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Media Credit: twitter.com

There's been a significant amount of attention around the group messaging application called Twitter since its emergence in 2006. According to the New York Times, twitter.com was the 765th most popular website in January. The founders claim their product allows users to easily find out what their friends are doing quickly. But does Twitter have potential in an academic context? Pace faculty members are examining this question.

Dr. Beth Klingner, Assistant Dean of Dyson College and Instructor of Technology, said she has noticed the attention Twitter is gaining in the media and is working on incorporating it at Pace as another means of communication between colleagues as well as between professors and students.

Klingner has used Twitter herself to experiment with her friends, describing it as "mobile micro blogging."

The founders describe it in a similar way, based on the press release featured on their website.

"People are eager to connect with other people and Twitter makes that simple. Twitter asks one question, 'What are you doing?' Answers must be under 140 characters in length and can be sent via mobile texting, instant message, or the web."

As far as using Twitter at Pace, Klingner says it could be another possible way to send out announcements across campus, such as snow closings and news alerts.

Klingner also suggested ways in which Twitter could be used in the classroom. One of the features of Twitter allows users to track a word and see the different contexts in which it is used. She said students can use this to "grasp new concepts" by searching phrases or vocabulary words they hear in their classes.

Klingner said some faculty members are trying it out for themselves, while others are hesitant.

"At first glance I think it's difficult for faculty to see its academic application… [Some are] cautious, they want to understand the technology and see the academic value," she said.

Dr. Bette Kirschstein, an associate professor in the English department, is one faculty member who expressed hesitance about using Twitter in an academic setting.

"Students have to take on a certain level of responsibility and faculty shouldn't be making it so easy for them," she said. "Email should be sufficient."

Dr. Linda Anstendig, a professor in the English department, on the other hand, is considering using the system in her classroom in the fall.

"I could imagine its benefits for doing research," she said. "Also, as a writing professor, I'm always interested in new media where students can practice writing skills. The writing challenge with Twitter is that students need to be very concise, writing text messages of 140 characters or less."

However, she also expressed concern that using Twitter could be overwhelming in the classroom setting by adding to the ways professors communicate with students, and vice versa.

"I guess it could turn into a quick way for students and professors to communicate with each other, or on the other hand just add to the technology overload. The question remains whether students and professors will take to it, and find worthwhile applications for their courses."

Klingner pointed out that users could turn-off Twitter at any time.

A New York Times article described Twitter as "kind of like a G.P.S. with words," however, Klingner stated, "I don't think that's the way we'd want to use it."

"We probably haven't seen the beginning of what it can do academically," Klingner said. "A lot of applications start off socially…Students are always leading the way."

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