Blog: Next New

Blog about Twitter

   A Twitter discussion is very similar to a Blackboard discussion and an in-class discussion. A Twitter user can create a tweet by typing about any topic of their choice. On Twitter, tweets are allowed to get replied back to which in turn creates a thread of discussions from people all around the world (assuming the account is public). Thoughts and ideas are transpired through Twitter and allow users to converse through a screen. Through a Blackboard discussion the same concept is allowed by creating a thread. Once a student creates a thread and writes about a topic, other students are allowed to respond back to the post where conversation can take place. An in-class discussion allows the students to converse just like they would on Twitter or Blackboard except this form of discussion is in person and is vocalized. The differences between these forms of discussions are that Twitter has a character limit per tweet, however, a user is allowed to tweet multiple tweets so their point can be delivered through many tweets. Twitter always anyone with a Twitter account to reply back to tweets if the users have their profiles on public, but if their profiles are on private, only accepted followers on Twitter can have a conversation by replying to one another back and forth. Where as on Blackboard and in-class discussions, students have to be in the same class in order to participate in each others' discussions. Blackboard and in-class discussions definitely have to be more sophisticated where Twitter always users to talk or type more carefree without any judgement. An advantage of Blackboard and in-class discussions is that the professor can also take part in the discussion and have knowledge spread throughout the students. Twitter always anyone with an account to tweet so teachers and professors can always take part in discussions electronically, however, it is not as obvious that they acquire a higher role in the specific topic because Twitter is a digital platform. Twitter is very similar to Blackboard and in-class discussions as you can see, but is also different in minor ways that allows the platform to be unique.