Twitter also provide social connections among students. It
can be used to enhance communication building and critical thinking. Domizi
(2013) utilized Twitter in a graduate seminar requiring students to post weekly
tweets to extend classroom discussions. Students reportedly used Twitter to
connect with content and other students. Additionally, students found it
"to be useful professionally and personally". Junco, Heibergert, and
Loken (2011) completed a study of 132 students to examine the link between
social media and student engagement and social media and grades. They divided
the students into two groups, one used Twitter and the other did not. Twitter
was used to discuss material, organize study groups, post class announcements,
and connect with classmates. Junco and his colleagues (2011) found that the
students in the Twitter group had higher GPAs and greater engagement scores
than the control group. Gao, Luo, and Zhang (2012) reviewed literature about
Twitter published between 2008 and 2011. They concluded that Twitter allowed
students to participate with each other in class (back channel), and extend
discussion outside of class. They also reported that students used Twitter to
get up-to-date news and connect with professionals in their field. Students
reported that microblogging encouraged students to "participate at a
higher level". Because the posts cannot exceed 140 characters, students
were required to express ideas, reflect, and focus on important concepts in a
concise manner. Some students found this very beneficial. Other students did
not like the character limit. Also, some students found microblogging to be
overwhelming (information overload). The research indicated that many students
did not actually participate in the discussions, "they just
lurked".
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