Reading the article, In Public: the Shifting Consequences of Twitter Scholarship (http://hybridpedagogy.org/in-public-the-shifting-consequences-of-twitter-scholarship/), by Bonnie Stewart, I have never thought about how scholarships were always kept inside the system. Thinking back on my time in university I applied for many scholarships but they were primarily through the university and other educational institutions. If I did not have the privilege and opportunity to go to university, these scholarships would have passed me by and I would have missed these opportunities.

 

Until now… (reproduced from the article).

 

Historically, it was assumed that you would be applying within the system for the opportunity to learn and had to follow the specific rules to be granted the opportunity. Now, with more money being invested in tech and online resources, it makes sense that the number of open and flexible learning environments has grown. I really like the quote; “the price of admission is not a degree or an accolade or a particular number of publications in the right journals.” It sends a clear message that the status quo is not being adhered to and needs to be changed.

 

Further on in the article, it relates the switch in the scholarship status quo to changes on Twitter. Academic Twitter as a platform allowed a shift in bringing up issues such as identity, sexism and general inequality that was present in the academic world. Like at universities, generally white, older males are the “gatekeepers” of monetary scholarships that aid in research and progression of people’s careers. Twitter provides an environment to have the discussions and approach the issues that need to be addressed. The article illustrates Twitter’s capacity to have real life consequences as people’s thoughts and opinions are put on the main stage.

 

Another quote that I thought was important to Bonnie Stewart’s article was how Twitter is not going to change the academic world overnight and alone but “Consciousness was raised. Initiatives emerged.” Small changes are the start of changing the conversations about the normative paradigm. I really enjoyed the human point of view and voice this article brought out. Too often I am swamped down with highly technical and jargon-filled text.

 

After having Bonnie as a presenter during class, she brought up many ideas that I connected with. She illustrated the benefits of Twitter (PLN, resources, educational Twitter) along with the negative aspects. She explained that an ongoing problem is the increase of polarization and factions that arise on Twitter.

 

http://www.uwindsor.ca/education/426/dr-bonnie-stewart

 

 

This was actually an issue that I had with Twitter, as it seemed this was the only reason people went on Twitter (ie. arguing back and forth just for the sake of arguing and saying outrageous things just to get a reaction). She made a great analogy during her presentation, calling it an echoing chamber that only gave back negativity. It was a battle to find authenticity and a hard place to find honesty.

 

In the discussion I brought up the podcast episode called “Louder” by Reply All.

 

https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/rnhzlo

 

This is a real life story of people constantly upping the ante to provoke a reaction and the social media platforms (YouTube in this case) failing to play referee. The extent to which social media platforms should get involved managing content is another discussion entirely in, but I think it is a good outline of what Bonnie was talking about.

 

As Bonnie’s presentation continued, she moved into the positive realm of Twitter. She talked about educational Twitter, which we have discussed in class and most of us have recently become a part of. It is a great place to find resources and people who share your interests and knowledge. It is a gold mine that runs deep. For one of my final projects, I put out a Tweet asking for any resources or direction towards parent involvement in schools. I was quickly surprised by the information I received. It opens up the floodgates to teachers who want to help and experts in their areas. Twitter allows for the vibrant and active community to help each other and raise each other up to become better professionals.

 

 

 

I will comment more on our presentation by Jeff Hopkins next week.

 

Photo Credit: “Mañana sin twitter” by Karina Ibarra is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0Â