twitter for teaching and cognitive apprenticeships
DESCRIPTION
A presentation at the 2010 Graduate Research Symposium, held at Utah State University March 31, 2010. Presenters: Jon Thomas and Tom Caswell.TRANSCRIPT
Twitter for Teaching and Cognitive Apprenticeships
Tom CaswellJon Thomas
Instructional Technology & Learning SciencesUtah State University
What is ?• Free status update service• "What's happening?" in 140 characters or less• 20 million visitors per month• 19% of US Internet users• Messages = "tweets"
TwHistory: Historical Reenactments with Twitter
• Why Twitter?o People: represented by individual accounts o Communication: messages + timelineo Simplicity and ubiquity
"History is written by the winners."
George Orwell
4 February 1944
Representing Historical Perspectives• Based on journals, letters, and primary sources
o Represent multiple perspectives • Participatory and collaborative• Students as information evaluators
o Cuban Missile Crisis Example
Future Directions for TwHistory
• Upcoming Reenactmentso 1847 Pioneer Treko Lewis and Clark expedition
• Researcho Primary source usageo Constructing & appreciating pluralistic perspectives
• Improvements to TwHistory.orgo streamlining the authoring processo allowing reuse of existing reenactmentso sharing sources and lesson plans
Cognitive Apprenticeship
• Modeling • Coaching • Scaffolding • Articulation • Reflection • Exploration
(Collins, Brown, & Hollum, 1991)
Modeling Challenges
• Expert availabilityo Over My Shoulder Videos
(Dickey, 2008)o Telepresence (Edmonson,
2005)• Observing the expert
performance• Real world projects
Twitter for Modeling
• One-way follow• Follow experts• Unedited "snapshots"
o blogs vs. twitter• Provides a window into
professional practiceo similar to talk-aloud
Professional Uptake
• OSS developer community• Communication fields• Technology intensive fields• Marketing & business
Obstacles for Twitter Modeling
• Professional vs. personal tweets• Requires openness (may not be possible in all fields)• Relies heavily on technology/communication• May be limited to certain fields• May not be effective if forced
Future Directions
• Other Disciplines?o Scienceo Engineeringo Math
• Personal vs. Professionalo Will professional use increase over time?
Questions?
Please visit TwHistory.org"Those who forget history are doomed to retweet it."