On Friday, July 13, 2018, I participated in my first slow twitter chat with Higher Education Digital Identity (a.k.a. #HEdigID) Chat. Once a month, on the second Friday, the assigned host, in this case @SuzanKoseoglu, posts 6 questions and the conversation usually continues over 24 hours. A transcript of the first 24 hours is collected and posted.
I experienced my first slow chat and my first twitter storm. A slow chat, unlike twitter chats that are scheduled over a one hour period, is a chat aimed at a larger population, across time zones or where internet connections are spotty. A slow chat can can last 8 to 24 hours. A twitter storm is a sudden surge in a topic or around a twitter thread where you receive notification of every addition and every like or retweet.
The conversation did not end after 24 hours, it continued through the weekend and into the next week in part because of lurking. This aspect, the idea that people listen in but don’t contribute – in twitter chats, online discussions, forums, online courses, MOOCs and more sparked both debate and analysis. I found it fascinating to hear perspectives from around the world and from different viewpoints as HE professionals discussed their thoughts as both leaders and users of discussions and courses.
I am a lurker. I lurked in the #HEdigid chat, for the most part. I contributed 9 tweets. It was my first slow chat. I wasn’t sure what to expect or what I might have to offer. Maybe next time, I will add more. Maybe not. In this round, it was connecting to the discussion that was valuable to me. Let’s just say, I was applying the Educational Theory of Apprenticeship to slow twitter chats. I posted something to be a part of the conversation and then sat back and learned from others on both the topic and the manner in which they participated in the discourse.
Here is what I learned:
Curiosity. Respectful questions for clarity and understanding are welcome.
That (noteworthy) article is about the practice of rhizomatic learning. Does the practice in all its complexity meet the promise of the theory? Not necessarily, not for all members of (which?) community. who is in, who is out, whose perspectives? #HEdigID
— ℳąhą Bąℓi, PhD مها بالي 🌷 (@Bali_Maha) July 13, 2018
Sharing resources. Does the discussion remind you of your own work or someone elses? Share it.
Participant association and emergent curriculum in a MOOC: can the community be the curriculum? Research in Learning Technology, 24. Available at: https://t.co/DCk4tSr8cu #HEdigID by @francesbell @jennymackness and @mdvfunes
— Suzan Koseoglu (@SuzanKoseoglu) July 13, 2018
Building on others comments. “Yes and” thoughts make for a fuller discussion.
Yes I can understand your thinking there, for me #heutagogy describes how we learn in an information rich environment #hedigid connectivism = human networks for refining/testing understanding #hedigid
— Teresa MacKinnon (@WarwickLanguage) July 15, 2018
Agreement. Your comment can simply to agree.
honestly, I thought I was the only one doing that 🙂 #HEdigID #OEP
— Suzan Koseoglu (@SuzanKoseoglu) July 13, 2018
Make it personal. Your antidote regarding your approach, your thinking and your lived experience has value.
I had a gradual approach to using social media and open practices too – over several years! Also accompanied by lots of reading, resources, and slow mindset changes as I learned about different ideas, aspects, and pros/cons of why/why not to do certain things.#HEdigID
— נєииιfєя єиgℓυи∂ (@jmenglund03) July 13, 2018
Compliments. Building up others is good.
Love this.. How do we reach the digitally shy and resistant? What does mean to be shy and resistant in open online platforms? I’m noting these on the shared doc together with @IrenequStewart‘s comments #OEP #HEdigID
— Suzan Koseoglu (@SuzanKoseoglu) July 13, 2018
Feel free to mute the twitter storm.
and of course Frances @francesbell for the blog entry on the snowball efect of Twitter – without which I wouldn’t have learned about theTwitter-Mute option from the feedback on this post 🙂 #HEdigID https://t.co/f0t01nX7fS https://t.co/dpGe7BL38g
— Sue Watling 🐚🌱🌙 (@suewatling) July 19, 2018
The conversation does not have to stop.
Finally, I would like to share two blog posts from Sue Watling as she continues to explore the question of digitally shy and lurking:
The Other Side of Lurking Part One; a unique distance from isolation https://t.co/lTTcvcMkuK pic.twitter.com/pB14GUGUqw
— Sue Watling 🐚🌱🌙 (@suewatling) July 19, 2018
The Other Side of Lurking Part Two, searching for explanations, digital imposter syndrome or self-efficacy? https://t.co/3SzP6v2S64 pic.twitter.com/ETZRzMoGZW
— Sue Watling 🐚🌱🌙 (@suewatling) July 20, 2018
Featured Image: Photo by Aaron Mello on Unsplash
