Really amazing. I can say that @cuizoo was one of the people cranking on twitter last night. We actually heard that Obama was going to give his press conference via twitter a good hour before the break in on TV. I am continuously amazed at how much social platforms have transformed the speed that conversations move forward. Sure we would have watched this amazing and historic event in our own homes unfold via TV a few years ago, but we certainly wouldn’t have been able to watch it with our friends and contacts globally.
What I noticed watching my wife was how engaged in a more global conversation she was while watching TV via social media. While this isn’t the same kind of thing that happens in a class, there are so many things to understand about what is happening here that is driving these new forms and patterns of behaviors. I still contend that twitter and Facebook are creating new forms of conversations that can support and extend traditional modes of learning … At a minimum last night’s events proves to me that people want to be able to instantly connect to people who matter to them to make events more meaningful. I am wondering how to connect those dots to a learning community.
Speaking of social media, how about the pictures from the White House on Flickr?
Sometimes it seems quite simple, doesn’t it? A major event that, if you had invited friends over to watch and listen, you would all be buzzing in conversation. These social media tools and now with the extended networks created the past few years, allow for instant albeit ‘different’ conversations to occur as fast as you can type on your device. With access via mobile technology now, more people engage. Having your iPhone on your couch is more appealing than grabbing your laptop. It’s extension into learning is still tough for us to get a handle on but the means for conversation are in place.