Twitter Invading Education Systems

Twitter is one most popular forms of microblogging, and it is now making its way onto the education system. Students engage in both formal and informal learning, where informal learning is the course-related exercises which occur outside of the classroom. Twitter falls into the category of informal learning. Within education Tweets are known as 'time-shifted learning' and consist of 'concise and focus on key questions'.

Recent research indicates that students are demanding that teachers use social networking platforms, where it is expected that faculty members communicate with their students via instant message. Responding to the challenge, higher education departments have started to experiment with Twitter. The hope is that students embrace this opportunity and interact with teachers and students more than they have been. Even though Facebook is the most popular social networking platform, (in America) educators have been more in favour of adopting Twitter into their course work.

Some of the ways in which Twitter is been used is to start class discussion, as an instant feedback mechanism, and Twitter enables students to critically reflect on their work, which enhances understanding. Twitter is also used to send information from one student to another.

Experiments have also been conducted on students utilising Twitter. One of which was the value of Twitter to student teachers during their placement. Results showed that Tweets that were considered supportive to the group and/or individual were highly valued. Tweets such as these helped the participants through the difficult times that they were facing, such as the feeling of isolation. Furthermore, results showed that students used the questions (what, why and how) in reflection exercises. During reflection time, solutions were found to help student teachers get through to their students.

Student teachers aren't the only ones incorporating social networking platforms into their education. Students who are partaking in distance education have also adopted the technique. It enables all distance education students within a unit to create a community, and a sense of belonging to that community. Another positive of social networking in education is it fills in the gaps that the university sites (BlackBoard) have. Moreover, teachers can post questions, and students can answer instantaneously, with the added benefit that students log onto social networking sites for several hours a day.

Another astonishing result found is that integrating social networking platforms into the course work has a positive effect on student’s grades. Further, that academic ability is not impaired with the use of social networking. Furthermore, evidence shows that students who organise study sessions over social networking platforms are more likely to attend, and have a higher attendance rates than other study groups, which also continues throughout the course of the semester.

As can be seen, social networking platforms as an educational tool may not be as bad as some people think. With the two examples above, it has enhanced the way in which students learn, and interact with one another.

References:
Aspden E.J., & Thorpe L.P. 2009 'Where Do You Learn? Tweeting to Inform Learning Space Development'. Educause Qaurterly vol. 32, no.1, viewed 17th April 2012
<http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+QaurterlyMagazineVolum/WhereDoYouLearnTweetingtoInFor/163852>

Junco, R., Heibergert G., & Loken E. 2011. 'The Effect of Twitter on College Student Engegement and Grades'. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning vol. 27, p.119-132. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Kassens-Noor E. 2012 'Twitter As A Teaching Practice To Enhance Active and Informal Learning in Higher Education: The Case of Sustainable Tweets'. Active Learning in Higher Education vol. 13, no.9, viewed 17th April 2012
<http://alh.sagepub.com/content/13/1/9>

Lester, J, & Perini, M 2010, 'Potential of Social Networking Sites for Distance Education Student Engagement', New Directions For Community Colleges, vol. 150, p. 67-77, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 April 2012.

Wright N. 2010 'Twittering in Teacher Education: Reflecting on Practicum Experiences'. Open Learning, vol. 25, no.3, p.259-265. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.