Tweets in French earn USC professor knighthood

[July 08, 2011]  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- A University of South Carolina professor who encourages her students to use Twitter in French class will be getting honorary knighthood from the French government.

University spokeswoman Peggy Binette (Bin-net) says associate professor Lara Anderson has been awarded the Order of Academic Palms for advancing the French language.

The honor was established by Napoleon Bonaparte. Binette says the award and medallion will be presented by the French consul this fall.

Anderson is the author of a book about using social networking and online study to advance foreign language instruction and has promoted new technologies for foreign language teaching techniques.

Anderson says the use of Twitter in the classroom allows students to develop conversation skills and build a sense of communal language learning in and out of the classroom.

[Associated Press]

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