Let ‘em tweet: Social Media in the Classroom

Giorgos CheliotisCommunications and New Media

BuzzEd 2011, NUSJan 4, 2011

http://www.cit.nus.edu.sg/buzzed-elearning-seminar/

Agenda

• Use of laptops in classroom• Appropriate technology• Introduction to NM4881A module• Tools used for module• Experience with using Twitter• Reflection• Conclusion

Laptops in the classroom?

• Some lecturers forbid their use– Fear that students will be distracted– It feels strange to talk to an audience that is staring at

their screens• Students tend to favor such use– Feels natural– Allows them to take notes electronically and look up

names or concepts mentioned in class– Provides escape from ‘boring’ lectures– Can catch up on other things or chat while in class

How about mobile phones and other devices ?

• Similar attitudes– More negative reactions by some lecturers

because they are associated with more casual use• Students favor such use again– Phones and other devices increasingly ‘smarter’

and able to function as mini laptops– 3G network may work where campus network

may fail– Lower battery consumption

Let’s think about technology

• What is ‘appropriate technology’ for student discussion and participation?– Depends on affordances of technology• Must have certain features, e.g. allow for the posting of

questions and answers, threading, archiving

– …but critically also depends in my view on: • How well it integrates with users’ daily life• Established communication habits• User expectations of technology

NM4881ATopics in Media Studies: Social Media

• Module focused on the study and design of social media

• Using multiple tools for class purposes NUS wiki, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Delicious, Google Wave, etc.

• Everything is open access• Students conceptualize social media solutions

for real clients

Tweeting @nm4881a

Distribution of participation Sem.2 AY 2009-10

Timeline of Tweets Sem. 2 AY 2009-10

1/10/2

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1/14/2

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1/18/2

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1/22/2

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1/26/2

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1/30/2

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2/3/2

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2/7/2

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2/11/2

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2/15/2

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2/19/2

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2/23/2

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2/27/2

010

3/3/2

010

3/7/2

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3/11/2

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3/15/2

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3/19/2

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3/23/2

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3/27/2

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3/31/2

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4/4/2

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4/8/2

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4/12/2

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4/16/2

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4/20/2

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4/24/2

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4/28/2

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5/2/2

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5/6/2

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5/10/2

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5/14/2

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5/18/2

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5/22/2

0100

20

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140

160

Distribution of participation Sem.1 AY 2010-11

Timeline of Tweets Sem. 1 AY 2010-11

8/1/2

010

8/6/2

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8/11/2

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8/16/2

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8/21/2

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8/26/2

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8/31/2

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9/5/2

010

9/10/2

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9/15/2

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9/20/2

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9/25/2

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9/30/2

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10/5/2

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10/10/2

010

10/15/2

010

10/20/2

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10/25/2

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10/30/2

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11/4/2

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11/9/2

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11/14/2

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11/19/2

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11/24/2

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11/29/2

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12/4/2

0100

50

100

150

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350

400

Reflection (1 of 2)

Benefits of twitter use in classroom• Increased participation (more and wider) because of ease

of use and low communication requirements (low barrier to entry)

• Backchannel can operate in parallel and in silence, while lecturer or students talk in class

• Opening up the conversation allows third parties to engage in discussion with students, offer tips, advice, etc.

• Students practice a popular platform for ‘serious’ discussion or debate, testing their own skills and boundaries of free expression

Reflection (2 of 2)

Concerns• Difficult to develop complex arguments; may discourage

deeper reflection on class topics• No ‘threading’, difficult to trace the origins and evolution

of a discussion• Inappropriate tweets may lead to embarrassment or

worse, though students so far quite adept at managing boundaries

• Students participate for participation’s sake, easy to spam

Conclusion

• Let students use the tools they love to use• Issue is how to integrate them meaningfully with

class activities or out of class• Opening up the discussion beyond the classroom has

benefits (and some risks)• Ask students to reflect critically on their use of the

tools (lecturer should as well)• Need more wired classrooms!