Blog about Twitter

Twitter is a text message style technology that happens in real time on the web. Each post has a limited amount of characters that can be posted per Tweet. I will take a little time to compare Twitter to a forum-style school technology called Blackboard and in-class discussions. The discussions in each of these formats are handled differently but it all leads to communication. Each format has its pros and cons.

When it comes to Twitter, the 140 character limit is hindrance for some people, myself included. It is difficult for some people to express their thoughts fully with such a small limit of characters. It helps you build on a skill called brevity. I know I need to work on that. There are times when long answers are needed but in many cases brevity is the way to go. Twitter also is open to everyone not just a select few like in a forum setting or an in-class discussion. It is a fast paced environment that has no boundaries for the most part. You can also follow anyone on Twitter (approval needed at times) and they could follow you in return. There are concerns about how difficult it is to follow posts if people don’t add the hash tags that are required to group comments about a subject or school topics. The backtracking can be a brutal process at times. Twitter is useful to some but not all. I’m still on the fence with it but I may turn the corner and get just as involved as millions of other people who live by this format. I’m not a shy person but some people are. I see how this can benefit people who are not comfortable speaking in public because a post is a little easier for some people to write rather than having the anxiety of getting a probable negative reaction from your classmates in person or in a forum style like Blackboard. It’s more personal in those other styles because it is a limited group of people rather than hundreds or even millions of people on Twitter.

 

Looking at Blackboard, the threads (discussions) happen amongst a group of students that are taking a specific class. The speed of the discussions in Blackboard don’t happen as fast as they do on Twitter. You say your piece and then you wait for the other students or your teacher to answer. It is a closed environment as opposed to the open environment like Twitter. I like this aspect because it makes it more intimate. You are not just a small cog in an enormous wheel that is called Twitter. This is also a little easier for people who don’t want to speak in person. You can review other student’s viewpoints and it may help you see things from a different perspective. You also have time to think about what you want to say. You don’t have the same amount of time I think it is an effective tool for people who are strapped for time. If you have a demanding job that can prevent you from making it to class on time or if you are traveling for work/leisure, this can be an effective way to get an education. This is like the middle of the road when compared to Twitter or in-class discussions. The only concerns I run into are the speed of this system and that you can’t access it on your smart phone. Blackboard has outages and it is just plain slow. There needs to be a number of improvements made to this system because it will most likely get phased out. It seems to be an old piece of software. It works well but to an extent. Speed is definitely one of the negatives.

 

In class discussion is the last one I will talk about. I feel in-class discussion are the most important discussions that a student can have. This is what is going to prepare you for the real world. There is no hiding behind a computer, phone, tablet or whatever you’re using to access Twitter or Blackboard. It is extremely important to build your communication skills because that is one of the most used skills in almost any job. In-class discussions are great because you can actually see people’s reactions and body language. It also helps the teacher get a better picture of who you are rather going by what they see online. What you post may be misconstrued because they don’t see the body language that comes with your discussion. These are skills that we are losing as a nation because we rely on technology so much. You don’t have to worry about battery life with an in-class discussion. There are some negatives, like the conversations being dominated by a select few in the class. Shy people will stay silent for the most part and not participate in any of the discussions. There is also the issue of absenteeism in classes. Students will miss class, which will take diminish the participation aspect. It can also go in the opposite direction where there is too much participation and it becomes difficult to hear or keep track of what is going on. Again, I feel this is the best form of discussions there is.