Let’s face it, if you’ve got a Twitter account, then you probably check it more than your school Blackboard account. I actually find it a very convenient way to get my news, as well as distribute timely reports on psychology and the cognitive and brain sciences to my colleagues and students.
If you don’t have a Twitter account, it’s free and it’s easy for both your home computer (Mac and PC, the latter if you must), as well as your mobile phone. A little unsure, here is a guide for set-up.
You can also follow the announcements of me, your professor, on Twitter by searching for “meyourprofessor” or at this web address. (There are plenty of Twitter-related programs out there; personally I have used Twitterrific on my Mac, though I now mostly use the official Twitter app on my phone, all of which are free.)
Once you’re following @meyourprofessor, please post an update like:
@meyourprofessor Got my twitter account. now i’m as cool as everyone else #KU #PSYC210
@meyourprofessor Already had a Twitter account. Already cooler than everyone else #KU #PSYC210
@meyourprofessor Hey DrRamey, got my twitter. Let’s go Hawks! #KU #PSYC210
@meyourprofessor Twitter account is ready to go. Can’t wait for the Fall term stat tweets #KU #PSYC210
Putting a “#” (a hashtag) in front of a word (without a space between) makes the term searchable. Because #KU has a hashtag, you can click on it and find all the recent tweets that mention the University of Kansas. Always start your course-related tweets with @meyourprofessor and I will do my best to give you a timely reply! Also, adding your course (e.g., #PSYC210) will allow all the students in that class to chime in and help with a potential question—perhaps before I even check my Twitter account.
Your task, then, is to say hello on Twitter, after having opened a free account. (If you need to, you can always set up a secondary Twitter account for the class, separate from one you already maintain, in order to keep your timeline clean or otherwise leave things private on your end. I take no offense.)
This assignment is due for all students by Friday January 20, 2012, at noon.
