Blog about Twitter

Twitter only allows simple discussions. And because it only allows up to 140 characters in a tweet, it has to be mainly relevant to the topic, otherwise, one has to post more than one tweet. However, it is more convenient in terms of getting notice about replies and updates of others than a blackboard discussion, in other words, it is more interactive and fun, because one can participate in a topic discussion by typing a # ahead his tweet, others can also leave comments to a specific person by typing a @ in front of a user name.

A blackboard discussion is similar to a twitter discussion except it has no character limits. It takes some amount of skills and time to navigate its less user-friendly interface. Compared to a twitter discussion, it encourage user to express idea without having to trim it down to 140 characters and in a detailed manner. One major disadvantage is that users do not get notices about others' comments on their posts such that it is much less interactive.

There is nothing comparable to an in-class discussion in that it is more interactive than any other social networking sites. In-class discussions do create the most natural and engaging environment because it requires the most attention. Discussing about a controversial topic in-class vs. online will always differ. In-class discussion provides a more intimate environment.