Twitter: an ego boosting echo chamber or a learning tool?

Twitter, an online social networking service, has been commonly encouraged as a learning tool for professionals. However to date little evidence exists on how professionals use Twitter for learning purposes. This case study... [ view full abstract ]

Twitter, an online social networking service, has been commonly encouraged as a learning tool for professionals. However to date little evidence exists on how professionals use Twitter for learning purposes. This case study explored the use of Twitter for learning with a group of higher education professionals. Participants consisted of lecturers, learning technologists and academic developers, all interested in learning and developing their teaching practices.
Twitter data of participants was analysed and subsequent interviews investigated how Twitter influenced learning and impacted on professional practice. While all participants advocated Twitter as a tool for learning and revealed that they integrated new knowledge and practices into professional activities, it was revealed that not all participants used Twitter to network socially and learn with others. Barriers to engaging socially on Twitter were identified and described by participants.
The findings of this study show the complexity of professional learning in online public spaces such as Twitter. While participants were technically competent in using Twitter, participants’ sense of belonging and identity in the digital space needed further development. This study calls for more emphasis on the development and support of digital identity if social networks such as Twitter are to be advocated for learning.