This document discusses the benefits and potential downsides of using Twitter and Yammer for communication and knowledge sharing. It outlines several reasons why people use these tools, such as keeping in touch with colleagues, sharing ideas and information, asking questions, and contributing to a shared knowledge base. Some potential downsides mentioned are the time commitment required and the inclusion of promotional or irrelevant content. Teaching applications like collaborative writing and gathering student feedback are also examined.

1. Why would you Twitter or Yammer? Michael Coghlan eDayz 09 12/11/09

2. FROM SMOKE SIGNALS TO THE INTERNET http://www.flickr.com/photos/sundve/3766277273 “ Man - the compulsive communicator.” (David Attenborough)

3. What’s this?

4. What’s this?

5. What’s this?

6. What’s this?

7. “ We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us.” (McLuhan) Each new communication tool has the potential to change the way we communicate. In its early years the Internet delivered email, discussion forums and text chat, and these tools quickly and radically changed the way much of humanity communicated. Most recently Twitter has again changed the communication landscape forever.

8. “ WE SHAPE OUR TOOLS AND THEREAFTER OUR TOOLS SHAPE US.” (MCLUHAN)

9. WHY? Because: You’re totally cool? You want to be like the totally cool people? 140 characters is about all your writing skills can manage? I have to share everything with my friends and colleagues? The Prime Minister and John Cleese do it? You have a lot of spare time? You’re a twit? 

10. WHY? You like to get latest breaking news as it happens? May 2008: “Twitter beats media in reporting China earthquake." An almost real time search tool Now being used by some as an alternative search tool to Google Use of the hash # tag eg #edayz09 http://www.flickr.com/photos/29281982@N00/101951607/

11. WHY? I like to keep in touch with my colleagues beyond my immediate work team. “ It has been a very useful way of extending my network beyond my existing network which is limited to my campus and the people I come into contact with through my day to day work.” (Yammer) “ I feel connected. It’s like having colleagues all in the room at the same time, ready to answer questions and help out.” (Yammer)

12. WHY? I like getting and sharing new ideas about my work. “ ...it has provided me with information about things happening at other campuses that I probably wouldn't have heard about otherwise.” (Yammer) “ New ideas and information, finding out what's out there, some practical things to use.”

13. WHY? I like having a place to ask questions and help others where I can. “ Accessing information quickly from many sources, helping others where I have knowledge that will assist them.” “ A wealth of current info and a wonderful way to get quick answers to a problem you might have.”

14. WHY? I like the idea of contributing to a body of knowledge that all the members of my network (or organisation) have access to. (Knowledge Management) “ It's a brief, instant messaging system (that) saves time and reaches more people in one click, thus provides the potential for a greater range of information sharing/gathering.” http://www.flickr.com/photos/jordigraells/2097554847/

15. WHY? It helps me gain confidence to ask questions. “ It has helped me gain the courage and the confidence to just ask the questions - whatever that may be - I feel that those who I talk with regularly are a bit more 'real' so I am no longer fearful of looking 'stupid'. .... Have visited far more (educational) sites based on info from Yammer than any other method in all my years with TAFE.” http://www.flickr.com/photos/alicepopkorn/3894637970/

16. WHY? I like to communicate with others about live presentations I’m attending. TRACKING THE BACK CHANNEL There is no longer any such thing as an audience. See presentation at http://www.slideshare.net/michaelc/tracking-the-back-channel

17. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjoern/70875998

18. End User Innovation

19. LET’S SEE WHAT THE TWITTER NETWORK SAYS......

20. Can you use these tools in teaching? Teaching with Twitter (Steve Wheeler) ‘ Twit Board’ Notify students of changes to course content, schedules, venues or other important information. (could be done with phone) ‘ Summing Up’ Ask students to read an article or chapter and then post their brief summary or précis of the key point(s). A limit of 140 characters demands a lot of academic discipline. √ ‘ Twit Links’ Share a hyperlink – a directed task for students – each is required to regularly share one new hyperlink to a useful site they have ‘ Micro Write’ Progressive collaborative writing on Twitter. Students agree to take it in turns to contribute to an account or ‘story’ over a period of time. Use the backchannel to provide feedback on classes in real time √ http://www.flickr.com/photos/interplast/141013553/

21. The Downside Twitter – people with something to sell may follow you (you can block them) Takes time: “It has highlighted how much time some people have on their hands!” (Yammer); BUT... the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. There is a lot of trivia http://www.flickr.com/photos/maniya/2471677206/

22. The Downside “ I am troubled about the underlying idea that good and useful communication must be extemporaneous.....extemporaneous conversations are taxed with a degradation of quality.” No opportunity “to reflect on what has been said so far, ... and to research facts and opinions that lie beyond the immediate circle of conversation.” (Frank Lowney) http://www.flickr.com/photos/maniya/2471677206/

23. IMPACT? Image courtesy of Mike Seyfang http://flickr.com/photos/mikeblogs/2506591015 /

24. RESOURCES Teaching with Twitter (Steve Wheeler) Presenting in a networked age (Clark Quinn) Many other resources about Twitter at http://delicious.com/mikecogh/twitter How do you use Yammer? TAFE SA Use of Yammer – Survey Results

25. Michael Coghlan [email_address] THANK YOU