Twitter, Blackboard discussion and in-class discussions are similar in that they allow users and people to express their opinions and elaborate on a topic or issue. However, the amount of information shared on Twitter, Blackboard and in-class vary.
A “tweet” or post on Twitter is short and contains 140 characters. This limits what the user wants to say in one post. In order to create an ongoing discussion on Twitter, others or the author can comment on the same post to elaborate. People also use hashtags to filter discussions about the same topic into a page, which makes it easier to follow all of the topic’s posts, videos or news. Unless the user’s Twitter profile is private, anyone can view the user’s tweets. Therefore, anyone from around the world who finds that post can comment on it.
On the contrary, Blackboard and in-class discussions only include students and the professor of the class. Blackboard allows users to create multiple forums and threads within forums. A forum is the topic of discussion and a thread is a sub-topic. Professors usually create a topic of discussion and have students create threads about the topic. While students publish their thoughts on the topic, they can also comment on their peers’ posts and agree, disagree or elaborate. There is no limit to Blackboard discussions as students can type as much or as little as they would like.
In-class discussions are more interactive in that students meet with everyone in the classroom to talk, not by sitting behind their computers. Professors usually ask a question and students would raise their hands and answer the question. The discussion is live and some students may not necessarily have an answer prepared like they could on Blackboard. Some students are shy and feel like they might be judged on what they say. Therefore, some people may not participate as they would on Blackboard. In addition, class discussions may go off-topic at times whereas Blackboard allows students to be focused on just the topic.
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