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  • Twitter and the learning technology stream

    By Joshua Kim November 15, 2009 9:51 pm EST

    Twitter is changing how I keep up with the educational technology world. I'm moving from relying on an RSS reader (I use Google Reader) to relying on Twitter subscriptions and hashtags. For the first time I'm wondering if Google should be worried about their core business model, as if my experience is any guide on how we use the Web to understand the world, may be moving away from search and more towards microblogging Twitter clients (I use Twhirl by Seesmic).

    At EDUCAUSE 09 Twitter was much debated (go watch the fabulous Campbell/Maas point/counterpoint) and extravagantly utilized for sharing and communication (see the #EDUCAUSE09 transcript). I'm pretty certain that Course Management Systems will start to build in Twitter capabilities and that hashtags will automatically be generated for each course. Tweeting will become a standard way for students and instructors to share information, thoughts and links around the course material. Many instructors will become comfortable incorporating and leveraging a Twitter-enabled backchannel to both in-class and out-of-class communication.

    Scanning the educational technology news stream via a Twitter client vs. relying on an RSS reader means that I look at content that has been recommended by a person. The learning technology community is small enough that I can pretty quickly begin to filter by reputation. If one person consistently links to material that I find useful and interesting then I'm more likely to click on her links. Rather then going to particular blogs, or presentations, or videos, or articles based on the title or site (as I do with an RSS reader), I go because of a colleague's recommendation.

    This is a big change, and I'm still getting my head around this shift. My apologies for all those folks like Clay Shriky (and perhaps) you who understood (and blogged about) the implications of microblogging and social media a long time ago. I feel like I'm sort of coming late to this bandwagon. My conversion to information gathering by Twitter client has me wondering about the need to explore this method in course design, faculty training, and student information literacy. I want to learn more about this (so I'm nominating Shirky to keynote EDUCAUSE 2010!).

    The hashtags I follow on Twitter include: #highered, #edtech, #educause, #educause09, #blackboard, #onlinelearning, #audible, #moodle. Am I missing some crucial edtech hashtags?

    Among the key learning technology news sources I follow on Twitter are: IHEtech, InsideHigherEd, wiredcampus, iheinsider, educause, and educauseELI. Are there other publications, reporters or organizations that I should be following?

    The ed. tech companies that I follow on Twitter include: audible_com, Blackboard, TechSmith, TechSmithEDU, pearsonls, Microsoft_EDU, and Moodlerooms. Which ed. tech. companies do you follow on Twitter?

    Finally I follow about 50 people in the learning technology community. Mostly folks that I've met through reading their blogs or blog comments, at conferences or through their publications. I'm sure I'm missing many key voices, would like to hear how you build your ed. tech. Twitter lists.

    Is Twitter changing how you keep up with our field? Do you think that there is a larger story here about how we find, consume and share information?

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Comments on Twitter and the learning technology stream

  • New and Shiny Syndrome
  • Posted by Dr. Pepper , Academic-in-training on November 16, 2009 at 12:45pm EST

  • I've categorized this as the new and shiny syndrome. I'm sorry, but twitter wasn't built for this. I'm not saying that it can't be used for what you want to use it for (obviously other people already do), but while twitter aids in discoverability of some new info that you don't know about before hand, it's just a sea of information.

    Reader gives you the ability to share articles with your contacts, you can see articles that you contacts have shared, and it allows you to go back to the articles that you want to read. I don't want to wrestle with my technology, I just want info to be there. Twitter for me represents a social purpose - social, not professional. I have no interest in following 1000+ people, and I have no interest in having thousands of tweets per day in my stream. That's just distracting.

    There are better uses for twitter, this ain't one of them (at least for general consumption).

    I hate to sound like a grouchy old professor because I am not, but this makes me raise my metaphorical cane, wave it in the air and say "those darn kids!"

  • response to New and Shiny Syndrome
  • Posted by Joshua Kim at Dartmouth College on November 16, 2009 at 1:30pm EST

  • Dr. Pepper...you always write great comments...and write them in a way that invites engagement. The mark of a good teacher.

    I do love the "new and shiny" - but I'm a late comer to Twitter.

    Think of it this way. Twitter allows you to follow people in your discipline. The move is from following topics (or particular blogs or subjects) to following what blogs, articles, links that people think are important.

    People become your filter.

    Using this system means you don't need to worry about "missing" something worthwhile as good stuff will be "tweeted" by a number of people.

    Anyone who does not give good links or commentary over time can easily be "un-followed". The network can be built and pruned.

    I'm not saying this is better. It is too early in the game to understand that yet. But I'm seeing the inkling in my own behavior of something different - at least different for me.

    So where can I follow you on the Web?

    Josh

  • Posted by coffee guy on November 16, 2009 at 1:30pm EST

  • I read about using Twitter and other social sites regularly, and one large part of me wants to be able to incorporate Twitter and similar social media into my classes. However, soon, reality sets in. If faculty like myself have 100+ students that we are responsible for, and we are trying to answer twitter calls, emails, facebook questions, and whatever else is out there, we'll never get the basic work of our teaching done. I love the idea of social media, but not the reality of what it makes me do. I also really wonder about what it is that we are telling students when we in a sense say to them that we are always availabale. Students need to take the responsiblility of getting the information in class.

    I realize I have not directly addressed the issue that you raise (RSS feeds and all that). In the type of situation that you are describing, Twitter may well make sense. In a number of classroom situations, I am not sure that it makes sense.

  • Here to Help
  • Posted by Jen on November 16, 2009 at 5:15pm EST

  • There are many generous, compassionate, open educators using Twitter for professional development and student support. There are also tools to help you filter and customize your experience so you can make it personal and meaningful. I would be happy to help connect you with people and learning resources. My account is currently protected, but I follow back anyone who isn't a spammer. @injenuity

  • Posted by Dr. Pepper , Academic-in-training on November 17, 2009 at 9:15am EST

  • I'd actually like to hear more of this integration that Donald Doane speaks of (and see it in action!) I am actually intrigued!

    Reading over my grouchy old prof post, it seems like I don't use twitter for discovery of new content. I should step back and say that I do subscribe to some fellow Instructional Designers and Learning Technologists, as we as some foreign technology pundits, however I don't rely on it as my sole means of news. I do use google reader as my main information point, and twitter as a "hey, that's cool! I never would have guessed..." type of thing.

    I used to subscribe to many twitter people at one point for new info discovery, but it really got to be too much, so much so that I could not follow the few updates of people close to me (and having 2 accounts doesn't really appeal to me :) )

    I guess in the end it's all about personal workflow and personal tolerances to perceived information overload.

  • More Information...
  • Posted by Donald Doane , CEO at ConnectYard, Inc. on November 18, 2009 at 12:00pm EST

  • Dr. Pepper you can find more information at www.connectyard.com where we offer a free trial.

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