Twitter discussions differ from Blackboard discussions in many ways. I think that the primary reason for this is the anonymity that Twitter provides compared to a Blackboard discussion. In Blackboard, you know exact who the person posting this post or response is while on Twitter, not everyone knows who you are. You are free from the restriction of being professional in your responses and free from having to cater your answer in a way that would please others. Another contributing factor I believe is the lack of updates Blackboard provides. When someone posts something or replies to a thread you are following, there is no notification. For me personally, it can be a hassle to constantly hit the refresh button to have a discussion going. Twitter on the other hand, provides you updates and notifications that tell you when someone has replied, liked your response, or even shared your response with other people. Although Blackboard discussions are more professional, Twitter discussions are more interactive and may draw out more responses that don't feel like they were forced.
Even when compared to an in-class discussion, I believe Twitter has the upper hand. Twitter still provides that anonymity that people may need to express their opinions. An In-Class discussion may make people uncomfortable to share their opinions because of their social nature (introverted/shy) or they cannot think of any answer at the moment to contribute to the discussion.
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