Technology Training Community

Mark Greenfield, a guru of social networking from the University of Buffalo, tweeted about a post at insidehighered.com, and I found it really a good read and discussion (be sure to read the comments). It's about . . . Tweeting in Class!

In my Topics for Teaching sessions dealing with web 2.0 technologies, I always make the point (based on my own belief) that the use of Twitter or similar clients can be an asset in providing students, and the instructor, with additional information about the pace, content or applicability of the content being delivered in the class. This post looks at the same type of question, so I feel a bit vindicated in my stance.

While I think that Twitter has a place, it doesn't always fit in every curriculum area. In my scope of thought, I can't see it in math. What's to tweet about when it comes to derivatives? Some science areas may fall in that category too. But coming from an education background - bring it! I would love to have a back channel going in an education class, because that's what education is about - communication, listening and adapting.

The response from the person at the War College is a good one. It points up one of the potential problems with not just Twitter, but all social networking tools. I have made this point as well. It's too easy to use these tools as a means of evading face to face discussion. Yes, I said avoiding.

While there is convenience in using them, we are gradually pulling ourselves back into the silos that we decry when it comes to information. We want the information to be open, free and available, but not ourselves. We IM each other from across the hall! As the commenter points out, true teamwork is built on interaction at a personal level. When that "personal" level becomes a series of tweets, blog posts or emails, there is no interaction. As someone with an arts background, I can tell you with confidence that facial expressions and body language are just as important communicators as anything else.

But sometimes, that personal interaction isn't possible, or feasible. Hence the electronic back channel.

We need to realize that not every solution has a problem, and that not every problem needs an IT, web 2.0 or electronic solution. Once we do that, we can make better judgments about how, when and where to use tools like twitter to expand and enrich the educational environment.