared on the blog.
Looking forward to learning how to teach my tamariki how to 'tweet.' Who will be able to show me how this is done?
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