(ThyBlackMan.com) The days of using social media sites as a platform for entertainment and communication alone are clearly over. Smart students everywhere have found different ways to integrate them into every facet of their lives. In fact, social media has become an indispensable tool in education. Around 10 years ago, Twitter was introduced with its 140-character word limit. Just last month, it was announced that photos, quote tweets, GIFs and videos are no longer counted as part of the 140 characters. Due to the fact that students have to visit other websites and engage in other things, Twitter ensures that users can get what they want without spending much time. Here are some ways by which Twitter can used as an educational tool both inside and outside the classroom.
Get resources for educational research
Carrying out researches is an essential part of college life. There are users on Twitter who have already discussed about a particular research topic or are presently exchanging views on it. During their interaction, resourceful links and videos will be shared as part of tweets. Most students use Twilert, a tool that send instant 
notification to your device when a specific research word is mentioned by any user.
Produce the summary of a lecture
After each lecture, students can encourage themselves to write a summary of what they were able to grasp. By doing so, they will be able to creatively condense the whole lecture in their own words, keeping in mind the word count limit. At least, students will have an idea as the topic won’t be unfamiliar when it is time for studying. Suggestions and questions for the next class may be included in their tweets.
Connect with influencers
Many top influencers from different fields have an active Twitter account. Questions on different topics or related to career choices can be directed at them using the mention feature. Even if they are unable to reply immediately, there is a possibility that other experts will come to your rescue.
Use it to share important information
Some students only check their emails once a day. Dates of quizzes, tests, trips and assignments can be shared on Twitter and these can be shared to other students in order for everyone to see it. Twitter and other social media sites make it convenient to get information concerning places to get high quality writing service like https://paperwritinghelp.net/. In addition, it can be used to make announcements about changes made to class schedule, location, syllabus or program.
Create and search for unique hashtags
Popular hashtags are used in social media to filter searches and keep up with emerging trends on various topics in education and in the world, at large. Students may create specific hashtags peculiar to their classes to encourage sharing of knowledge and interaction. Educational hashtags exist on Twitter, but if it’s difficult to know the specific ones that relate to your topic, just type the related words in the search box. Results that are similar to that topic will be displayed on the screen of your mobile device or laptop.
Collaborating with other classes and students is easier with hashtags.
Staff Writer; Jerry Edwards