PROS
I highly enjoyed this class "Twitterature" experiment. It may not have been as productive as traditional in-class discussion, but it was an entertaining challenge nonetheless. The specific challenges I had with this class format were:
1. learning to use the selected social networking sources
2. utilizing these sources to participate in viral class discussion
3. applying class material in accordance with non-verbal limitations
I appreciated that the "Twitterature" experiment was both group and individually focused. A hyperawareness was necessary to follow the streaming tweets, composing a response, and considering new discussion points. The conversation was very fast, and at times hard to follow - especially for those of us new to tweeting, meme creating, and google hangout. I was more conscious of the thoughts/ ideas I was sharing, because they seemed more permanent than verbal ones contributed in class.
CONS
I (among others) were a little slow in figuring out the selected social networking forms. It was a fun learning experiment, however, by the end of class I still couldn't maneuver twitter, or generate memes as quickly as was necessary for keeping posts relevant and non-repetitive. There were also the distractions that come with using a computer during class. Being new to twitter, meme generator, and google hangout, I did take time to explore the sites - which would've been better spent participating in the class discussion.
OVERALL
I think there is some benefit in using social networking sources for academic and more intellectual conversations. During this class, I paid attention to each individual 140 character comment, as all were necessary for our geographically dispersed class to hold a virtual conversation. I've never experienced a class discussion quite like this, and I think that after a bit of practice (using the networking sites) it would be feasible to hold a constructive class discussion. This class was a funny and enjoyable experience; there was much laughter at our social networking shortcomings throughout the viral conversation process. It was interesting conversing online with such a large number of people. I appreciated the small group setting as well, which enabled a bit of verbal discussion (and twitter assistance). As mentioned above, I believe this virtual class chat would be more successful with more social network savvy participants.
*The google hangout was probably the most difficult to utilize for class discussion, but I thought it was the most enjoyable/ funniest part of class - and it was interesting to see where the rest of the class had chosen to locate themselves.
I highly enjoyed this class "Twitterature" experiment. It may not have been as productive as traditional in-class discussion, but it was an entertaining challenge nonetheless. The specific challenges I had with this class format were:
1. learning to use the selected social networking sources
2. utilizing these sources to participate in viral class discussion
3. applying class material in accordance with non-verbal limitations
I appreciated that the "Twitterature" experiment was both group and individually focused. A hyperawareness was necessary to follow the streaming tweets, composing a response, and considering new discussion points. The conversation was very fast, and at times hard to follow - especially for those of us new to tweeting, meme creating, and google hangout. I was more conscious of the thoughts/ ideas I was sharing, because they seemed more permanent than verbal ones contributed in class.
CONS
I (among others) were a little slow in figuring out the selected social networking forms. It was a fun learning experiment, however, by the end of class I still couldn't maneuver twitter, or generate memes as quickly as was necessary for keeping posts relevant and non-repetitive. There were also the distractions that come with using a computer during class. Being new to twitter, meme generator, and google hangout, I did take time to explore the sites - which would've been better spent participating in the class discussion.
OVERALL
I think there is some benefit in using social networking sources for academic and more intellectual conversations. During this class, I paid attention to each individual 140 character comment, as all were necessary for our geographically dispersed class to hold a virtual conversation. I've never experienced a class discussion quite like this, and I think that after a bit of practice (using the networking sites) it would be feasible to hold a constructive class discussion. This class was a funny and enjoyable experience; there was much laughter at our social networking shortcomings throughout the viral conversation process. It was interesting conversing online with such a large number of people. I appreciated the small group setting as well, which enabled a bit of verbal discussion (and twitter assistance). As mentioned above, I believe this virtual class chat would be more successful with more social network savvy participants.
*The google hangout was probably the most difficult to utilize for class discussion, but I thought it was the most enjoyable/ funniest part of class - and it was interesting to see where the rest of the class had chosen to locate themselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment