by Edward O'Neill Where does instructional technology fit in the teaching-learning process? This is our enduring question. This presentation offers three complementary ways we can answer this question. Who is reading, and who is writing? In what networks do these messages circulate? What does the technology do and enable? Is it supporting close textual analysis, the presentation of examples or simply capturing elements of the classroom experience? Which moments in the teaching-learning process do the technology support? E.g. does the technology arouse interest, give learners feedback, etc.? Rather than expound abstractly on this framework, this presentation consists of 26 ways of using Twitter for teaching and learning. Inspired by Wallance Stevens' poem "13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird", I will shift from a bird to a tweet, and I will double down on Stevens' poem by going from 13 to 26. For Twitter-haters, Twitter merely serves as a stand-in for any technology that can support learning.

1. 1. #title 26 Ways of Using
Twitter for Teaching &
Learning: Using 3
Frameworks & In 52 tweets.
With apologies to Wallace
Stevens. #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

2. 2. W. Stevens wrote a poem
"13 Ways of Looking at a
Blackbird." '26 Ways of Using
Twitter' doubles down on WS.
In 52 tweets = WSx4
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

3. 3. 52 tweets at 140
characters per tweet = 7,280
characters. By my reckoning,
that's over 1,000 words--quite
a short lecture! #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

4. 4. True confession: I once
had a p/t job writing movie
reviews in the form of SMS
messages. Sometimes I wrote
them as haikus. #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

5. 5. #problem Two professors
come to you. One teaches a lit
course, one socsci. They want
to use twitter. What do you tell
them? #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

6. 6. #assumptions Twitter
can't "make" anyone learn.
Nor can any tool. Using it?
Trivial. #zerosupport Using it
WELL? *Much* harder.
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

7. 7. Here's how NOT to apply
technology to teaching:
discover the perfect theory of
learning, then "just" apply it.
#yeahright #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

8. 8. You don't have infinite
time. There are too many
competing theories. Standards
of proof vary. "Application" is
non-trivial. #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

9. 9. #obstacle Intellectuals
believe almost religiously in
abstraction. And they are
mostly unaware of this fact.
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

10. 10. Instead of abstract vs.
concrete, practical arts are
often inductive: they make an
instance from a type.
#objectoriented #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

11. 11. Using learning
technology is less about
applying theory to practice &
more about cloning learning
tools that already work.
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

12. 12. 3 frameworks for
cloning learning tools:
#framework1 who reads? who
writes? #framework2 main
tool functions #framework3
#Gagne #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

13. 13. #framework1 Who
writes & who reads?
Instructors, pupils, both?
Stuart Hall called this
#encoding & #decoding.
#culturalstudies #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

14. 14. #framework1 The
instructor writes & students
read. Prototypical instance:
the lecture. #prototype
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

15. 15. We know a lecture can
be tweeted: I'm doing it now.
#reflexive #meta #QED
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

16. 16. #application The
instructor tweets the #lecture-
-which students must then
assemble. #lit #socsci
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

17. 17. #framework1
Instructors & students alike
all read the same thing. The
prototypical instance is: the
textbook. #prototype
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

18. 18. Students tweet quotes
from the #textbook to map
highlights. #lit Students
analyze twitter topics &
trends as behavior. #socsci
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

19. 19. #framework1 Students
write & instructors read. The
prototypical instance is:
homework. #prototype
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

20. 20. #application The
instructor tweets questions
which the students reply to in
further tweets. #homework
#lit #socsci #convo #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

21. 21. #framework1 Students
read & write. This used to be
called "cheating" or "passing
notes." Now it's called
#collaboration. #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

22. 22. #application Students
tweet backchannel discussion
in class; the instructor
pointedly ignores this.
#passingnotes #lit #socsci
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

23. 23. Students & instructors
alike discuss, inside & outside
the classroom. The
#socialclassroom has no walls.
#lit #socsci #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

24. 24. #framework2 Gagne
detailed nine 'moments' in the
teaching-learning process.
#referencebyincorporation
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

25. 25. #gagne01 Gain
attention. Student interest:
"Why does this matter? What
are the consequences of NOT
knowing this?" #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

26. 26. #gagne02 Focus on the
learning goal. Student
interest: "What will I learn to
do & how will achievement be
measured?" #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

27. 27. #gagne03 Recall prior
knowledge. Student interest:
"What do I already know? Tell
me how I am halfway there."
#motivation #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

28. 28. #gagne04 Demonstrate
& model learning. Student:
"What does this look like?"
Teacher: "Here's what you'll
do..." #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

29. 29. #gagne05 Provide
guidance on the learning
process. "What will help me to
learn this?"/"Here are some
'pro tips.'" #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

30. 30. #gagne06 Provide
opportunities for practice.
"Can I try this myself?"/"Heck
yes--try it yourself." #handson
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

31. 31. #gagne07 Give usable
feedback. "How am I
doing?"/"Here's where you can
improve." #actionable
#minimal
#minimalistparadigm
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

32. 32. #gagne08 Assess
performance. "How did I
do?"/"Here's what you did
well...and not so well."
#bigpicture #positivesfirst
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

33. 33. #gagne09 Enhance
learning transfer. "What can I
do now that I could not do
before?"/"Here's where you
can go next." #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

34. 34. #gagne01 #gagne03 The
instructor tweets a question
before class. Students reply
with their own relevant
knowledge. #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

35. 35. #gagne02 #gagne04
#gagne01 The instructor
tweets links to real examples
of the kind of work students
will do--maybe a rubric, too.
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

36. 36. #gagne05 Students
tweet each other while they
learn--to alert each other
about obstacles & roadblocks.
#p2p #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

37. 37. #gagne06 For small
things, students can #practice
on twitter. #thesisstatements
Or link to online work-in-
progress. #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

38. 38. #gagne07 Instructors
can tweet general #feedback--
useful to more than one
student. "Are you using the
semi-colon right?" #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

39. 39. #gagne08 Don't tweet
student grades--or comments
that imply grades! But
instructors can tweet about
general performance.
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

40. 40. #gagne09 Students
tweet after each lesson on
themes like "how I can apply
what I learned" or "where I see
this in the world." #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

41. 41. #framework3 Learning
technology performs known
functions: #communicative,
#exemplary, #evidentiary,
#documentary, #aesthetic.
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

42. 42. #framework3
#communicative Technology
amplifies messages: the p.a.
system, the blackboard, the
overhead are #prototypes.
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

43. 43. Teachers & students
tweet with course & topic
hashtags to announce &
discuss outside class.
#communicative #socsci #lit
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

44. 44. #framework3
#exemplary Technology can
model a set of relationships:
the map on the wall, a model
skeleton are #prototypes.
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

45. 45. #application For a
course on social relationships,
Twitter itself could model
social relationships.
#exemplary #socsci
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

46. 46. #framework3
#evidentiary Technology can
provide a data set to analyze:
data sets, microscope slides
are #prototypes. #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

47. 47. #evidentiary Twitter is
the data set. Students
research social issues using
Twitter as a body of evidence.
#socsci #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

48. 48. #framework3
#documentary Technology
can record & document the
learning process: recordings
of lectures. #prototypes
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

49. 49. #framework3 #aesthetic
Technology can condense
multiple layers of meaning: a
painting, novel or film are
#prototypes. #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

50. 50. #aesthetic Twitter is an
aesthetic platform. It's the
logical place for the Future of
the Epistolary Novel. #lit
#52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

51. 51. #concluding
#learningtransfer
Stanislavski invented a
method for actors: an end to
"inspiration." Teachers need
the same. #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012

52. 52. #concluding The
blackboard & the lecture are
already "learning
technologies." Cloning these
objects is a "method" for
#edtech. #52tweets
Edward R. O’Neill, Ph.D.
January 4, 2012