The Assorted Affordances and Uses of Twitter: A Survey of Educators

• In Event: Online Environments to Support Learner Interaction

Abstract

While Twitter is often stereotyped as useless internet chatter, many educators have turned to the service because of its affordances. This medium provides immediacy and brevity, but also diminishes temporal and spatial constraints, allowing users to collaborate based on shared interests. Literature suggests that Twitter is used for professional development (PD), class activities, and communication. Through our survey of 752 educators we sought to better understand how and why educators use the service. Results indicate that while Twitter is utilized by educators in diverse ways, it is typically used on a daily basis for PD purposes and by those seeking a personalized, immediate, and interactive experience. We consider implications for the future of education policy and practice.

Authors

• Jeffrey Paul Carpenter, Elon University

• Daniel G Krutka, Texas Woman's University