Hashtags & Retweets

Using Twitter to aid Community,

Communication, and Casual (informal) Learning

@Reedyreedles | Peter Reed: Lecturer (Learning Technology), University of Liverpool

@Reedyreedles

@Reedyreedles

Rise of Social Networking Sites (SNSs)

$100bn

@Reedyreedles

Lack of Twitter research

Easy to find lots of …

@Reedyreedles

Lack of Twitter research

But not much research into how Twitter is being used with students

@Reedyreedles

PLE

Personal Learning

Environments

There is some talk about learners integrating various tools to develop

(Dabbagh & Kitsantas, 2011; Hall, 2009).

@Reedyreedles

This research…

Investigating student’s attitudes, perceptions and activity toward the use of Twitter to support learning and teaching.In doing so;

Informal Learning

Personal Learning Environments

Digital Natives & Immigrants

@Reedyreedles

This research…

Proposes the 3Cs of Twitter (TC3) in Education:

Community

Communication

Casual (Informal) Learning

The Literature

@Reedyreedles

The Internet & Social Media…Increased use of the Internet over time (Roblyer et. al, 2010)

Pew Research (US) demonstrates reliance on the Internet…

@Reedyreedles

The Internet & Social Media…

In 2001…

76% teens would miss the Internet

Improved relationships for 48%

32% make new friends on Internet

@Reedyreedles

The Internet & Social Media…

In 2007…93% teens use

Internet ‘as a venue

for social interaction’

Decreasing use of email in favour of

SNSs

@@

@@

@Reedyreedles

Defining Social Media…

Web-based services allowing;

(1)Public or semi-public profile

(2)Connect(3)Interact

(Boyd & Ellison, 2008).

@Reedyreedles

Defining Social Media…

Social Constructivism

Communities of Practice

@Reedyreedles

Social Media & the Digital Divide

@

Students check SNSs and email with equal regularity, but Faculty check email more (Robblyer et al., 2010)

A digital divide?

@Reedyreedles

Natives or Residents?

CC-BY-SA

@Reedyreedles

Social Media impacting on development of PLEs (Hall 2009, Dabbagh & Kitsantas 2011)

‘Blurring of boundaries’ between personal, social spaces and formal learning contexts.

PLEs can ‘help integrate formal and informal learning’ in HE.

Social Media & PLEs

@Reedyreedles

The Formal & The Informal

Institutionally Sponsored

Highly Structured

Prescribed Learning Framework

Specific Learning Tasks

Learner Owned

Social

Relaxed

Personal Choice

@Reedyreedles

The Formal & The Informal

Institutionally Sponsored

Highly Structured

Prescribed Learning Framework

Specific Learning Tasks

Learner Owned

Social

Relaxed

Personal Choice

Faculty often see these separately, but…

‘eLearning is rarely seen as separate of special by learners’ (Hall 2009)

@Reedyreedles

The Formal & The Informal

Institutionally Sponsored

Highly Structured

Prescribed Learning Framework

Specific Learning Tasks

Learner Owned

Social

Relaxed

Personal Choice

The way students blend and deploy informal and formal tools ‘underpins their assemblage of a meaningful PLE’

(Hall 2009)

@Reedyreedles

What is Twitter

Launched in 2006

140 Character limit

Follow/Be Followed

Additional Functionalities

@Reedyreedles

Twitter in Edu…

The few authors actively integrating Twitter within

the curriculum agree it can have a positive impact on

student engagement

@Reedyreedles

Good Practice in UG Edu…7 Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education;

1. Encourages student-faculty contact2. Encourages cooperation among students3. Encourages active learning4. Gives prompt feedback5. Emphasizes time on task6. Communicates high expectations 7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning

Chickering & Gamson (1999)

@Reedyreedles

Junco et al (2011)…Structured use of Twitter, including detailed explanations and hands-on training.

Identified positive impact;

‘Twitter helped students feel more comfortable asking questions they may not be comfortable with asking in class’.

@Reedyreedles

Junco et al (2011)…Aligned to 7 Principles;

Improved contact with Faculty (Principle 1)Improved communication between students (Principle 2)Promoted active learning (Principle 3)Prompt feedback (Principle 4)Maximise time on task (Principle 5)Communicate high expectations (Principle 6)Respect for diversity (Principle 7)

@Reedyreedles

The Student Voice…Steve Wheeler asked students at Uni of Plymouth about Twitter use in education…

CC-BY-NC-ND | Used with Permission

The Methodology

@Reedyreedles

Methodology…Introduced Twitter as a voluntary tool for five different modules with the rider to enhance communication.

#MM5362 | #MM5361#6ABL2303 | #6G5Z2001

#63MM6301

@Reedyreedles

Questionnaire…A questionnaire was sent to students, which was split into 3 categories:

Student Profile

Online Access

Use of Social Networking Sites

The Results

@Reedyreedles

Student Profile

42RESPONSES

32Male

10Female

88% Aged 18-21

@Reedyreedles

Main device for Internet access

13 1

13 8

6 1

Time Spent Online / week

2 4 6 8 10 12

61-70

41-50

31-40

21-30

11-20

<10

51-60

Hours online /No. of

respondents

Time Spent Online / week

1 2 3 4 5 6

61-70

41-50

31-40

21-30

11-20

<10

51-60

Hours online

~50% of respondents spend between 11 – 30 hours online per week (n=22), although some spend considerably less and considerably more.

The mean time spent online was 33 hours per week.

Time Spent Online by Activity

<10% 11-30% 31-50% 51-70% 71-90% 90%>0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Social Networking

Gaming

Shopping

News

Banking

Study

Time online

Time Spent Online by Activity

<10% 11-30% 31-50% 51-70% 71-90% 90%>0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Social Networking

Study

Time online

Time Spent Online by Activity

<10% 11-30% 31-50% 51-70% 71-90% 90%>0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Social Networking

Gaming

Shopping

News

Banking

Study

Respondents perform a range of tasks online with few taking up large percentages of overall activity.

Gaming, Shopping, News and Banking are the activities with least amount of time.

Much more even distribution of time spent on Social Networking and Study

Percentage Time Spent on Study Activities

2 4 6 8 10 12

71-90%

51-70%

31-50%

11-30%

<10%

90%>

Frequency

14

33%

26%

19%

14%

Percentage Time Spent on Study Activities

2 4 6 8 10 12

71-90%

51-70%

31-50%

11-30%

<10%

90%>

Frequency

14

33%

26%

19%

14%

14% of respondents spend less than 10% of overall Internet time in activities related to Study.

This was the most common response (n=14) was between 31-50%, however 19% (n=11) engage in activities related to Study in over 50% of their overall time online.

This question demonstrates the range of practices related to study amongst the respondents.

Smartphone Use

None15%

iPhone31% (n=13)

Blackberry13% (n=8)

Android33% (n=14)

Percentage Respondents with Smartphones

Smartphone Use

None18%

iPhone27%

Blackberry32%

Android23%

Percentage Respondents with SmartphonesThis question gives us an idea as to

Smartphone uptake amongst respondents.

Not much separating Android/Apple use.

14% (n=6) of respondents do not own a smartphone.

<10% 11-30% 31-50% 51-70% 71-90% 91%>0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Percentage Internet Access via Smartphone

Frequency

11-30% 31-50% 51-70% 71-90% 91%>0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Percentage Internet Access via Smartphone

Frequency

This question highlights the range of overall usage of Internet access via smartphones amongst respondents.

57% of smartphone users (n=24) access the Internet <50% (of overall time online) on their devices, however 43% (n=18) rely on smartphones far more.

Facebook

Twitter

33

24

9

18

Active users of SNS before this course

Active Not active

Facebook Twitter

Active 16 10

Not active 6 12

16

10

6

12

Active users of SNSs before this course

Active Not active79% of respondents (n=33) are active Facebook users Only 58% of respondents are active Twitter users.

This could demonstrate the larger market share of Facebook amongst the student population. An additional question identified 100% of existing Facebook users had used the platform to discuss course related information on an informal basis.

Should staff use SNS with Students?

Yes No Indifferent

19 11

13

12

128

60%

12%

14%

14%

Preferred single method of com-munication

EmailFacebookMoodle Twitter

59%

5%

23%

14%

Preferred single method of com-munication

EmailFacebookMoodle Twitter

Although many respondents are happy to use SNS to communicate, Email still carries the most weight as a preferred method for formal teacher-student communication (60%), followed by VLE (14%).

26% of respondents favoured SNS as their preferred method of communication.

All respondents in the 25-34 age category preferred email 

Comments related to use of Twitter

Ease of communication

Speed of communicationInfrequent email use

Mobile Notifications

Public Forum

Links/Retweets

Informal & Relaxed

Moodle for important info

Distraction

Coded comments of benefits of using Twitter in edu… voluntarily left 2 negative comments….

Actual usage of TwitterStudents were asked a series of Yes / No questions related to if, and how, they have used Twitter as part of their studies.

Have you contacted a tutor?

> Was this useful?

Have you contacted other students?

Have you accessed a link from the tutor?

Yes No

15

15

17

21

27

25

21

/

Actual usage of Twitter

However….

All those that engaged found it a positive experience…

More students engaged with fellow students than with tutor…

And more people accessed links that were active.

Feedback

The Discussion

@Reedyreedles

Hashtags

Encouraging students to tweet on a voluntary basis did not sufficiently instill the importance of including a hashtag.

Holding on to the Informal?

#MM5362 | #MM5361#6ABL2303 | #6G5Z2001

#63MM6301

@Reedyreedles

Reliance on Email…

Contradicting Pew findings?

Student Tweets increased at formative

assessment opportunities

@@

@@

@Reedyreedles

A Digital Divide?

Natives & Immigrants or

Residents & Visitors?

A Digital Divide?

Digital Literacies

If we recognise

RESIDENTS &

VISITORS

we must also

recognise the need

to support and develop

so all students can harness

THE SOCIAL

WEB

Social Media & PLEs?

Students are already using social media tools in the formation of their own Personal Learning Environments

72% 45%

Future developments

Archiving of tweets is important to measure and analyse later. Consider Martin Hawkesey’s TAGS Explorer….

Training critical to wider uptake (Dabbagh & Kitsantis).

Two more things….

If Students are already using Twitter, are there ethical issues involved in archiving their tweets/discussions?

If PLEs are indeed personal and these tools are informal, do we run the risk of disengaging students by formalising them through structure?

Any Questions?

@Reedyreedles

Credits & ReferencesBoyd, danah m., & Ellison, N. B. (2008). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210-230. doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x

Chickering, A. W., & Gamson, Z. F. (1999). Development and Adaptations of the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 1999(80), 75-81. doi:10.1002/tl.8006

Dabbagh, N., & Kitsantas, A. (2011). Personal Learning Environments, social media, and self-regulated learning: A natural formula for connecting formal and informal learning. The Internet and Higher Education, 15(1), 3-8. Elsevier Inc. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.06.002

Hall, R. (2009). Towards a Fusion of Formal and Informal Learning Environments : the Impact of the Read / Write Web. Learning, 7(1), 29-40.

@Reedyreedles

Credits & ReferencesJunco, R., Heiberger, G., & Loken, E. (2011). The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27(2), 119-132. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2010.00387.x

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, 13(1), 9-21. doi:10.1177/1469787411429190

Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Smith, A., & Mcgill, A. (2007). Teens and Social Media. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2007/Teens-and-Social-Media.aspxPrensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. doi:10.1108/10748120110424816

Roblyer, M. D., McDaniel, M., Webb, M., Herman, J., & Witty, J. V. (2010). Findings on Facebook in higher education: A comparison of college faculty and student uses and perceptions of social networking sites. The Internet and Higher Education, 13(3), 134-140. Elsevier Inc. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.03.002

@Reedyreedles

Credits & ReferencesSelwyn, N. (2009). The digital native – myth and reality. Aslib Proceedings, 61(4), 364-379. doi:10.1108/00012530910973776

Vygotsky, L. (2002). Play and its role in the Mental Development of the Child, 1-18.

White, D., & Le Cornu, A. (2011). Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 16(9). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/3171/3049

@Reedyreedles

Credits & ReferencesInternet & Social Media arrow via Clip art

Natives or Residents: Children with iPad: CC-BY-SA Flickr User Ant McNeill