Mobile microblogging: Using Twitter and mobile devices in an online course to promote learning in authentic contexts

Yu-Chang Hsu,Yu-Hui Ching

doi:10.19173/irrodl.v13i4.1222

Abstract

This research applied a mixed-method design to explore how best to promote learning in authentic contexts in an online graduate course in instructional message design. The students used Twitter apps on their mobile devices to collect, share, and comment on authentic design examples found in their daily lives. The data sources included tweets (i.e., postings on Twitter), students’ perceptions about mobile microblogging activities, and self-reported Twitter usage. Based on the tweet analysis, we found that the students appropriately applied the design principles and design terms in their critique of design examples. While the students were mainly engaged in assignment-relevant activities, they spontaneously generated social tweets as they related peers’ authentic design examples to their own life experiences. Overall, they had positive perceptions toward the mobile microblogging activities. The students also indicated that the design examples shared by peers through mobile microblogging inspired their own message design work. We synthesized instructional design suggestions and challenges for educators interested in incorporating mobile microblogging in their instructional settings.<p style="text-indent: 0px; margin: 0px;"> </p><p> </p>

Highlights

The recent advances in mobile devices make mobile learning possible through the powerful computing capability built into their conveniently small sizes, their Internet connectivity, and the availability of many types of easy-to-use mobile software applications (“mobile apps” hereafter) (Johnson, Levine, Smith, & Stone, 2010)
We showed how to promote learning in authentic contexts through mobile microblogging
We found that the students in our study appropriately applied the design principles and terms they learned in class when they critiqued the examples collected by themselves and their peers

Summary

Introduction

The recent advances in mobile devices make mobile learning possible through the powerful computing capability built into their conveniently small sizes, their Internet connectivity, and the availability of many types of easy-to-use mobile software applications (“mobile apps” hereafter) (Johnson, Levine, Smith, & Stone, 2010). The major affordances of mobile computing technologies for learning include (a) mobility, the small sizes of the devices, making them highly portable, which enhances user mobility (Brown, 2009) and easy access to mobile devices; (b) computing power, relatively strong computing power, which enables users to complete tasks on small devices as effectively as on larger and less portable devices (Lai & Wu, 2006); (c) connectivity, always-on and stable Internet connectivity with high bandwidth, which allows for instant access to large amounts of information and real-time communication regardless of location (Johnson, Smith, Willis, Levine, & Haywood, 2011) These features unleash tremendous possibilities for innovative uses in education. All these advantages allow mobile device users to learn in their desired or preferred locations and physical contexts

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Conclusion