In a couple of years, microblogging tools have become very popular. Twitter has become the number 1 tool for learning in just three years – voted by hundreds of learning professionals in this survey at Jane Hart’s site. Microblogging platforms are a great tool to keep you updated with latest trends & get real time support or answers to questions. You could even search for information on these tools themselves and get some good links to follow.
As a personal learning tool, Twitter is great but it’s a public platform and what you share on it is available to everyone, some organizations may need tools which can be installed behind their firewalls (Laconica, Yonkly) or that is available as a secure private service (Yammer). All these tools have functionality that’s similar to Twitter.
Organizations are using these tools for workplace learning and performance support. Here’s what for:
1. Broadcasting information – with microblogging information sharing can happen in the real time and anyone make contribution unlike discussion boards or emails. To make all this simple the organizations are integrating these tools into their eLearning courses/LMS.
2. Performance support – using microblogging organizations can provide real-time performance support with quick tips and links to resources [like pdf files, quizzes, YouTube videos, flickr/picasa photos etc.]. Microblogging is great for just-in-time support.
3. Expert Guidance – by using microblogging tools employees can follow SMEs or tutors after the training to explore more about that topic. Lists of all such experts can be created and integrated within the learning portal. Learners can follow lists or some individuals.
4. Live Discussion Forums – microblogging is also useful for live discussions. You can schedule it at a particular time and decide on a unique hashtag for the session. People can share their ideas/thoughts and get to know differing points of views. It usually generates a large repository of ideas, opinions and links. One can take time to reflect on them later. In the learning community #lrnchat is one such example of a Twitter discussion forum.
5. Knowledge Repository – the search feature of microblogging tools can be used to extract information anytime. You can refer back to your own updates/messages, search on a topic and get pointed information. If you know of an expert on that subject/topic, you can use that too in your search.
6. Back Channel - the workplace can also use microblogging as a back channel for live training webcasts to track the user’s responses, ask questions or to share any related information. These tools can also be integrated within live webcasts too.
Who is using it?
Qualcomm – here is a case study [slide share presentation] on how Qualcomm has used Micro-blogging for learning –
OcĂ© – Here is another example explaining how OcĂ© has used microblogging in performance support and knowledge sharing.
If you are interested in using Twitter in classroom here’s a great video on how to do it:
March 8th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Thanks for mentioning my site and the Top 100 Tools for Learning activity. I am sure your readers will also be interested to read my Guide to 140 Learning: How to use Twitter, Facebook and Google Buzz for Social Learning – http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/140Learning/index.html
March 8th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
I enjoyed this post which I found through a feed from eLearning Learning, particularly with my proposed research interest in workplace learning and technologies. It caused me to reflect on the multitude of tweets and tweeted (RT) posts on Twitter that often seem to be more than we can handle. The RT posters are sharing a wealth of knowledge as they write and find articles and words of wisdom to pass along.
When we engage through writing reflectively about something it often strengthens our learning and the likelihood that we will retain the knowledge, less likely if we are just reading the tweets as they pass before us. I am led to wonder if these tweets and RTs receive more tweet replies than regular blog entries typically do. Perhaps even stronger is the tweet that leads to a blog or other article where comments can be posted and discussions ensue.
Yes, microblogging can be a powerful source of informal learning in the workplace and outside (which might still pertain to the workplace). Many blogs do not gain the engagement that would contribute to increased learning through the reflective writing process. Is microblogging doing better in this regard?
March 9th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Great post Yogesh.
I’ve summarize the major advantages of micro.blog for an enterprise use. I’ll recommend this post to colleges an costumers. Nice work!
March 17th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
@Tony – Microblogging doesn’t help in reflective learning as content is limited to a small number of characters. It does help get link to some great resources or blogs.  As I have mentioned, a learner can always refer back to the tweets/updates to find those links.
@Hugo – could you please provide a link to the post referred to in your comment
March 18th, 2010 at 11:40 pm
Microblogging, learning, and reflective writing…
This discussion started with an excellent blog post by Yogesh Agarwal on The Upside Learning Solutions Blog, How to Use Microblogging in Workplace Learning. I provided a comment that linked microblogging, reflective writing, and increased informal lear…
April 30th, 2010 at 12:29 am
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