When talking less is more: exploring outcomes of Twitter usage in the large‐lecture hall

This article employs a mixed‐method approach to examine the outcomes produced by using Twitter in a large‐lecture course as a means to assess the pedagogical impact and potential of Twitter’s contribution to large‐lecture course dynamics. In doing so, it seeks also to explore the broader relationship between methodologies and outcomes. Exploratory in nature and design, this study proceeds from the recognition of the inherent limitations and unpredictability in investigating how new technologies transform social patterns. Such an approach allows us to question how the mode and design of our research ultimately frame the interpretation and understanding of how social media intersect and impact classroom dynamics and their potential contributions for developing more effective pedagogical strategies and outcomes.

[1]  Paul Atkinson,et al.  Qualitative Research and Hypermedia , 2005 .

[2]  S. Livingstone Interactivity and participation on the Internet: young people's response to the civic sphere , 2010 .

[3]  Shani Orgad,et al.  From online to offline and back: moving from online to offline relationships with research informants , 2005 .

[4]  B. Loader,et al.  Rethinking online youth civic engagement: Reflections on web content analysis. , 2007 .

[5]  J. Walther Computer-Mediated Communication , 1996 .

[6]  Melissa Terras,et al.  Enabled backchannel: conference Twitter use by digital humanists , 2011, J. Documentation.

[7]  Nicholas W. Jankowski,et al.  Epilogue : methodological concerns and innovations in internet research , 2005 .

[8]  Paul Atkinson,et al.  Qualitative Research and Hypermedia: Ethnography for the Digital Age , 2005 .

[9]  N. Baym Tune In, Log On: Soaps, Fandom, and Online Community , 1999 .

[10]  Reynol Junco,et al.  The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades , 2011, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[11]  Cristina Costa Lifelong learning in Web 2.0 environments , 2010 .

[12]  Charles Crook,et al.  Web 2.0 technologies for learning: the current landscape – opportunities, challenges and tensions , 2008 .

[13]  Sara Kiesler,et al.  Social psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication , 1984 .

[14]  Martin Ebner,et al.  Microblogging - more than fun? , 2008 .

[15]  Martin Ebner,et al.  Utilizing Wiki-Systems in higher education classes: a chance for universal access? , 2008, Universal Access in the Information Society.

[16]  P. Dutton Origins of the French Welfare State: Introduction , 2002 .

[17]  N. Couldry,et al.  Media Consumption and Public Engagement: Beyond the Presumption of Attention , 2007 .

[18]  Joanna C. Dunlap,et al.  Tweeting the Night Away: Using Twitter to Enhance Social Presence , 2009 .

[19]  S. Cotten Students' Technology Use and the Impacts on Well-Being. , 2008 .

[20]  Fiona Stewart,et al.  Internet Communication and Qualitative Research: A Handbook for Researching Online , 2000 .

[21]  S. Kiesler,et al.  Response Effects in the Electronic Survey , 1986 .

[22]  Steve Wheeler,et al.  The good, the bad and the wiki: Evaluating student-generated content for collaborative learning , 2008, Br. J. Educ. Technol..

[23]  Brian J. McNely,et al.  Digital publics and participatory education , 2010 .

[24]  Katelyn Y. A. McKenna,et al.  Can you see the real me? Activation and expression of the "true self" on the Internet. , 2002 .

[25]  Pavel Curtis,et al.  Mudding: Social phenomena in text-based virtual realities. , 1997 .

[26]  Willard Richardson,et al.  Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms , 2006 .

[27]  Fiona Stewart,et al.  Internet Communication and Qualitative Research , 2000 .

[28]  Carmen Holotescu,et al.  Using microblogging in education . Case Study : Cirip , 2008 .

[29]  D. Meadows-Klue The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference , 2004 .

[30]  Tony McNeil Twitter is dead: refelections on student resistance to microblogging , 2010 .

[31]  Chika Anyanwu Myth and Realities of New Media Technology , 2003 .

[32]  Wiebe E. Bijker,et al.  Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs: Toward a Theory of Sociotechnical Change , 1995 .

[33]  Barb Palser Hitting the tweet spot: news outlets should use Twitter to reach elusive and valuable audiences , 2009 .

[34]  Michael J. Hannafin,et al.  In search of a future: A critical analysis of research on web-based teaching and learning , 2003 .

[35]  D. Hindman The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier , 1996 .