Twitter has served as a forum for discussion for many topics. Whether it be for current events going on in the news today, or the release of a highly anticipated video game, or marketing for a product. No matter what the subject it has proven itself to be a hugely valuable tool for communication of ideas. Now the question is; How does Twitter compare to methods of communication that we are more used to? More specifically what are the advantages and disadvantages of a Twitter discussion over a discussion in Blackboard or an in class discussion.
On Twitter people are limited to phrasing their thoughts to only 140 characters. An economy of words is definitely needed if someone wishes to make their point. Also since this is online, people also have the option of taking their time to respond to a post. This allows them to research and better form their responses to topics . Another effect the 140 character limit has is that it is difficult to have full blown discussions. Rather than being able to write a lengthy retort to a tweet people are forced to short questions, or responses. Finally, a discussion on Twitter can be about any topic that someone decides to tweet about; whereas on blackboard and in class majority of the discussions would be academic.
On Blackboard there is no limit on how long your response can be and since it is online people can research their topic further and respond when they come up with an answer. These two characteristics allow people to fully develop their questions and responses to others without being constrained to 140 characters. Something else I notice about Blackboard is that it isn't very user friendly. I remember I had to click OK on every post made by the students in my class for the notifications to go away even though it allowed me to read them all on one page. I feel that if something is meant to be used as a means of communication it should be very easy to use and not frustrating. If a medium that is meant to share ideas is difficult to use it'll actually fail at it's purpose and discourage people from speaking.
I've always enjoyed in class discussions. I was always one of those people in the class who would argue back and forth with other students or the teacher. I've even been known to stand on my chair at times and speak louder when I felt strongly about a particular topic. The dynamic of an in class discussion is something that I don't believe Twitter or Blackboard has. While you are able to better form your arguments in the latter two there is something different about having a discussion face to face.
On Twitter people are limited to phrasing their thoughts to only 140 characters. An economy of words is definitely needed if someone wishes to make their point. Also since this is online, people also have the option of taking their time to respond to a post. This allows them to research and better form their responses to topics . Another effect the 140 character limit has is that it is difficult to have full blown discussions. Rather than being able to write a lengthy retort to a tweet people are forced to short questions, or responses. Finally, a discussion on Twitter can be about any topic that someone decides to tweet about; whereas on blackboard and in class majority of the discussions would be academic.
On Blackboard there is no limit on how long your response can be and since it is online people can research their topic further and respond when they come up with an answer. These two characteristics allow people to fully develop their questions and responses to others without being constrained to 140 characters. Something else I notice about Blackboard is that it isn't very user friendly. I remember I had to click OK on every post made by the students in my class for the notifications to go away even though it allowed me to read them all on one page. I feel that if something is meant to be used as a means of communication it should be very easy to use and not frustrating. If a medium that is meant to share ideas is difficult to use it'll actually fail at it's purpose and discourage people from speaking.
I've always enjoyed in class discussions. I was always one of those people in the class who would argue back and forth with other students or the teacher. I've even been known to stand on my chair at times and speak louder when I felt strongly about a particular topic. The dynamic of an in class discussion is something that I don't believe Twitter or Blackboard has. While you are able to better form your arguments in the latter two there is something different about having a discussion face to face.
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