{"id":13489,"date":"2013-06-28t08:00:17","date_gmt":"2013-06-28t13:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/?p=13489"},"modified":"2013-03-06t11:16:04","modified_gmt":"2013-03-06t16:16:04","slug":"ask-professor-pedagogy-twitter-as-a-learning-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/2013\/06\/ask-professor-pedagogy-twitter-as-a-learning-network\/","title":{"rendered":"ask professor pedagogy: twitter as a learning network"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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ask professor pedagogy<\/strong> is a twice monthly advice column written by 2022年世界杯中国小组赛积分 staff. one aspect of our mission is to cultivate dialogue about teaching and learning, so we welcome questions and concerns that arise in the classroom; particularly those from vanderbilt faculty, students, and staff. if you have a question that you’d like professor p to address, please send it to us<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

dear professor pedagogy,<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

i keep hearing about twitter\u2026 and though i\u2019ve always considered it to be a waste of time but after attending a conference recently where everyone was tweeting and talking about something they called their \u2018twitter plns\u2019 i\u2019m reconsidering. \u00a0do i really need to join the twitter bandwagon or am i safe ignoring this trend?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

twit-less<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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dear twit-less,<\/p>\n

great question! personal learning networks (or plns) have been around for ages. you probably have one right now if you think about it – the people in your pln are most likely your friends, your colleagues, your mentors, and perhaps people at other institutions in your field. but as the internet and tools like twitter have become nearly ubiquitous, plns are beginning to include people from diverse backgrounds, many of whom you won\u2019t know face-to-face. and\u00a0that’s <\/em><\/strong>what all the buzz is about.<\/p>\n

so\u00a0should you bother expanding your pln using twitter?<\/strong><\/p>\n

professor p says yes. twitter can be a place to find advice, give advice, find great links, share your work and engage in general conversation about higher education. and if you ask for it \u2013 get group feedback on ideas and projects. twitter can also be a way to follow trends, get news, and hear about new research your field (or in topics you’re interested in learning more about).<\/p>\n

here are some ways that higher ed faculty and staff are using their plns:
\n–\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0learning from subject-area specialists
\n–\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0locating resources for a course or syllabus, such as free websites and software
\n–\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0getting ideas or advice from experts in the field
\n–\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0learning about new technology and how to integrate it into your teaching
\n–\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0finding collaborative solutions
\n–\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0finding interesting links to higher education news<\/p>\n

how to get started<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/a>1. join twitter.<\/strong> create a username for yourself that will allow others to recognize you. you’ll also want to complete your bio so that others know who you are. be sure to add an image of yourself. twitter users (unlike those of some social networks) tend to use their real names and real images, so you’ll want to do the same.<\/p>\n

2. follow people. <\/strong>there are thousands of people involved in higher education (and in your specific field) around the world on twitter, you just have to know where to find them! no ideas? start with key figures in your field, others at your institution, people who belong to professional organizations you do, popular industry\/advocacy sites or groups, etc. here are a few to get you started:<\/p>\n