Do Your Students Know How to Cite a Tweet?

A student recently asked me if they could cite a tweet in their research paper. Sure, I said, and led them to the BibMe site. Much to my surprise, none of the websites for MLA citation explained how to cite a tweet. Even EasyBib, which boasts over 59 options for citations, did not list tweet. Yes, it's like quoting someone, but "tweeting" is synonymous with Twitter, and so one needs to somehow mention that in the bibliography. The correct way to cite a tweet is as follows:

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL TWEET:
Huffington Post (real name)  @HuffingtonPost  (user name )
Graphic photo from hospital reveals horrific results of bullying  huff.to/Jq4RCR

The first thing you list is the author's real name, followed by the username in parentheses. If there is no real name, just use the user name. Next, add the full text of the tweet, (make sure you put quotation marks) followed by the date and time of the tweet, including the time zone. The last thing you add is the word Tweet.

HERE'S HOW THE CITED TWEET WOULD LOOK:
Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) "Graphic photo from hospital reveals horrific results of bullying  huff.to/Jq4RCR" 25 April 2012, 2:57 p.m. EST. Tweet.

28 Resources for Twitter

Thinking about using Twitter in the classroom? Not sure where to start? Summer vacation is a great time to catch up on your reading.....so.....here are 28 resources to help you learn how to use Twitter and how to teach with Twitter.

5 Free Ways to Never Miss a Twitter @Reply- from Mashable

5 Twitter Newbie Mistakes to Avoid

7 Levels of Twitter Followers

8 Videos to Help Teachers Get Started with Twitter- written by David Wees

9 Twitter Directories You Should Be Listed On

10 Awesome Ways to Integrate Twitter with Your Website

10 Ways to Archive Your Tweets

25 Important Twitter Guides and Apps for Teachers- excellent listing!

100 Ways to Teach With Twitter

The Beginner's Guide to Twitter- written by Michael Hyatt, this is a "20 minute guide to Twitter for non-techies."

Building a Personal Learning Network (PLN) on Twitter

Nine Reasons to Twitter in Schools

Mastering Twitter in 10 Minutes...or Less- download here

A Teacher's Guide to Twitter-written by former science teacher Kate Klingensmith

Seven Ways to Find Teachers on Twitter-learn about new resources and exchange ideas about teaching

Ten Top Twitter Tips

Ten Twitter Mythconceptions

TweetDeck- manages tweets

TweetDeck Support

Twibes- group of Twitter users with the same interest in a particular topic

Twishort- write more than 140 characters on Twitter

Twitter as an Interactive Newspaper for Teachers

Twitter4teachers Wiki-connect with teachers in your subject area

Twitter Chat Tools- list of 5

Twitter Etiquette: Five Dos and Don'ts

Twitter Handbook for Teachers- written by Tomaz Lasic

TwitterU- wikispace which lists some Twitter hashtags

Using Twitter in the Classroom- written by Michael Zimmer, whose blog is The Pursuit of Technology Integration Happiness.