Mad-style Free-Style Twitter Chatting on the MOOC

Meme twitter chat

We hosted our first Twitter Chat last night, and boy, talk about a mad rush of ideas. I’ve taken part in chats before, but to be (with my friend, Terry) one of the facilitators as tweets come fast and furious was interesting and little breathtaking in its pace and speed. The hour flew by and before I knew it, we had begun and ended. In between those time warp moments, though, a slew of folks chimed in about where they were from, what they were doing in the Making Learning Connected MOOC, how they were making connections, and more.

Topics moved from the digital versus non-digital “makes,” and the use of infographics in the classrooms, and how to make connections with others outside of the MOOC. There was more sharing of technology tools, and instructions on how to begin to establish stronger connections within the community.

It was fascinating to see the conversations unfolding, blasting down the screen. Terry and I had a list of questions ready, which we popped into the mix every now and then, but for the most part, our job was welcoming folks and validating ideas, and asking questions to spur the conversations further along. You know the phrase, herding cats? That was what it was like, but in a good way, as if all the cats were purring and ready for play.

And in fact, the beauty of the MOOC community that we are helping to establish is that it can be self-sufficient, and supportive from within, with only minimal structural help from the facilitators. That’s a wonderful thing.

Peace (in the reflection),
Kevin

 

3 Comments
  1. I find Twitter #Chats can get incredibly busy so I can’t keep up or follow specific threads. Not to worry, a #Search can bring the conversation into focus later on and conversations continue. I do better with the asynchronous conversations later on and find that folks are still interested in staying connected around a thought or idea.

  2. It was awesome. Twitter chats work well when folks come together to share ideas. It was also a chance to interact with new clmooc participants I had not seen in G+. You’re right we didn’t need a lot of guidance the conversation moved along on it’s own, very organic. I did like the questions and the encouragement.

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