Twitter: Ego boosting echo chamber or learning tool?
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Anecdotal claims that Twitter is used for professional learning inspired this Doctoral research. This presentation describes how I interviewed professionals working in higher education about how they used Twitter for learning. Interestingly a number of barriers for professionals use of Twitter arose and are highlighted here.
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Twitter: Ego boosting echo chamber or learning tool?
- 1. Twitter: ego boosting echo chamber or learning tool? Muireann O’Keeffe DCU @muireannOK #edtech16 May 2016
- 2. Education Developer DCU EdD student University College London Twitter for Professional Learning
- 3. What you can do for me ….. • Ask questions • Provide suggestions • Or tweet @muireannOK
- 4. Benefits of Twitter Top Tool for Learning Collaboration & learning Supports sharing of practice Builds connections Keep up-to- date
- 6. Twitter for Learning? Gerstein (2011) claims that Twitter is a professional learning tool Lack of research literature….
- 7. Lack of Evidence Research evidence of benefits of Twitter = Sparse Twitter criticised as a self-promoting, ego-boosting echo chamber (Crump, 2014) (Lupton, 2014)
- 8. The Gap • What is lacking in the research literature is an understanding of how Twitter is being used as a tool for professional learning (Gerstein, Veletsianos, Lupton) • How is Twitter influencing learning particularly of staff in higher education regarding learning & teaching practices?
- 9. Research Needed Calls for deep and rich qualitative research on the use of social networking within higher education. (Lupton 2014) (Veletsianos, 2012)
- 10. Relevant Concepts & Theories Learning is social Social constructivism Socio-cultural theory
- 11. Wenger (1998) CoP model community practice meaning identity Concepts that underpin online informal professional learning
- 12. Concepts that underpin online informal professional learning Wenger (1998) CoP model community practice meaning identity Factors for informal professional learning (Eraut, 2010) Challenge and Support Confidence Commitment Personal Agency
- 13. Wenger (1998) CoP model community practice meaning identity Factors for informal professional learning (Eraut, 2010) Challenge and Support Confidence Commitment Personal Agency Online as a space/place (White & Le Cornu, 2011; Gee, 2005)
- 14. Wenger (1998) CoP model community practice meaning identity Factors for informal professional learning (Eraut, 2010) Challenge and Support Confidence Commitment Personal Agency Online Residents online (Twittersphere)
- 15. Wenger (1998) CoP model community practice meaning identity Factors for informal professional learning (Eraut, 2010) Challenge and Support Confidence Commitment Personal Agency Residents- Participation
- 16. Motivation for this Research • I was encouraging Twitter as a learning tool with higher education staff • Curiosity to explore Twitter for learning with higher education staff • Is learning occurring? How?
- 17. Research Questions 1. What are the activities of higher education professionals using the social networking service Twitter? 2. How are activities on the social networking service Twitter supporting the learning of these higher education professionals? 3. What are the barriers and enablers that exist to these higher education professionals in engaging in learning activities on Twitter?
- 18. Case Study & Participants • Group of Irish higher education professionals (8) • Lecturers, learning technologists, academic developers • Twitter users
- 19. Data Collection & Analysis • Twitter – Data Harvest – TAGS explorer (Hawskey 2014) • Follow-up interviews – Semi-structured – Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) • Data analysis revealed enablers and barriers for professionals in using Twitter for learning.
- 20. Findings: Activities Visitors • Information gathering Residents • Connecting and interacting w/ other professionals
- 21. So What? • Professionals learn in social contexts • Online is a connected informal space for learning (Hayes & Gee) • So why did only 2 participants show strong evidence of social network activities (social learning) on Twitter? 4 2 2 Visitor Mix of approaches Resident
- 22. Visitors I don’t have the bravery ( confidence) I’m not ready I’m not confident about it being massively open I’m hyper sensitive of people judging my comments I would agonise over tweets for too long colleagues who know a lot more’ ... Because people I subscribe to are kind of fairly high up...
- 23. Residents There is a tendency for group think It’s all about having the correct etiquette and just being a nice personI think confidence is a huge issue. It’s a subject I feel very confident in you have the freedom to say ‘actually this is what I believe’ and maybe I don’t know ‘I’m happy to be proved wrong I suppose people would be perhaps cautious that they may say something silly, misrepresent the institution, misrepresent themselves
- 24. Capacity to participate Visitors Traits Resident traits • Lack of Time • Vulnerability • Caution • Not ready • Professional confidence • More knowledgable others • Hierarchy • Easy to use in timely ways • Professional confidence • Establishing a social presence • Playfulness • Understanding the rules of engagement • Engaging in critical discussions • Flat structure of Twitter
- 25. Emotional barriers • Participants had an emotional response to using Twitter • Trust: important in CoP’s – Wenger (1998) • Confidence “Much learning at work occurs through doing things and being proactive in seeking learning opportunities, and this requires confidence” (Eraut 2004)
- 29. Complexity • Findings show the complexity of professional learning in online public spaces such as Twitter • While participants were technically competent using Twitter, ‘visitor’ participants’ sense of belonging and identity in the digital space perhaps needs further development.
- 30. Implications of findings • Implications for academic developers and learning technologists – especially if we continue to advocate Twitter or other open public social networks • We need to support HE staff more in online identity development (and possibly other digital literacies)
- 31. Duty of Care? How are we involved in protecting people from that gap? (Stewart 2016) Veletsianos: Care and vulnerability online (2014)
- 32. • 10 days of Twitter etc. • Worthwhile but… What of: Awareness raising, discussing pitfalls, identity development, confidence building…. Twitter support
- 33. Thank you! Feedback & questions… Muireann O’Keeffe @muireannOK openuplearning.wordpress.com/ http://www.slideshare.net/muir31
- 34. References • Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3 (2). pp. 77-101. Available from: http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/11735 • Crump, H. (2014, October 31). My Open Tour: a critical turn. Retrieved November 3, 2014 from Learningcreep: http://helencrump.net/2014/10/31/my-open-tour-a-critical-turn/ • Eraut, M. (1994). Developing professional knowledge and competence. Oxon: Routledge. • Gerstein, J. (2011). The Use of Twitter for Professional Growth and Development. International Journal on E-Learning , 10 (3), 273-276. • Hart, J. (2015, March 31). Twitter for Learning: The Past, Present and Future. Retrieved April 20, 2015 from Learning in the Social Workplace: http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/blog/2015/03/31/twitter-for-learning-the-past-present-and-future/ • Hawskey, M. (2014) Available from https://tags.hawksey.info/. • Lupton, D. (2014). ‘Feeling Better Connected’: Academics’ Use of Social Media. News & Media Research Centre, University of Canberra. Canberra: University of Canberra. • Seely Brown, J., & Thomas, D. (2011). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change. Copyright by Thomas & Seely Brown. • Veletsianos, G. (2012). Higher Education Scholars’ Participation and Practices on Twitter. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning , 28 (4), 336-349.
Editor's Notes
- Who uses Twitter for learning – ask the audience
- Twitter, a popular social networking service with 236 million users, is argued to be a ‘Top Tool for Learning’ for professionals. Twitter is said to keep professionals up-to-date; enables virtual connections across the globe; supports sharing of practice, collaboration and learning
- While there is a gap on research on Twitter, there is an established body of literature on learning and theories of learning
- A community of practice is primarily about learning. This is a social learning framework, and with the 3 domains necessary for a community of practice (domain, community, practice), it seems they all contribute to the learning, whether the learning is the intentional goal or not. Identity- how we are, who we identify as, where we belong motivates to learn within certain communities or to lurk in the peripheries of communities, professional confidence is realtered to sense of beloning Wenger critiqued- why use space…affinity space , talk about online Why do I choose not to call it community? Be explicit Susan prefers this Title at top Get rid of quotes
- Eraut research the various factors that enabled professionals to learning informal Also thought informal and social learning, but he emphasised these 4 factors
- Moving into online spaces Gee, Hayes invested the term ‘affinity space’ - wenger 1998 CoP model White Le Cornu, discusss online as a place In an online world communities in a co-located geographical area is not so relevant, perceiving the online as a space or a place is more suitable
- Visitor's – peripheral participation Residents - central participation
- Visitor's – peripheral participation Residents - central participation
- Diagram.. Data harvested from Twitter and follow-up interviews with higher education professionals provided insight into how Twitter activities influenced professional learning. Data analysis revealed enablers and barriers for professionals in using Twitter as a learning tool.
- Identity and professional confidence enabled or inhibited sense of belonging in the online space of Twitter