SCG 451

Doing Practitioner Research in Education &

Research Methods and Disciplinary Inquiry
Article Review Form
Articles title
Authors name
Reviewers name

Democratic Twittering: Microblogging for a More Participatory

Social Studies (Social Education)
Daniel G. Krutka
Andrew Rocca

Professional
Goals

Find a job teaching

in CPS at a high
school upon
graduation.

Further my
education within
the field of history
(either another
Masters or a Ph.D.
not sure yet) to be
able to teach the
content at the postsecondary level.

Review date

January 28, 2016

Why did you select

this article?

Paper evaluation
(Please mark a to
indicate your
selected grade)
1Poor
5Excellent

E-mail

andrew.rocca1@gmail.com

Current subscription to Social Education.

Want to incorporate technology in my class in an effective manner;

thought that this article would assist me with learning some new
technological strategies/methods.
Innovative (i.e., theory, practice, method and conclusion.)
5
4
3
2
1
Progressive (Whether it adheres or surpasses international and domestic
levels of quality.)
5
4
3
2
1
.

SCG 451

Logic and rational (Whether reasoning is precise and conclusion is

credible and meaningful.)
5
4
3
2
1

Format (Whether articles organization is appropriate, has a definitive

abstract, glossary is accurate and comprehensive, references and citations
meet format conventions, charts and pictures are clear.)
5
4
3
2
1

Language (Was accessible and compelling.)

5
4
3
2
1

Overall
recommendation

Highly Recommended for other education professionals to read and

consider.
Recommended for other educational professionals to read and consider,
but with some hesitation.
Not recommended for other educational professionals.
BE SURE TO FULLY EXPLAIN YOUR RATIOANLE BELOW IN AT
LEAST TWO TO THREE PARAGRAPHS.

Readers
comments
(Please attach any
additional
comments to this
form)

Daniel G. Krutkas, Democratic Twittering: Microblogging for a More

Participatory Social Studies, tackles the question of whether or not social
media platforms, specifically Twitter, can be used effectively within a
social science classroom setting. Krutka ultimately claims that Twitter can
be used effectively in an academic setting in three different ways: schoolwide communication, professional development amongst educators, and
as an activity platform for students to take advantage of. Krutka claims
that by properly utilizing social media/technology within a social science
arena, students can become more engaged with the subject matter.
While the article centered on the notion of implementing technology
within the social science classroom, the article itself is not overtly
progressive or innovative. In other words, while the article is dealing with
progressive and innovative trends within the world of education, the
author fails to provide anything groundbreaking. Thus, while the
content of the article deals with an important issue that involves new
teachers and their need for finding new and modern ways to engage their
students, the actual recommendations and suggestions provided by the

SCG 451

author are lacking in originality.

While the recommendations on how to effectively use Twitter in a social
science classroom may have been weak, I would recommend (with some
degree of hesitation) this article to colleagues within the field of education
based on the fact that it provides insight into an important issue, while
stimulating new and intriguing questions about the academic effectiveness
of technology/social media, in addition to probing whether or not it has a
place in the social science classroom. When considering that the National
Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has stated that students within the
field should be developing abilities and awareness to critically assess and
utilize technology in the classroom setting, the methods that are discussed
within the article are relevant to the current state of education in the USA.
Additionally, this article provides a solid connection to past instances
where Twitter has been effectively utilized in the classroom, providing
proof to the readers that the authors message is, to a degree, credible.
The formal organization of the article is done in a clear and concise
manner. There abstract is clearly formatted in the top portion of the article
and provides a clear objective for the remainder of the article. The
vocabulary and terminology used within the article is easy to understand,
in addition to being valid in its relation to the content of the article (i.e.
proper use of technological terms in the correct context). Lastly, the
sources that the author used were properly formatted and outlined at the
end of the article.
While I would recommend this article to my colleagues, it would be
important for them to note that this serves as more of an article to
springboard off of, rather than something to use as supporting evidence
for why Twitter is an effective tool in the social science classroom. I
would recommend that, in addition to this article, social science teachers
who want to utilize Twitter or other social media platforms within the
classroom continue to do some research and find other articles which may
provide additional support/counter arguments, and can provide teachers
with a better understanding of the pros and cons of a technology-filled
classroom.