Weekly Report and Reflection Post #5

Well... I can officially state I have joined the world of Twitter!  I know it may seem hard to believe but I have never entertained or thought about joining this social networking tool.  Nonetheless, no turning back now, Twitter is my latest addition to my personal learning network.  This tool is actually a great way to build one's PLN because this social media site is like a two way street. It is a productive way of sharing short and concise updates about myself and interesting information or news I find on the Internet.  I can state this is an addition to my PLN because I am learning from other people and also sharing information with individuals I may or may not know.   That statement may sound a little scary or intimidating to some users.  However, if we follow the rules of Netiquette I believe we will remain on the right path and as a result maintain a positive digital footprint! 

           Now... what did I learn or notice in my exploration of Twitter?  Twitter seems to be a very fast pace social networking instrument.  The news feeds change so often that every time I went back into my account, new posts filled the page.  One thing that certainly surprised me was the fact that it might not be as easy as I thought to acquire followers.  It also took me some time to figure out the correct way to post a tweet and the proper use of phrases called # Hashtags.  The help page on the k12learning20.wikispaces.com website titled Anatomy of Twitter Lingo @ Reply, #Hashtag, Retweet, Favorite and the video "How to post a Tweet" really helped me learn this Internet trend.  

       I also can see a few advantages and disadvantages of this social media platform.  One advantage is that you only need to post a maximum of 140 characters.  This is great for people that don't like writing long messages.  I was slightly challenged with this feature when I was posting an article; nevertheless once I grew accustomed to condensing a thought and point form messaging, it became quite natural.  An additional benefit to Twitter is that it is not only a social networking site to socialize with friends and colleague's, it also can be used to gain knowledge and learn from other Twitter members, companies, or new agencies.  I personally never thought about this aspect of Twitter... I always thought it was just for socializing!  Even though there are many advantages with this particular social media source, there are also some disadvantages.   The first possible drawback of Twitter is that it could be a time waster and secondly, it is a social tool that could expose individuals to the possibility of bullying.  However, I am not one to dwell on the negative sides of things.  Therefore, I would like to share an interesting experience I already had with Twitter this past week.  I re-posted an article to Twitter that I read on my Feedly reader.  Within hours after I posted this article, the Digital Trends website that I subscribe too asked me to follow them on Twitter.  I found it fascinating how interconnected all these learning networks actually are to one another. 

        Lastly, I would like to share an interesting article posted on the Brock University Student Bloggers site titled Why Reading Week is Essential for Students.  It is a good read and explains why “Reading Week” is so important for university students.  I am personally looking forward to this week off, having some down time, and working in advance on assignments that are due in the very near future! 

Wishing everyone a great, safe reading week!

Alex

 

Gleefan ©2009.

 Brock University Student Bloggers (2015). Why Reading Week is Essential for Students. Retrieved from http://www.brocku.ca/blogs/futurestudents/

Retrieved from http://www.gleefan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/twitter-logo.png

k12 Learning 20 (2011). Anatomy of Twitter Lingo @Reply, # Hashtag, Retweet, Favorite.  Retrieved from http://k12learning20.wikispaces.com/twitter_lingo

Jing (2015). How to post a Tweet. Retrieved from http://screencast.com/t/z2dby76hdqe