I’ve liked Twitter since I first started playing with it last year, but there are some things that are really starting to annoy me about these 140-character “conversations” that we’re carrying on there, server issues notwithstanding.
Whether it’s some people getting a little snippy from time to time and then other people making a way-too-huge-a-deal about it, or whether it’s two very smart people like Gary and Sheryl blowing out a Tweet-a-minute micro debate about the state of education in this country, or whether it’s people trying to live Tweet hour-long presentations that turn into like 347 updates, I’m finding anything that hints of substance just too scattered, too disjointed to read, even with the wonders of Tweetdeck. It’s like trying to eavesdrop on the conversation of a bunch of people with really bad cell phone reception, hearing a part of one response ’til it cuts out into the other. Frustrating.
And I can’t help feeling like it’s just making all of us, myself included, lazy. We’ve lamented this before, this “fact” that the whole community is blogging less since Twitter, engaging less deeply, it seems. Reading less. Maybe it’s just me (again) or maybe it’s my long term attachment to this blogging thing and my not so major attachment to texting, but it feels like the “conversation” is evolving (or would that be devlolving) into pieces instead of wholes, that the connections and the threads are unraveling, almost literally. That while, on some level, the Twitterverse feels even more connected, in reality it’s breaking some of the connectedness.
I (we?) blog for many reasons, not the least of which is that I’m sincerely interested in what others are experiencing and I hope to learn from their reactions. When I write here, I can’t help but hope that whoever reads it will stop, reflect if they find it relevant, and offer up some wisdom (or whatever else) that will pique my thinking. I hope it becomes a conversation among a group of interested parties that want to test out or build on the ideas. But on Twitter, while I sometimes post silly “I ran five miles” type of check in post for anyone that might be interested, I also find myself writing for just one or two people yet publishing it for everyone to see. And when I read other Tweets directed as a response to another person, it’s like I feel compelled to click and dig and sort and try to nail down the context of the “conversation” and then to read it back again to make sense of it.
Look, I love the Tweet links and the “touch ’em alls” and the zen, in-the-moment stuff. But, selfishly, I wonder how much less I might be learning today than B.T. as more of what we care about gets processed in short soundbites.
Not sure why all that tipped for me today, but it just got really painful all of a sudden. Anyone else feeling similar things?
Just a couple of years ago you wrote a post about how blogging had shortened your attention span, made you impatient, made it hard for you to focus on a single task at a time. 🙂
The thing that I most dislike about Twitter is the same thing I dislike about CNN – unchecked, I’ll watch it for hours waiting for something new and interesting to pop up.
But it has become invaluable for finding new and interesting information that I can pass on to faculty in several disciplines.
Wasn’t that last week? ;0)
I’m not saying Twitter has no value…it does. But I’m having a lot of trouble with it as a place for “conversation.”
I think that plurk is much better suited to these microconversations. Yes, these are annoying things about twitter, but I’ve found that for me, when I want to have these little mini conversations I do them over at plurk, but for just day to day connections, twitter is fine.
I do think there is a little twitter netiquette that is nice — I think that coveritlive is better for live blogging and agree that tweeting a live presentation is a little bit of “hogging” the tweetosphere, however, the beauty of twitter is the random happenings that seem to occur there daily.
I do think Plurk has its own place in this — and don’t see it as twitter or plurk but rather twitter AND plurk- for different reasons.
Every since I was able to grab a Plurk account, I completely dumped Twitter.
Also, you can make Twitter part of Skype. There is a Skype robot which will post to your Twitter account.Here are the simple instructions:
Add twitter4skype as a contact.
Type the following as a single chat message to twitter4skype:
/account (shift+return)
yourtwitteraccountname (shift+return)
yourtwitteraccountpassword (shift+return)
The system should return: twitter4skype Registration complete!
The next time you write a chat message to twitter4skype, the entry will appear on your account and you’ll receive your friends’ twitters in Skype.
In many ways I agree with you. But I have found many new connections and conversations that I would have never known about because my job takes so much out of my free web surf time. I think Twitter remains useful and dynamic if you continue to meet and follow new people. Without that, the content can become stagnant. Just a thought. I’ve been on vacation and twitter is one of a few ways I checked in with the world.
Has Twitter made us lazy? Absolutely.
lazy? or more efficient?
I totally understand much of your frustration…although this post came on the first day I have ever tweeted a conference preso. My only grace is that you don’t follow me, so maybe it wasn’t directly aimed at me. 😉 (Yes, I’m saying that tongue-in-cheek.)
I think it is a questions of balance and judgment. So, it’s okay to let us know “you” (not Will) are training for a marathon or reading a great book…as well as all of the great professional info we share on Twitter. I love Twitter for my PSL, and I also love learning more about my friends…things I may not know otherwise. It connects us.
But, having said that, I don’t care that you just had a latte followed by a hot dog (or was it the other way around??). And, micro-debates should probably be conducted in a private chat area unless there is some compelling reason to share the information.
So, blog away…we love it! But, keep up the tweets. everyone. Just be judicious as to what you are tweeting to the twitterverse. By the way I had fish for lunch. 😉
J.
I know the feeling. You might feel like the community is less involved in long and meaningful conversations, but my opinion is that Twitter is getting more people involved in the conversation.
I started as a lurker, less than a year ago. I knew nothing about social media and its role in education. But by subscribing to Twitter feeds, I found a non-intrusive way of tapping into the knowledge of people who have the same concerns than me. I would have never asked you to be my friend on Facebook…
Maybe what you are experiencing is more of a dilution of the original blogger community with newcomers, and a multiplicity of channels which makes following relevant conversations more difficult.
I consider Twitter to be a gateway to becoming an active 21st century web citizen. It might take some time, but as more people get involved, the potential for meaningful conversations will become bigger. You will just have to filter out a little bit more noise…
Thanks for the commment, Mathieu. Twitter as gateway drug to the Read/Write Web, huh? Interesting thought. ;0) I just wonder how many folks who start with Twitter will “graduate” to the hard stuff…
As with High School gangs, you have to get into the “right” crowd to elevate yourself to the hard stuff.
My opinion is that there needs to be some triggering event. Mine was the ELI conference in San Antonio in January 2008. I got the chance to connect with my first Twitter friends there, and the rest is history. Web 2.0 now plays a major part in my professional development.
Ah, how perfect an example of the love/hate dichotomy. It was the cruel back-channel for the ELI/SA Twitter feed that got me thinking about how much I hated Twitter. Your friends must have refrained from attacking Bob Young behind his back.
A formative Twitter moment in the collective understanding.
Last fall I attended a social networking session by David Warlick at the NC School Library Media Association’s Annual Conference. During his presentation, he demonstrated Twitter. I enrolled and tweeted during the session. Having no friends on Twitter, I lost interest quickly and didn’t touch it for months.
This summer, I started dabbling with Twitter. I decided that I should follow a few people I enjoy hearing at conferences in addition to my techy friends. I also started looking for tech-savvy people in the school library media world . Perhaps I would get more out of my Twittering experience if I thought of it as a way broaden my connections and learn about new ideas and resources. For me, this Twitterfest has been mostly good. I have read more blogs, visited more valuable websites, experienced a ton of Ustreams and web-based discussions — all from my cozy chair. I haven’t spent a penny on travel or registration or gas in order to accomplish this learning either. I’ve even managed to do much of it with my two year old crawling around on me like a slip n slide.
As a result of my Twitter dabblings, I have had to develop a whole new set of skim & scan reading skills to cope with the sometimes heavy sprinklings of messages that clearly aren’t intended for everyone who might be seeing them. I’m sometimes baffled by announcements of “Spraying pesticides after my 4 mile jog,” but I remind myself that the basic Twitter prompt is “What are you doing?” I think that prompt makes these personal announcements to the Twitterverse legitimate — even if they are pesky at times. I do wish the continued, conversations (that seem to fill pages within a short time span at times) would drift off into a better arena. However, I’m even willing to tolerate that to a degree because I love the moment that I stumble onto a great link or invitation that I might not have discovered on my own.
As I think back to the beginning of summer, I realize that my interactions and experiences with Twitter really inspired me to set up this blog, to design a new, more interactive webspace for my students and to participate in numerous Web 2.0 discussions in forums I’ve never visited before. I guess that makes Twitter, in some ways, my “Gateway Drug” to the harder stuff (Mathieu Plourde) . If nothing else, I’ve become a more organized groupie.
I agree that not everyone knows the Twitter netiquette, but I also think, like you have said in the past, that the same can be said for blogs. I think as this Twitter thing continues to grow, we will slowly reduce the size of those we follow so that it is more focused on what’s important to us and weed out those that tweet when they sneeze. It will be a condensing similar to the PLN process.
You’ve made many valuable observations Will. I think we need to be somewhat diligent in reading (and writing) in the blogosphere, for it to have the kind of impact you describe, ergo, it’s incumbent upon the individual. The twittersphere provides a chance to connect, however briefly, with many like-minded people that you wouldn’t have the opportunity to otherwise.
As in everything in life, it’s all about balance.
Hi,
I just got here because I follow @acarvin, and he Twittered about this blog post. After reading it, I will now be following you as well (if that’s ok). I really love that you are bringing up these questions about Twitter. I think they are excellent ones.
Are we engaging less? Maybe some people are. Personally, I use Twitter as a tool to help me engage. I can’t always keep up with reading all the blogs I need to daily. When the people I follow stumble across something really great or important, they often Tweet about it. And I click. And here I am on your blog for the first time, and I am compelled to comment, even. This engagement opportunity would likely have been missed for me, were it not for Twitter.
Twitter serves as a kind of blog filter for me. With it, I discover new blogs, and new people to follow. It’s a bit of a random filter–it leaves much to chance. But it’s not my only filter (though it is becoming a main one). I just blogged myself about the fact that I have limited time to blog (though I only started blogging, after years, *since* I started using Twitter). Twitter offers me a more streamlined way that I can interact with blogs, bloggers, and other colleagues while I’m doing other work with little time to spare.
I feel more connected on Twitter rather than less. More random? More fragmented? Yes, perhaps. But I feel more and more that way in my life as a whole. I have a feeling it’s part of the evolution of social media. And we should be asking these questions as we go. Thanks for the great post!
Thanks Johanna,
Let me ask you something…do you only “follow” like minded people on Twitter? Might Twitter narrow the focus of your conversations in less than desirable ways? Just wondering…
Great question, Will (and awesome conversation going on here in the comments). I started following people I know. Then other NPtechers from Twitterpacks. Then I started checking everyone who follows me. If they’re not spammers, I follow them (if they’re spammers, I block them, just to be mean. 😉 ). Then, there are cross-conversations. If someone I follow is having an interesting conversation with someone I don’t follow, I’ll go check that person out, too.
So I think it’s less of a controlled bunch than the blogs that I read, for example. One thing I like about Twitter is that there’s not much space for a bio, even. If I know someone is interested in social media/nptech, then I follow them. I often have no idea who they are, but I continue to follow them if I get something out of their Tweets. So no more self-selecting than any other kind of media, I think.
I followed that conversation this morning between Sheryl and Gary. I found it intriguing and thought provoking. Had it happened in ustream or some other venue, I probably would have missed the whole thing.
Twitter allows me a glimpse into the thoughts of people I would know nothing about otherwise. And my ideas have been questioned and deconstructed many times there. Yes, my blog is a better place for conversation but who would even come to my blog if they didn’t listen to me in twitter first.
Agreed, Lisa, and thanks for commenting. But I wonder what you missed by the two of them NOT having that conversation in something other than 140 character snippets. And for the record, lots of people went to lots of different blogs B.T. ;0)
This has plurked up my ears!
Frank
I don’t understand the call to push conversations out of the open Twitter arena and take them someplace else. Twitter isn’t perfect, but it’s there, and easy to access. On Twitter, people “walk in” in the middle of things and engage. That would not be possible if people up and left for other spaces. Yes, we could have a better conversation in other virtual spaces, but if you lose most of your audience, does it matter?
Still, it would be nice to have substantive conversations – somewhere. I’m left wondering how to make this happen, but I’m sure we (the community) can come up with some ideas. Will, you have the power and reach to help make it happen. And I’d be happy to work on that with you. Want to join me to take this ball and run with it?
Let’s see…how many balls in the air already? …14…15…16… ;0)
I find it interesting that if we were engaged and interested in what was being said that we wouldn’t be willing to move with the “conversation” into a space that would allow for more substantive dialogue.
So what would that look like? Or what would be a process or Twitterquette for that?
Even RSS feeds usually don’t give you the full story. Summaries are the best way to browse for content, and Twitter does a great job at summarizing.
Maybe there could be some sort of an optional thread feature or viewer that could make Twitter more organized, therefore easier to follow a conversation from the beginning.
Just like with any other conversation with a very large group of people, there are times that I find the discussion meaningful and I want to jump in, and there are times I walk away or ignore it. I am grateful for the people that follow me are sometimes so willing to help or give input. I also love when I get the opportunity to help others or contribute their work in someway. I sensed a shift recently and you touched on it a bit. There are a lot of “private” conversations and self promoting that clog up the tweets. I haven’t given up on it yet however, since I do find some value in many conversations.
I agree with Vicki Davis. Plurk seems to be a better place for me to work with my PLN. If I ask for help or input, I get far more support because of the nature of the site – sometimes up to 30 direct responses. A question to my tweeple on the other hand, often goes unanswered these days. It’s because of this, that Plurk can be far more valuable for me, who still struggles to find my voice in the vast conversation.
Thanks for the comment, Nadine. What strikes me is your last line, that Plurk is a vehicle for getting your voice into the conversation. That’s so detached from how I think about engaging in the community that I’m going to have to think about that for a while. Thanks for the tweak…
But, Will, we are all looking at it from such different perspectives. Twitter, Plurk, and blogs (mainly commenting) allows so many more of us to have conversations and access to the brains behind this educational push. I’m in Nebraska and you are in New Jersey. I can’t come over to borrow sugar and talk technology in education. But I can hop on your blog and see what you are talking about or reply to a Tweet. Plus, it’s a lot less intimidating to comment either with or against you then it would be in person. I think Nadine is right on. Web 2.0 allows everyone to get involved. We spend so much time talking about how students are now so much more connected to the outside world, but the same is (or should be…if they take advantage of it) said for educators.
Hi-
Thank you for your thought-provoking post, and the invitation to respond.
I use both Twitter and Plurk and have come to both relatively recently. I have only recently begun blogging, as well.
I dip into Twitter at will, looking for links, searching every couple of weeks for new folks in educational technology, and searching for people broadcasting for help/support. The two things that make Twitter truly valuable to me are the direct message feature and the fact that most people put in their blogs as a part of their profiles. These are really valuable.
I think Plurk is ideal for micro-conversations that are important and helpful. In addition, you can imbed still photos and videos, as well as links.
I think Twitter and Plurk meet some needs, but with all things in our lives, should be used for right work and in moderation.
Hi Will. Dowbiggin here. I don’t blog enough, and I don’t blog year-round. I don’t keep up with your blog or with others’ blogs near enough to truly call myself an edtech geek. But at least through Twitter, when you hint at and link to a new blog post you’ve made (as others do), I am able to jump on that and read it really quickly (as I have just done with this blog post).
I use Twitter in different “communities” to which I belong, so I do find it has some great value for me. I have one group of tweeps that are local geocachers (SF Bay Area). We talk about all kinds of stuff and share a lot of TwitPics. Then there’s my edu-tweeps. Like you and crew. I already described how I benefit there. I also have some East Coast tweeps (technically you count there too, but I don’t know you from my pre-1997 days of living in New Jersey, so I don’t think of you in that group). It’s nice to keep up with old friends through short bursts when, let’s face it, we don’t have enough in common anymore to go deeper with e-mails and phone calls.
So it depends on how you’re tweeting, I suppose.
I think we just have to take Twitter and other such tools for what they are. Like other tools that can become annoyances giving the right context and conditions (laptops, cell phones, TVs, other handheld devices, vacuum cleaners, nosehair trimmers,…) we have to be in control of them and be self-disciplined and reflective (as you are being here). When they begin to control our behaviours in ways that are unproductive or unhealthy, it is time to make some better decisions on what we devote our energies to. For me, when I want to get “serious” work done, I have to turn off such tools, as just like Hansel and Gretel, they can be like following breadcrumbs that end up being quite elusive and just get one lost.
Of course, like other comments here, it can also be quite helpful if one is connected enough to have an informative network that responds to one’s tweets. Otherwise, it is just a lurker’s tool. But, even as a lurker, one can glean some valuable crumbs.
Will, I don’t think it’s that people wouldn’t be “willing” to move to a better conversational space, it’s just that as things stand now, you’d lose a lot of people who might miss the announcement, don’t have time, and a myriad of other reasons.
I think there’s an answer out there somewhere. We’re all just taking babysteps with all these tools. It might seem a little aimless right now, but it’s good practice for the future. We all know these tools will converge, mostly for economic reasons, so while all this tool hopping might seem like a waste of time, I think it will pay off in the long run. We’re becoming educated consumers.
Thank GOD! You finally “verbalized” why I don’t use it. I’ve been trying to come up with an explanation for over a year.
Ahh, could you restate that in 140 chars?
The greatest weakness of Twitter (et al)?
The more we seek to create Twitterquette, the more the organic joy of it all becomes watered down so that only a small group of like-minded souls are willing to hang out.
On the other hand, the less energy we put into inspiring common codes of behavior, the more folks may be craving to jump ship as the conversation shifts from early adopter focus to a free-for-all of randomness.
Wait. Wasn’t Twitter’s original intent meant to be “updates” of micro-moments? Did the designers of the tool build it so that we could organize our professional tasks and research?
***
P.S. I can’t help but sense a growing craving for the intellectual (rather than the accidental) in your philosophical search, Will.
Given your spot on the growth/learning curve and ed-tech tree, it must be tiresome to filter out the large amount of noise (even from those you respect/know) while simultaneously wanting to see real macro action finally arise out of the edublogosphere these days.
I don’t think this is a bad thing (as many people clearly will identify with the spirit), but I do think that what brought you into the bloggingpool (etc) is no longer the same fuel you’re craving professionally, personally, or politically today.
Just a thought from the cheap seats.
Perhaps – in addition to the problem of humans (and their funky personalities) — the real problem is that folks have begun to take Twitter too seriously, wanting it to fit squarely in the box labeled ‘productive work’ with a decidedly edu-focus spin, wanting it to be organized and intentional and focused. Maybe our wishes are not aligned with truth/necessity in this case.
I do believe that your gut it telling you something valuable, something that may be worth trusting along the lines of some sort of Twittersabbatical. Perhaps as all of us begin to weigh in on this topic, we need to remember that it is a decidedly personal choice to get out of the Twitterpool (or at least stay in the shallow end). It’d be a shame if the great take-aways were a) find a better Twitter answer or b) to try to call the loosely defined network together to overly codify Twitterbehaviors.
Until we take the funky human out of the Tweet, the ebb and flow of usefulness/noise is going to be forever in flux.
I think Christian’s hunch is likely true:
Perhaps you should spend more time on Google Scholar than on Google Reader. The more I read the works of those contributing to the academic literature, the more I’m amazed at how close-minded and short-sighted we self-proclaimed “educational” bloggers truly are.
Thanks Christian…Believe me, I get the “to each his own” part about Twitter. And I don’t begrudge anyone their Twitter love. As usual, I’m just throwing out the depth meter.
To your larger point, I respond…”ya think?” ;0) We’re ready for something bigger.
And Darren, you may well be right.
I love the crapiness of Twitter. Its strength lies in the fact that any monkey can figure out how to use it – although I assume that there wil be lots of Twitter PD being offered in schools and at conferences over the next year.
People learn about events from Twitter and then come together. We get to discuss critical issues in Twitter. One of my new grad students found our online Masters degree program via Twitter. Best of all, I like doing stupid stuff like commenting on a meaningless boxing match with Andy Carvin & Chris Lehmann, doing primary night play-by-play and dissing award shows in real time.
The folks making all of the rules are control freaks upset that others want to use their playground.
I love the crapiness of Twitter too, which is why it feels weird when people start trying to use int in uncrappy ways…like when you and Sheryl start “discussing” critical issues. Guess that makes you a crappiness freak. ;0)
I think you’re right and I get the same feeling from Twitter that you seem to get.
Twitter is an unbeatable way to sort of keep tabs on what’s going on with people that you don’t see often. There is real value in that, mostly in terms of personal happiness but sometimes as personal professional development (as long as you follow a few interesting people in your field).
Twitter can’t replace blogs/online articles/live-blogging/chatrooms/aggegators. However, those other communication methods are better now because Twitter provides a better outlet for some of the random thoughts or “I bought a bike!” comments that sometimes seem too off-topic in a themed blog.
Generalities aside, I like Twitter because it reminds me not to kill myself at work. When my counterpart at another school mentions doing something not work-related, it reminds me it’s OK to take a break to breath and that everything doesn’t have to be perfect to add value to the school.
I’m going to use Second Life to explain how I “behave” on Twitter.
There’s “open chat” – Anybody in the area can hear the conversation. (I compare this to comments on a blog post, or an open chatroom)
There’s “group IMs” – Anybody belonging to the group gets anything that’s said regardless of where they’re at. (This is more like Twitter, where, if you’re following them, you hear them.)
Then, there are “private IMs” – Between two people and only those two people will hear it. (Similar to direct messages on Twitter.)
I think a public debate could be announced in Twitter, but taken elsewhere (in a Skype chat, or Meebo room, perhaps?). The random facts like what we ate for lunch, how far we ran today, etc, are nice if they’re mixed in with usable “content”.
The moral of the story: you have to blog about Twitter to generate a conversation 😉
Not sure who thought twitter was meant for conversations. For that purpose it sucks. I’ve said it a ton of times, but for me twitter is the virtual staff room. Not meant for deep learning but who knows what it might ignite.
Twitter has not made me blog less but I know for some it’s replacing blogging. That bothers me but like Christian said, I’m not much for telling others how to use it or sucking the organic life out of a tool in attempts to analyze and deconstruct it to death.
There’s actually very little I hate about twitter less the technical issues. I can customize it in so many ways, plus in the long run, it’s only a small part of my network. It’s important but if folks are using it as a replacement for blogs and deep thinking, that’s their problem. Smart people will figure that out.
My perspective is: comparing Twitter to other tools in terms of how good/bad a platform for engaged or other type of conversation is…isn’t the call. We tend to evaluate new tools with the same use/context/extension frames of other well-known (to us) tools.
What if… Twitter could be generating different ways of communicating in multi-versed scenario(s)…depending on the RELATIVE networks (chosen mostly) involved.. and the different “hats”, gigs, hobbies and styles people have, not to mention … evolving users. Maybe your time with Twitter for now has come to an end… maybe not. It’s your usage and relation with it IMO. In my particular case, I am not writing less or reading less since I’ve started Twittering and following a select group of others… I’m reading more and writing-doing more or just as much. (just required a new box of books and plan to continue to do soI.
Piggy-backing on Dean’s comment re: the “virtual staff room”, I do like that aspect…even if I don’t always like to get caught up in the superficial complaints and silly business of real faculty rooms.
I recall a year or so after I began a blog when the world suddenly became “bloggable”…and I’d literally find myself saying, “But who’s gonna care about that if you blog about it?” It was partially a self-filtering experience pulled forward by a realization that the “it’s bloggable” view of the world was a re-wiring of how my brain had previously worked.
I’m not sure non-bloggers would get that, yet its almost a default for anyone who’s blogged for any length of time. We literally begin to see in blogging terms. Same with other transformative tools.
A few days ago I decided to tweet that I was taking a “Twitter sabbatical” for a few weeks. NO updates (save a few back-n-forth DM’s when needed). Chance to get my head into the fresh air again.
Great for the soul, but ironically — just as the “it’s bloggable” mindset used to shock me — I find myself thinking, “Hey, that’d be a great tweet” (regardless of how valuable my everything bagel for b’fast might be to others craving more substantive meat on the proverbial convo bone.
“Balance” is a motto already expressed by others above, regardless of what fuels our professional goals for all these tools. And for me, the Twittersabbatical is key to that balance…all the while I find that a craving for it in its absence.
BTW, Darren’s comment about Google Scholar and more legit publications is something my brain is leaning towards more and more these days. Finding that I want to blog less and less about the big picture of education (save for a few quirky moments here and there, or my upcoming classroom moments minus the kids’ names)…and putting that into a smaller audience with my son’s blog and his g’parents/family friends. Likewise, I’m becoming razor thin in terms of what blogs I’ll read these days from within the edu-chamber. If its not Tweeted, I most likely don’t even pay attention to the RSS feed, even those folks I highly respect who were the center of my blog feed for years.
Guess the needle shifts for all of us, just like it does with any relationship that was love at first bite…until we get back to basics and concentrate on what is real marriage material in our digital tool dating pool.
Will – I don’t use twitter all that much, but find it useful for the tidbits and pointers that spring up. It hasn’t replaced any conversation venues for me, but often initiates conversation which usually ends up in a skype or email exchange. So I find it really useful for sampling the “discoveries” of others – I have to mention this one. I first heard about Google’s Lively world springing up on Twitter before I saw it in the newspaper later the same day. The ensuing conversation was real-time, people to people in the aftermath of the news.
Twitter’s not for conversation, it’s for shouting out. It’s for finding some friends in a foreign city who want to share a beer with you. It’s for being snarky so your blog, which for me is personal property, can remain snarkiless. That’s it for me: Twitter is transient (yet permanent) fun and intrigue, which belongs to the community who are there, at that minute or that day, and my blog belongs entirely to me, is more permanent and is where conversations *I* am part of belong.
Nothing wrong with occasionally jumping into conversations in a noisy bar (Twitter) instead of owning the conversation at home (blog) but you need to find a balance between the bar and staying in the comfort of home.
You didn’t comment that from a bar, did you Ewan??? ;0)
Thanks Ewan,
Just what we needed. More rules!
In case you haven’t noticed, there is no conversation in most blogs. Twitter allows for spontaneity with audience participation. That’s why it’s brilliant.
Asynchronous and synchronous communication are different.
So wait…you’re saying Twitter is synchronous?
Twitter’s neither. It’s nearly now. Not quite synchronous and not quite asynchronous. I can choose to make it either. Depending on the rules I’m putting down for that moment in time (i.e. – I can/cannot afford the time to do this, or, the best use of my time is having a conversation here and now in the medium we happen to be using.)
Many a time when starting out a discussion on Twitter there;s a temptation to take it to Skype, but it’s ended up breaking the flow of thought everyone had been having.
I’m not an etiquette prescriber either, but have been tempted lately to go in that direction over one Twitter behavior I find disturbing: namely, it’s screencapturing other people’s tweets – by design and assumption, flittering things that vanish quickly into archives hardly anyone will plumb – and posting those tweets on our blogs, where they become more permanent.
Beyond that, I tend to jump in, swim around like a fish in a wine barrel, then flop out to dry up for a few days or weeks. Then jump back in again. I love the playfulness, the sharing, the relationships.
It’s definitely weird.
Will, I definitely feel as though I am falling into a routine of updating more quips and happenings throughout my day than asking meaningful questions and using these pools of people/information. I often feel a need to “keep up” with the high-frequency tweeters out there, and I feel I should instead be thinking of meaningful questions and problems I face in order to tap into the intellect of the community (yes, I still believe in the intellect of the twitterverse). Maybe I do need to slow down and think more about quality and community knowledge rather than quantity of “fun updates”. It’s time to re-think how I am using my online tools–something I think we all need to do every once in awhile. Thanks for the thoughts, Will.
@willrich45 Sorry mate, you went over 140 characters so I stopped reading & I started getting in touch with my inner ADD 🙂
Touch em’ all.
Ahh never thought you’d stay long enough to see what Plurk was doing ; )
So I suppose maybe we’ll see what @willrich45 thinks of plurk too…
For the record, I’ve enjoyed your twits and don’t feel you abuse it at all. I also understand why you can’t “follow” everyone, and how you have managed to network with others (including me) in many other avenues. I feel honored to have actually networked w/ ya, AND really expect nothing more. BTW, remember the ride you gave me from the hotel to SLA? I just plunked down money on a Prius–seriously. My long drive b/f to work was killing me in gas, and I realized I liked your car that day. So you have actually touched me in a whole different way, f2f no less!
PS–my favorite young, green teacher is moving to your area in NJ–Mark Granito. I told him to look you up. He’s cool.
Learning is messy, isn’t it? Now where did I hear that before! LOL.
Amen. Twitter doesn’t work for me, but I know that’s more about me than anything else. I like longer bits to digest; I wish most posts were longer like yours instead of glorified links with a bit of commentary.
Never. Ever. Question. Twitter.
Now you tell me.
When I was 13 I got a CB radio for Christmas. I loved it. I had a huge antenna up on the roof of our house and I even met a couple of CB-ers that lived nearby. Twitter reminds me of that. I can turn it on, tune-in and hear/see familiar “voices” chattering about whatever it is they feel like in that moment. It’s not bad and many times the links point me off onto something that’s neat. So I don’t really mind it, but I try and keep it in perspective.
The other piece that I remember about it was when it first came out (I think) it was during a SXSW event and many people used it on their mobile devices. That was where I thought the magic was–that people could quickly say something, arrange to meet, whatever, via their mobile device. They could get a bunch of people together quickly it seemed. Does that still happen? I don’t know. I must say that I enjoyed reading tweets from NECC attendees. But I also enjoy the blog posts from there too.
All in all I think this post and these comments are good to consider.
Thanks for articulating what I’ve been starting to feel. Maybe it’s the recent animosity from certain people, maybe it’s the increasing disconnectedness, maybe its just the natural aging process of new tech: but Twitter is starting to feel much less “shiny” and interesting.
I’ve only been dipping into my tweets occassionally lately, but I do think Twitter still has a place. I do however think the community should start considering what is the best option for each situation: DM, @reply, blog post, tweet, Skype, etc. – we’ve got options and we should use them.
Or maybe it’s just that the echo chamber just seems to be getting smaller…
Gotta agree with Arthus here. Different tools for different tasks. We sometimes push the limits of Twitter rather than moving to a more appropriate tool for deeper conversations. Perhaps there’s a lesson here for the classroom, too. Be mindful of the right tool for your objectives. On that note, I think I’ll catch up on my unread blogs. Balance is good.
Hopefully it’s not just about getting bored with a supposedly revolutionary new communication tool. I just saw a promo for a new iPhone app. by Tapulous called Friendbook.. It allows iPhone users to “beam” to each other their contact information/address book cards.
The headline of the promo states “Business cards are so last year.” There will always be new communication tools out there that have advantages and disadvantages. However, we all need to get past those and seek after what is important – not simply cast aside old tools in search of the latest greatest ones. It’s not the business card per se, but the message it conveys and the audience it reaches. I think it is the same with Twitter. It is not the tool per se, but the messages that get conveyed and the audiences who choose to listen and participate. No tool will do it all FOR us. We all need to keep digging deeply, regardless of the tools. So, happy digging – with whichever tool you choose.
What a timely discussion. My brother and I were just discussing the usefulness of Twitter yesterday. He said many of the same things Will said today. Since I’m just now really digging in to Web 2.0, I didn’t have a lot of examples to defend its usefulness. I’ve had a Twitter account for about 6 months and I follow ed tech people, mainly, including you, Will. I haven’t spent a lot of time with it until this summer, though.
I’ll be sending my brother the link to this blog. Thank you for a terrific discussion for those of us who are still learning and who will have to explain and defend these applications to faculty and tech directors.
twitter is pure entertainment on several levels…we don’t need to look far to realize that.
sometimes it seems that we take the temporary nature of all this fast paced information abundance way too seriously…it can’t be sustained.
abandon it temporarily and go fishing…it’ll do you a world of good ;-))
Jeff, something about your comment really resonates. The “unsustainability” of info-glut and new-tool-mania, specifically.
I like the word choice: unsustainable.
Will has written some interesting self-analyses lately about changes in his attention span, his reading habits, and more, that also stuck with me, and for reasons related to that question of cognitive and behavioral “sustainability.”
A third imprint came from hearing some workshop presenter or other in Shanghai last year mention that 28,000 web applications were being developed as he spoke, and that number would only grow.
Again, unsustainable.
Maybe we need to grow up, or grow out, of this stage of trying to sustain the unsustainable.
I love knowing how to locate and retrieve information when I need it. And that’s sustainable. But that’s different from trying to stay abreast of infinite information and mushrooming tools.
Fishing sounds fun 😉
Hi Clay – now you’ve got me thinking about cognition. The words that come up…reminds me of a recent article in the Atlantic Monthly about language/reading as affected by the Internet, ie, the metaphors people use to explain themselves to themselves. One example was when the mechanical clock arrived on the civilized scene, people could describe their brains as operating like clockwork. Now we operate like computers, multitasking. And so we twitter..and on it goes, eh? There’s a behavioral discussion in their somewhere. 🙂
Clay – you wrote about changes in attention span,reading habits, and cognitive and behavioral ideas. I connected immediately to what Nicholas Carr wrote in the July/August Atlantic Monthly, referring to Marshall McLuhan and how the media shapes the process of thought, wrote: “And what the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. My mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles.” A little twitter in there somewhere… – Terry
I agree that on most days, fishing is way more beneficial and educational than Twitter, but I think it also depends on who you follow. I’ve definitely dropped a couple of people because I generally use Twitter more for work than play…although my summer tweets don’t show that…
On Twitter I have a larger network and therefore feel more connected there than on my blog. I don’t have the readership on my blogs where I receive sometimes a hundred comments per post resulting in rich conversations. Every now and then, I can enjoy that feeling of starting a conversation that is otherwise reserved for well-known edubloggers such as yourself. Even though it’s on Twitter and even though it’s not what Twitter is supposed to be about.
With all due respect, I think it’s easy for you to say that you prefer to bring the conversations over to your blog. But for bloggers like me, it means I may only engage a small handful of people, if that many. Do you realize that there are many, MANY, emerging edubloggers who read your posts and are learning from you but do not have the network or readership as do you? I imagine it might be easy to lose sight of that. They too, may be enjoying this newly found access to a network of people, on Twitter, previously unaccessable to them.
My most recent post was about Twitter etiquette. I asked readers to contribute their thoughts on “shoulds” and “should-nots.” I hear a lot of contradictions around the blogosphere since NECC2008 about how people feel about Twitter rules, etiquette and expectations. (Even from people who have commented here.) Personally, I’m confused over the whole issue. I’ve been seeking clarification and I’m as frustrated as ever at the lack of answers. Your comments on my little “nobody” blog would be a welcome contribution to the conversation taking place over there.
Thank you for reading my comment.
~Lee
Good point. You also don’t know who is reading your blog. On Twitter at least you know who is “around.”
Thanks for the comment, Lee. I think I have a pretty healthy sense of my place in the edublogosphere, but thanks for the reminder. I don’t begrudge anyone their use of Twitter, nor do I think that Twitter has no value…it has a lot of value for me that’s obviously different from what others find in it. Just trying to provoke some reflection on a tool that has had a huge impact on my thinkng about and acting in this network.
We all have to choose how to spend our time. It’s literally the scarest resource we have. New technologies, be they for creating a product or knowledge, communication, entertainment, etc. require an investment in time, to learn, to understand, to adapt, to be part of a team, etc.
Being open-minded is difficult at times. As a person that lives in an edtechcentric world, one of my interests and tasks is to be aware of “what’s happening.” Hence, I explore microblogging, networking and collaboration tools that grow in quantity by the day. Some are interesting and seem useful immediately, others not. Doesn’t mean they won’t be. Sometimes it just takes time or a resourceful collegue to shine the right light on a new tool.
Ever play the Change Game? It’s pretty interesting how close it comes to reality in organizations. Change within oursleves is also worth understanding.
When it comes to technology, things are (obviously) changing faster than ever. I’m amazed by rate of development of the new tools and how quickly some of us figure them out. And I’m impressed how many dedicated bloggers write about how the new tools can be used in schools. It wasn’t *that* long ago that lots of people didn’t see a need or use for email or why schools would need web sites.
So, for those that don’t see uses or a need for some of the new tools, I suggest taking a deep breath, trying to remain open-minded, curious and intellectual and being reflective about personal growth. It matters and it works.
Carrie’s statement resonated with me:
“But it has become invaluable for finding new and interesting information that I can pass on to faculty in several disciplines.”
I couldn’t attend the NECC08 conference, but I certainly learned a lot about it by following the tweets of those there and presenting there.
By following people who are into technology, I link to what they are learning or their blogs and decide what and if I should/could adapt it for classroom use. I REALLY appreciate the information — and knowing you all are “human” and take a break, lunch, bike ride. Twitter is good for all of that. Mentors mentoring. Thanks for being mentors.
I guess I’m one of those who doesn’t “get” Twitter.
I understand what it is – but from what I’ve read about it – it seems like you’d have to have it “up” all day long – and constantly following it – just to get any benefit.
I remember hearing a guy from the Ed Tech Crew talk on a podcast about how 75% of the stuff that comes across Twitter is garbage (in his experience) – and I really wonder how good does that 25% have to be to overcome the 75%.
Just lurking around, reading some other peoples tweets – I’m struck by how much of it is like reading the email that somebody hit “reply to all” and thinking – I really didn’t need to know that. Or walking in on the middle of a private conversation.
We tell people, when using email, that’s it’s not proper email etiquette to hit “reply to all” when you should just be replying to the sender.
Why does this appear not to be the case with Twitter?
Just a thought.
@Flint:
“Why does this appear not to be the case with Twitter?”
Twitter is the opposite of email. The default behavior IS reply to all. Twitter forces you to think in public so that other people can share the experience or jump in. The etiquette is inverted: you decide what you are willing to accept, and stop following the people who annoy you.
“Twitter forces you to think in public so that other people can share the experience or jump in.”
Do you really feel like this is working?
My first inclination would be to say no.
I think the 75% comes from people who aren’t thinking in public – rather just throwing something out – not really thinking about the effect that it has on the whole audience.
Part of my problem now is trying to decide how to filter stuff. How do I get the 25% without having to wallow through the 75%?
Obviously, choosing not to follow a person is one way – but the reason why I chose to follow the (few) people I have already chosen is because that have had interesting things to say on blogs or podcasts.
The assumption on my part is that if you post interesting, useful and thought provoking material on your blog – wouldn’t that also be true of Twitter?
@Flint:
1) Yes, I feel it is working with the current people I follow at this point in time. I keep a distracted eye on my twitter feed, without worrying about missing something. If a topic is really important, it will pop up later, or I’ll catch it on my RSS feeds or on my del.icio.us network. Twitter has to be used for what it is: a frenetic flow of random thoughts coming at you from every direction. It’s impossible to catch all of it without felling dizzy.
2) Filtering is definitely an issue, but I think there are some Twitter filters out there. Not sure, but I think TweetDeck is kind of doing it. http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/
well, maybe that’s my problem.
Describing it as a frenetic flow of random thoughts – really frames it in a negative light for me personally.
I’m definitely ADD, and have enough time keeping focus as it is – having a constant flow of random thoughts flowing on the screen (as well as in my brain) – would make it that much tougher for me.
This is one of those evolving technologies that will settle into a niche – it’s hard to know where I fall on it yet. New tot twitter, and followed folks at a conference last week, very helpful. Knowing baseball game scores – eh, I guess I could turn on the game. Time will tell what I weed and feed, toss and keep.
It seems predictable to me that an inherently anarchic tool will have its unpredictable, messy moments. But it’s the messiness that also produces new connections and ingenious insights where they previously may not have seen the light of day.
Also, I would resist efforts of a few to define the etiquette of Twitter. People are going to use a generic tool in a variety of ways, and we should not try to steer others to use it the way we use it, just because it is different.
Richard
70 comments? You hit a nerve by hating Twitter. Love that the comments all have very different reasons for defending. Which is partly why I blow hot and cold on Twitter.
Sometimes, someone microblogs me to a link of great value (love).
Often, people waste my time telling me what they ate for lunch. Sometimes this is simply to slyly tell us all about lunch with some important-ish who (hate).
Rarely, it’s back channel wilding and self-promotion while someone is speaking at a conference (detest).
Always, it keeps me plugged in to where my friends might be or things they might be thinking about (love).
So the problem is that Twitter is still unfocused. We know what blogs are for/how they work/their ‘affordance’.
What the heck is Twitter?
We still aren’t sure so visiting it causes confusion amidst the love, hate, help, connection, repulsion, community.
This original post seems to have struck a chord with a number of people and it’s great to see that responding to the blog post is appropriate.
When I was in high school, one of the best ways that I coped in English class was through a self-help book that I bought that taught me how to speed read. I’m finding myself using these skills more and more these days. Perhaps it’s the number of people that I follow on Twitter or perhaps it’s the content, I’m not sure.
I do find myself mentally clumping the people that I follow into three groups. My “A” group always gets read. My “B” group gets scanned, and my “C” group gets a really quick scan looking for key words to jump out and to my attention. Fortunately, the faces in Twhirl or Spaz or TweetDeck or whatever I’m using at the time make this clumping possible.
I like to follow people I agree with and also people that I vehemently disagree with. Both groups make me think, helping me form a foundation for a position, and I can’t think of a greater testament for a person who takes the time to post.
Every now and again, there will be a conversation such as you described and they get a quick scan. I must admit that I found the exchange interesting enough to follow. I also liked your suggestion to UStream a debate. Would the combatants be as polarized face to face?
Good post, Will. That’s twice this week that I’ve had to think deeply.
I don’t like twitter. I’ve found some good links on there, but many times it has been “busy” and I can’t get on, and really I haven’t learned much on there. I like reading blogs so much better. I agree that you are getting a piece and not the whole. I haven’t jumped on board twitter yet. Not sure if I will.
Isn’t Twitter and the comments related to the tool an example of our classrooms? Certain tools will “click” with students, but not all students learn and synthesize in the same way. I’m at the point where I’m questioning the overall value of Twitter connections given the time commitment necessary to keep up, but I would never steer someone away from the site if they were finding these conversations to be engaging and meaningful. We don’t all have to love Twitter, but we all do need to evaluate its value related to our time commitment.
I’m old, I’m getting ready to retire, and I am 100% tech savvy…that said this whole conversation (I read most of the 80 commentors) makes me sad. There were only rare mentions of thinking,learning,teaching,scholarship, students…you are talking (IMHO) about something that makes no difference to the students we are trying to teach and to most of the people in the known world. Talk about preaching to the choir—this conversation is only relevent to the people who are having it in 140 characters.
Someone mentioned all the “great ideas” they got while lurking on Twitter—does anybody beside me see a problem with this type of the thinking….it reminds me of the old days when presenters would hand you a list of 300 websites with no annotation. What are you going to do with all these tidbits of info? Compile them into a master’s thesis? Plan a year long curriculum for your student? Write a book?
Do any of you teach real students? Has anyone used a tool that has changed the life or learning of a real student?
I’m sad that so many people are in love with the tools and not with the teaching and learning.
Wow… the echo just died here. Thanks so much for a much-needed perspective in this conversation, Nancy. However, for some, tools like Twitter DO provide useful and helpful bits of information that DO (hopefully) trickle down to students at some level. I don’t think one can be so quick to write off any tool. You are correct though, I think, in suggesting that the tools we choose to use professionally should be valuable at the student level for those that are teaching. There is no time to waste with tools that distract, annoy, or entertain for most teachers in the classroom.
Nancy,
It’s not about the tool, it’s about what you do with it. There is a lot of mindless fodder on Twitter. But, let me tell you a story about the real power of Twitter as a social networking tool. Last year, a fellow Tweeter posted a link to his 8th graders’ Darfur blog. I posted a tweet back that sent him to my third graders’ Darfur website. From that, a collaboration between two teachers grew into a major project that included 677 students from around the country.
http://manyvoicesdarfur.blogspot.com/
Don’t underestimate the power of Twitter as a launch pad for more important conversations. You just have to know when to move on to a more appropriate forum to make the most for your students. There are many thoughtful teachers here who care very much about student learning. I lurk on Twitter from time to time. Sometimes, I contribute to the mindless fodder. But, I also build lasting relationships with amazing educators that spill over into my teaching and impact my students’ learning. When I found out that I would be teaching AP Human Geography, I posted a tweet asking if anyone knew other APHG teachers would would be willing to share resources. Within one hour I had five contacts who provided various resources from which my students will benefit greatly. I use Twitter as a professional tool to connect with colleagues. When I need to have a deeper conversation, I move to the blogs or other avenues for deeper discussion.
Wendy, I do not Twitter but I read about the Darfur project on a blog…I’m sure there are miraculous collaborations made on Twitter. I’m in a different place than you are, career-wise. I’m looking back over my career while you might be looking forward to your future…many this is a time for reflection for me… but how many of us are attempting to make meaningful connections and collaborations with the teachers in our buildings and districts? how many of us are attempting to make meaningful connections and collaborations with neighbors, with old people in our communities? how many of us are attempting to make meaningful connections and collaborations with our students and their families? or for that matter how many of us are attempting to make meaningful connections and collaborations with our own children, spouses, and family members?
It’s not really twitter per se that is bothering me–it’s IMHO the whole focus on the Web 2.0 tools–I guess I want so much more for my students than knowing how to use the calculator on their cellphone or filming a fight in the girls bathroom.
As I mentioned I use tech tools in my classroom all the time but they are used doing real work, in a real work environment. We present rich and relevant content (like the Darfur project) to an authentic audience. The tools are not doing the teaching and the tools are not doing the learning.
But, this too will pass–within a couple of years 90% of the “new” gadget sites will be out of business and the other 10% will charge a fee!
I certainly cannot argue with anything you’ve said about making valuable connections at home. All of these human connections are important to us and our students. Technology is not a prerequisite for authentic learning opportunities. As far as Web 2.0 tools go, a colleague at my school and I created a site to help teachers sift through some of these tools and determine which ones might have educational value, depending upon how they are creatively used in the classroom. I would be very sad if anyone thought that those tools were all I cared about from a teaching perspective. My students experience learning from many different perspectives. I reflect on all of them to determine what works well and what doesn’t.
I respect your thoughts and personal reflection. I am actually well into my teaching career, probably one of the older teachers here, and I believe that reflection is important throughout my career. My real point here is that you can not make assumptions about people based on their participation or lack of participation in social networking tools like Twitter. There is more to these teachers (at least the ones I know) than the 140 character post in Twitter. Bottom line, and I hope this is what you are saying, is that we all must have balance in our lives such that we can be good examples for our children and our students. We must also help guide them so they can do more with technology than use the calculator on their cell phone or film a fight in the girls bathroom.
I am one of those people who has opinions about everything and don’t feel like I am articulate (in writing) as many writers are–I certainly didn’t mean to offend. I just wonder if some people didn’t spend all their time chatting with like minded people (online or at conferences) they might have time to come up with the next Darfur Project or Flat World Project.
I heard Carol Tomlinson say, at a differentiation conference, “you can’t differentiate FOG.” So much of what people see as education-changing tools are in my opinion, FOG.
Nancy,
No offense taken at all. I think you offer some important points for all of us to consider. It’s been a refreshing conversation that inspired me to think a lot harder about what I’m doing and squint a bit more to see through the FOG. That is always a good thing. Now, I must get back to my face-to-face life. (smile)
Wendy
I love you, Nancy, but I’m already married.
Sorry to be a wet blanket. hehe I’ve read several things you’ve written and agree with much of what you say, you are much more articulate than I. I’m the only person in the world that has 3 blogs and hates to write!
I don’t want to give the impression that I am a luddite or “old school”. I presented at NECC and around my state for 5 years–I’ve integrated technology into more projects than most people who have commented. You can see some of them here http://anotsodifferentplace.blogspot.com/2007/07/where-is-all-your-stuff.html When I retire I will leave a legacy of thinking and learning.
I cannot marry you, I’ve been married to same guy for 36 years–too late for a change!
To me, Twitter is about connections, nothing more. Connections to ‘education/tech experts”. Connections to others with similar likes/dislikes or life situations. Connections to other educators who want to talk, collaborate, commiserate, or offer assistance.
Twitter has provided me with a network of people I would not otherwise ‘know’. Some I will meet in person. Some I won’t.
I have read, commented on, and even written blogs. None of those actions has given me the network I have found on Twitter. The greatest meaning from Twitter comes from the relationships that happen away from it: in the classroom, in a conference, on Skype, or even in a blog post.
Wendy – well put. Many ways to use twitter, many outcomes, insignificant and significant. –Terry
I am a relative newcomer to Twitter having been introduced to it about 6 months ago. I have met new people, found great websites and applications and generally found it to be another web 2.0 tool to use. After writing this though, I do not find it to be as satisfying as Plurk, a social network that allows conversation in 140 characters or less. Perhaps, I just like to converse but for me it is more pleasurable.
Thank you for your blog. I liked your insights and I look forward to reading more.
http://hpence.blogspot.com
Phew – great discussion – but I tuned out on the long ones after 140 characters ;->
I think those who Tweet the stream of thoughts from an event are doing it in context & it’s meaningful for others at the event ie a good thing. But for those of us not there it’s meaningless much of the time. I’ve noticed a new form of etiquette (is that Twittiquette?)whereby you warn your followers that you are about to be ‘streaming’ from an event. Follower an then unfollow for a day or two.
Came here via Twitter & will now be following you Will.
Will, your post has got me to thinking…
For me, Twitter really did open my eyes to a number of colleagues that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise met. It’s been terrific for quick networking and has led me to new blogs and articles. However, the information stream is wearying at times.
I feel like it has yet to settle into its place. If Twitter is still around in a year or two, I wonder what the conversations will be like.
Sometimes, it seems as if these tools come at us so quickly now, that I feel the need to jump on and join the crowd, before I’ve really figured out what it means to me. I still feel like adoptions eventually find their own level, but it does result in a cacophonous start. I’m having fun with the static, but it does get overwhelming if I let it.
My first words when I started Twitter was “I don’t get Twitter.” I have bumped many more people than I would have otherwise, but I find the disjointed conversations annoying. I blog in order to think through my thoughts about education. I read other people’s thoughts and opinions and reflect upon them. I also enjoy meeting new edubloggers. I’ll take blogging over micro-blogging any day.
so James, the big question is are you still using Twitter or has it become annoying enough that you don’t use it?
I can definitely see the potential in it. I’m just wondering if maybe people should have a public/professional Twitter persona as well as a private/personal persona.
That way they can post all the annoying “Oh he was safe”, “I ate McDonald’s for lunch” and “I’m going to take a nap” comments on the private/personal one – and leave the professional thoughts to the public/professional persona.
I am amazed. Simply and utterly amazed. Folks- we are talking Twitter here– not the invisible children in Uganda, not war, not other human rights issues or even the deconstruction of education or how connectivism is coming into its own as a new learning theory. We are talking about a networking tool.
How I wish over 100 passionate people would show up and comment on things that are deeply tied to our culture and solving issues of global importance.
That said.. if an intelligent conversation spontaneously breaks out – anywhere- I say be in the Zen of the moment and go with it. I tend to have those kinds of conversations at the most unexpected places- cabs, waiting for a plane, etc. And the truth is that after having a conversation like that with Gary and those of you that also chimed in (thank you by the way)that I will go blog. It is those little bursts of informational inspiration about things that really matter that act as the catalyst
toward helping me find the time to blog in my busy day.
My guess is that if we had taken it somewhere else- the organic flow that occurred would have fizzled. I know anytime I have tried to recreate things that emerged naturally it just wasn’t quite the same.
Also, I think it smacks against the whole idea of what we are trying to accomplish to try and figure out how it should and should not scale in terms of use. Maybe, like the cell phone, Twitter is evolving.
Sheryl,
The volume and well, volume, of this conversation proves that the number one topic in the blogosphere is the blogosphere.
There might actually be an important principle unerlying this discussion and that is one of style. I tend to be verbal (duh?). Conversing in Twitter despite its glorious crappiness plays to my strengths and natural communication style.
After rehearsing ideas verbally, I too can write something more static and hopefully thoughtful, but Twitter provides a venue for both brainstorming and editing if you think of it as a writing medium.
One thing we learned more than a decade ago at Pepperdine is that you need a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous communication opportunities online in order to support a variety of teaching styles, learning styles AND a range of different activities.
I think most of the problem is that people have FAR too many friends. This makes it so that you get random updates like you mentioned. On the flip side, could the problem be that people don’t have enough friends? If they added everyone they remotely new chances are there would be no unfinished conversations.
I don’t know if I’m coherent today. The weather seems to reflect how I’m feeling – chaotic, sunny and raining at the same time, and hot and humid. Please disregard this, unless you want to improve it (which it desperately needs).
Just using twitter, not really caring much,
/gradster(1)/
Isn’t Twitter the natural networking tool of the Reality TV generation? I often think about that when I see (or participate in) conversations that would be better carried out on Skype/iChat etc. Is part of the fun the sense that other people are ‘watching’? And of course that they can jump in at any time.
Perhaps some of the frustration around this at the moment is because of the problems the Twitter server is having when you can’t go back to older tweets and are stuck with the one current page. If it is filled up with one person live tweeting a presentation, or a lengthy conversation between 2 people, I am probably not the only one here who feels a sense of “what have I missed while I was away?”.
Dorothy
In the spirit of the connectivity of ideas across nodes — over in Classroom20.com, an Australian elementary teacher (Dave Clift) has posed a question about using Twitter in the elementary classroom.
Hi Will,
As a newbie to Blogging, I haven’t got the ‘I love Twitter’ bug yet. That could be due to the fact I have no friends. I like reading what other people think and their experiences of the world on their blogs. Based on all the comments that have been generated from this post I think you can rest assured that there are many people reading your blog. From a newbie I still wonder if it is worth sharing what I have discovered when others are so far ahead of me in their thinking. For me the conversation has to start somewhere I guess.
Keep it up and thank you!
Right tool for the right job… speed reading… tossing out and skimming ideas or making those “crappy” updates as described above. All great uses.
All the same, I find large debates cumbersome to read on Twitter and generally skim over them or avoid them. People giving 137 updates from a conference over an hour using Twitter ? If I can I block them for a bit and pick them up later. As for having a heart to heart on the Twitter medium… people should know better. Not an ideal place to have a debate head to head.
Twitter on… just use it for what feels right to you.
My two cents.
Twitter for me is about the same as the weekly soap opera digest in a TV Guide. Its the summary of the day’s posts and events worldwide. I can get a quick rehash of what everyone did (and ate or had to drink) in a quick list.
I also enjoy clicking through the individual posts to find the start of the conversations. Its similar to reading the Wall-to-Wall posts on Facebook. Sometimes it has to happen to find the context of the entire conversation.
Is everything in Twitter “worthy”? Nope. But neither is every blog post or email I receive or post.
I like Twitter and its soap opera type of conversation. I also like the impact that a tool for conversation has had on getting people to discuss how we converse.
Ya’ know – sometimes it’s NOT about bringing about world peace or changing the lives and learning of your learners. Sometimes when you’re having seemingly innocuous conversations about the mundane, the divine breaks out.
It’s too intense and too much pressure on anyone or anything to expect he, she or it to deliver only deep, meaningful, focused information and experiences all the time or even most of the time.
Is it making us stupid? No. It’s a place where we can be stupid or silly or profane or profound. That’s important too.
Is the 140 character limit making us lazy? Whether it was Pascal or TS Eliot, the quote “I would have made this letter shorter if I’d had the time” resonates for me. I’d rather read a tight Tweet than a loose sloppy blog post.
Is it self-indulgent to discuss this or preaching to the choir? Should we think about the vast majority who have no idea what Twitter is? Nope. I don’t give a rat’s pink patooty about football but don’t judge my colleagues for discussing it. If intelligent people care about something, they reflect on its use. And it’s okay to go to church and talk amongst your fellow parishoners once in a while — just as long as you remember not to live there.
The relationship between Twitter and more substantive and articulate venues like blogs could be seen as similar to that between experience and reflection. Tweets most often share thoughts in media res rather than thoughtful conversation that occurs in blog posts, comments, and replies. If we are seeking the immediacy of an individual experience, then as a way of communicating it in text (which is itself not without problems), Twitter seems to be a good-enough vehicle to start conversation–as it has done here.
Once again, the richness of a post at Weblogg-ed is definitely in the comments section. Late to the party, I thought I’d a few brief thoughts:
1] Twitter is not a blogging tool: It is a jumping off point. It is the easiest way for new educator to discover the wonders of the edublogsphere. By sharing a combination of resources, links and personal updates, I hope to provide potential avenues for learning. It is in the hope of finding similar nuggets that I continue to check in. The number of live feeds and back-channel chats I’ve engaged in this year would not have been possible otherwise.
2] Twitter is a tool for building and maintaining relationships. That is why social tweets are valuable. Knowing that we have lives outside of education, somehow makes each of us more ‘real’ to one another.
3] Twitter is close to LIVE. With the GPS and photo technologies built into current phone technologies, I believe that we are engaged in crude use of a tool that will continue to evolve into a richer reporting and sharing tool.
4] Twitter is not a conversation tool, but is an elevator chat room where you might be invited to dinner; nudged to attend a workshop; or asked a question. Never knowing who will be on the elevator, the traveler cannot predict where he or she will be engaged.
5] The openness of the content to other developers and aggregators is what gives Twitter a big advantage. The many competitors trying to leverage similar platforms, will have to add value in order for large networks to jump ship. Tip to developers: Develop GROUP tools, allowing me to send semi-private messages to chunks of followers (family; teachers; local; conference-goers; workshop attendees…), and you just might get my tweets.
Also late to the party, but looking up your blog after participating in the SocialLearn webconference a bit ago…found your post on Twitter.
I have only just started to use/follow Twitter – after creating an account a long time ago. And I’ll admit that I am not sure if I like it. I do agree with some points that have been made about relation-building and the like, but some of the comments by some colleagues (that I am not sure they would make in face-to-face conversation) have definitely changed my perceptions of them. I think it is because they are not the same person in-person as the person they tweet…maybe??? I am not liking this experience.
At the same time, I receive a reply last evening from Gardner Campbell saying he picked up a link to something from my blog….me a humble beginner. What a blast to have been able to make that small connection with him via twitter.
So….I am still figuring it out. But I do think that if this is where my students are and how they communicate, I need to try to at least understand it a little better.
Humble rant of a first time caller!
I’m both a blogging addict and a twitter addict and find myself torn between them sometimes. On the one hand twitter has helped me reach and know more bloggers and on the other, I do send a tweet instead of a post too often or I get sucked in to time and time of conversations I don’t need to be in on.
I guess in short what I’m saying is.. well said. And amen. 🙂
Ola,
I’m interested in what others contribute (here for example) and as a result I learn from their posts. BTW, that’s how I found my way here. But, with any new technology, especially Web 2.0, I try to be judicious in WHEN, WHERE, WHY and HOW I use IT.
As a long-time educator, I still find it exciting and interesting to teach and learn. I like to ask questions which is a key approach to my teaching style. Micro-blogging (text or video) lends itself well to this. I don’t teach what I know; I teach how I came to know what I know. I do so by asking questions about how one goes about finding an answer to a question. If a learner asks me a question and I don’t know the answer, we’ll “learn” to find it together. Then, I’ll ask them another question and so on…
I definitely see Twitter’s utility in teaching-learning for such an approach. So, to repeat myself, I am judicious in who I follow and when and how I post. I use two accounts one for personal use and the other is for my teaching-learning via Q&A. Both are private but I’m more lenient with my personal account. If I’m not learning, then I stop following and posting. I’m sure you do the same.
Ciao
I used to have a lot of trouble, philosophically, with Twitter and the like. 140 characters to an English teacher is downright offensive…until I came across Six Word Memoirs by Smith Magazine. What a wonderful way to introduce the power of wonderful writing and creating the perfect sentence (or partial sentence)to my sixth graders. Now I am all a-Twitter about precise writing to start the year. Once my kids have mastered the perfect sentence, we can move onto paragraphs. They will set their bar high with only six words, so the paragraph (and ultimately three and then five paragragh essay)will have to measure up!
And meanwhile, I’m waay cool in the eyes of my students! Tools are just that, and when my dad had his own car, his father’s horse and buggy just would not do! I asked my students to research all aspects of the Japanese dry garden and relate those aspects to the culture of Japan. They did it on this on a multilayered Wiki I designed. The end result now exists as part of our campus landscaping. So, yes, Virginia, the 2.0 and beyond tools make learning fun and meaningful. I can’t ask for much more than that! These tools have also helped me stay more student centered and in 30 years of teaching, I am delighted to give up the book of knowledge I had to lug around for more than half my life! 🙂 sarahsmiles
Cheers Sarah! Simply put, you hit the nail square on the head….answering your WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW with respect to Web 2.0. Your students are fortunate to have you to colaborate with. Ciao, Bill…
Click to view Bill Graziadei’s profile on LinkedIn. and/or Click to view Bill Grziadei’s Retaggr profile card.
Cheers Sarah! Simply put, you hit the nail square on the head….answering your WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW with respect to Web 2.0. Your students are fortunate to have you to colaborate with. Ciao, Bill…