Abstract
Drawing on sociological, psychological and pedagogic theories, this article offers a conceptualisation of Twitter and Twitter chats as a continuous multilogue within communities of practice and/or communities of interest (CoP and CoI).This article examines the collapsing and increasingly overlapping boundaries of formal and informal education and locates Twitter chats within this overlapping area. Furthermore, conceptualising Twitter interactions as multilogue conversations, the article offers an object relational conception of knowledge, knowledge generation, and learning and a dynamic interpretation of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and the notion of More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) to offer a theorisation and pedagogic perspective in relation to Twitter and Twitter chats.The article concludes by considering some of the implications of such a theorisation for individual and professional identity, learning and pedagogy.
Highlights
In the dialogues of Plato, there is a superb depiction of educational practice in ancient Greece, representing Socrates talking to students who are seeking to learn
Communication and conversations involve coding and decoding of verbal and non-verbal symbols and the ability to relate to or imagine the meaning intended by one’s interlocutor. This is a necessary condition for achieving mutual understanding that is foundational to learning and knowledge generation processes
While Twitter messages can be addressed to any Twitter user, bridging temporal, spatial, social and other divides and initiating a potential conversation, the asymmetry of Twitter follower and following creates a unique setting that is different from other social media platforms and is reflective of the perceived (‘actual’ or ‘imagined’) relational and/or power imbalances within the Twittersphere
Summary
In the dialogues of Plato, there is a superb depiction of educational practice in ancient Greece, representing Socrates talking to students who are seeking to learn. The main focus of discussion is to advance thinking rather than establishing the expertise of the learner This emphasises a focus on learning and its social, participatory and relational dimensions and highlights the importance of active and dialogical conversation as an exploratory and experiential process in teaching and learning. Communication and conversations involve coding and decoding of verbal and non-verbal symbols and the ability to relate to or imagine the meaning intended by one’s interlocutor. This is a necessary condition for achieving mutual understanding that is foundational to learning and knowledge generation processes. Twitter and Twitter chat can be conceptualised as a continuous multilogue
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