Introducing Live Microblogging: How Single Presentations Can Be Enhanced by the Mass

Web 2.0 technologies pervade our daily life as well as educational settings. A fairly new approach is communication through so called microblogging channels. Mobile devices with Internet access can be used to send short messages from a microblog. Combined with social network environments, applications such as Twitter, Jaiku, Pownce, and Plurk enrich our ways of communication. At Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) some research work has been done to investigate using microblogging tools to improve face-to-face lectures. The study described in this paper took place at a large international conference on e-learning, where a Twitter channel was established for discussion among the participants of the conference and those from outside. This stream was also used to “tweet” (post on Twitter) statements during the keynote presentations. By viewing the tweet-channel via an additional projector, the audience was able to follow the live-blogging session synchronously to the ongoing speech.

[1]  Martin Ebner,et al.  E-Learning 2.0 = e-Learning 1.0 + Web 2.0? , 2007, The Second International Conference on Availability, Reliability and Security (ARES'07).

[2]  Tim O'Reilly,et al.  What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software , 2007 .

[3]  Yvonne Rogers,et al.  Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction , 2002 .

[4]  S. Caddick.  Wiki and other ways to share learning online , 2006, Nature.

[5]  J. Woods.  Beyond the comfort zone. , 2005, Australian nursing journal.

[6]  Andreas Holzinger,et al.  A Study about Motivation in Computer Aided Mathematics Instruction with Mathematica 3.0 , 1997 .

[7]  Brendan Murphy,et al.  Podcasting in higher education , 2008 .

[8]  Agnes Kukulska-Hulme,et al.  Mobile learning: a handbook for educators and trainers , 2005 .

[9]  Wanlei Zhou,et al.  Teaching and learning online with wikis , 2004 .

[10]  Agnes Kukulska-Hulme and John Traxler.  Mobile teaching and learning , 2007 .

[11]  Chris Evans,et al.  The effectiveness of m-learning in the form of podcast revision lectures in higher education , 2008, Comput. Educ..

[12]  Stephen Downes.  E-learning 2.0 , 2005, ELERN.

[13]  Timothy W. Finin,et al.  Why we twitter: understanding microblogging usage and communities , 2007, WebKDD/SNA-KDD '07.

[14]  Joseph Luca,et al.  Can Blogs promote fair and equitable teamwork , 2005 .

[15]  Tim Berners-Lee,et al.  Information Management: A Proposal , 1990 .

[16]  Luvai Motiwalla,et al.  Mobile learning: A framework and evaluation , 2007, Comput. Educ..

[17]  Martin Ebner,et al.  Has the Net Generation Arrived at the University? – oder Studierende von Heute, Digital Natives? , 2008 .

[18]  Martin Ebner,et al.  Can Microblogs and Weblogs change traditional scientific writing , 2008 .

[19]  Austin Henderson,et al.  Interaction design: beyond human-computer interaction , 2002, UBIQ.

[20]  Richard J. Anderson,et al.  Promoting Interaction in Large Classes with Computer-Mediated Feedback , 2003, CSCL.

[21]  Andreas Holzinger,et al.  Lifelong-learning support by m-learning: example scenarios , 2005, ELERN.

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

[23]  M. Gleason,et al.  Better Communication in Large Courses , 1986 .

[24]  Inmaculada Arnedillo-Sánchez,et al.  Mobile Learning [Guest editor's introduction] , 2007 .

[25]  M. Weiser.  The Computer for the Twenty-First Century , 1991 .

[26]  J. Traxler.  Defining, Discussing and Evaluating Mobile Learning: The moving finger writes and having writ . . . . , 2007 .

[27]  M. Prensky.  Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants , 2001 .

[28]  Kenneth T. Henson,et al.  What's the Use of Lecturing? , 1980 .

[29]  Mark Weiser.  The computer for the 21st century , 1991 .

[30]  William G. Griswold.  Five Enablers for Mobile 2.0 , 2007, Computer.

[31]  Anne Bartlett-Bragg.  Blogs @ anywhere: High fidelity online communication , 2005 .