This article shows that the use of Twitter (a Web 2.0, microblogging tool) encourages free-flowing, just-in-time interactions and the way in which these interactions can boost social presence in online course. Furthermore, it provides instructional benefits of Twitter and guidelines for incorporating Twitter.
Social presence and Twitter
Compared with LMS;
1. Scheduled based
2. a moment to login in to LMS leading to lost opportunities
3. Loose informal
1. Free-flowing, before or after class
2. Immediately, just-in-time banter, chit chat, freely accessble
3. Informal
The main intention of people’s participation into Twitter
- daily chatter
- conversations
- sharing resources/URLs
- reporting news
How do users contribute to Twitter?
Through Twitter website, mobile phone, email, instant messaging
→ making Twitter a powerful, convenient, community-controlled micro-sharing environment(Drapeau, 2009) for both professional and social networking(Drapeau, 2009)
Twitter in Action
How to use Twitter in the “classroom”?(Parry, 2008a)
In 2008, Twitter was incorporated into online instructional design and technology courses (of this article)
- students were joined Twitter adventure voluntarily
- instructional potential was tested with students
1. A student got subsequent posts including comments from practicing professionals (about multimodal learning)
2. A student could arrange a time to consult with a twit outside regarding a difficult situation with a team member.
3. Students posted their comments on Twitter while watching a political debate, etc.
Results; Twitter provided a tool with which students enabled just-in-time communication with the local and global community leading to sharing, collaboration, brain-storming, problem solving, and creating. That is from persistent presence of social interactions naturally and immediately.
Other instructional benefits of Twitter
1. addressing student issues in a timely manner
2. writing concisely
3. writing for an audience
4. connecting with a professional community of practice
5. supporting informal learning
6. maintaining on-going relationship
7. possible drawbacks of Twitter; time consuming, addictive, etc.
Guidelines for using Twittter with students
1. Establish relevance for students
2. Define clear expectations for participation
3. Model effective Twitter use
4. Build Twitter-derived results into assessment
5. Continue to actively participate in Twitter
Conclusion
The online course using Twitter gave students a great chance, ”real” way in enhancing social-presence with the synchronous just-in-time nature.
As well, with using Twitter, the faculty of online course could get a few more benefits of cognitive presence and teaching presence.
In sum, Twitter is a powerful tool in building informal, free-flowing, just-in-time communication between students and faulty.
http://www.patricklowenthal.com/publications/Using_Twitter_to_Enhance_Social_Presence.pdf
Again, another good one for a basic idea of using Twitter for educational purposes. Again, though, I have to ask how this helps in our research? Our context is completely different (more like the French SMS example).
답글삭제Are you interested in the social presence aspect?