{"id":{"repo_id":"royalroads","oai_identifier":"oai:null:10170/451"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/royalroads/oai:null:10170/451","repository":{"repo_id":"royalroads","name":"Royal Roads University","base_url":"https://www.viurrspace.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The Twitter experience : the role of Twitter in the formation and maintenance of personal learning networks","abstract":"This qualitative phenomenological study involving in-depth interviews with seven educators in K-12 and higher education examines the role that the microblogging service Twitter plays in the formation and development of Personal Learning Networks (PLN) among educators. A double hermeneutic data analysis shows that Twitter plays a role in the formation and development of PLNs by allowing educators to; engage in consistent and sustained dialogue with their PLN, access the collective knowledge of their PLN, amplify and promote more complex thoughts and ideas to a large audience, and expand their PLN using features unique to Twitter. This research also examines the nature of a PLN and shows that participants believe their PLN extends beyond their Twitter network to encompass both face-to-face and other ICT mediated relationships. Secondary research questions examine how Twitter differs from other social networking tools in mediating relationships within a PLN, what motivates an educator to develop a PLN, how trust is established in a PLN, what the expectations of reciprocity are within a PLN, and what is the nature of informal learning within a PLN. Keywords: Twitter, microblogging, Personal Learning Network, PLN, informal learning","abstract_html":"This qualitative phenomenological study involving in-depth interviews with seven educators in K-12 and higher education examines the role that the microblogging service Twitter plays in the formation and development of Personal Learning Networks (PLN) among educators. A double hermeneutic data analysis shows that Twitter plays a role in the formation and development of PLNs by allowing educators to; engage in consistent and sustained dialogue with their PLN, access the collective knowledge of their PLN, amplify and promote more complex thoughts and ideas to a large audience, and expand their PLN using features unique to Twitter. This research also examines the nature of a PLN and shows that participants believe their PLN extends beyond their Twitter network to encompass both face-to-face and other ICT mediated relationships. Secondary research questions examine how Twitter differs from other social networking tools in mediating relationships within a PLN, what motivates an educator to develop a PLN, how trust is established in a PLN, what the expectations of reciprocity are within a PLN, and what is the nature of informal learning within a PLN. Keywords: Twitter, microblogging, Personal Learning Network, PLN, informal learning","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Lalonde, Clint"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Muirhead, William"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011-09-01","date_published":"2011-09-01","updated_at":"2026-08-21T22:21:56Z","subjects":["Professional learning communities","Twitter","Microblogs","Qualitative research (Research methodology)","Phenomenology (Research methodology)","Interviews (Research methodology)"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10170/451","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"source_record":{"url":"https://www.viurrspace.ca/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Anull%3A10170%2F451","prefix":"dim"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Muirhead, William"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Lalonde, Clint"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2011-09-01T16:52:22Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2011-09-01T16:52:22Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2011-09-01"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Professional learning communities","Twitter","Microblogs","Qualitative research (Research methodology)","Phenomenology (Research methodology)","Interviews (Research methodology)"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10170/451"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This qualitative phenomenological study involving in-depth interviews with seven educators in K-12 and higher education examines the role that the microblogging service Twitter plays in the formation and development of Personal Learning Networks (PLN) among educators. A double hermeneutic data analysis shows that Twitter plays a role in the formation and development of PLNs by allowing educators to; engage in consistent and sustained dialogue with their PLN, access the collective knowledge of their PLN, amplify and promote more complex thoughts and ideas to a large audience, and expand their PLN using features unique to Twitter. This research also examines the nature of a PLN and shows that participants believe their PLN extends beyond their Twitter network to encompass both face-to-face and other ICT mediated relationships. Secondary research questions examine how Twitter differs from other social networking tools in mediating relationships within a PLN, what motivates an educator to develop a PLN, how trust is established in a PLN, what the expectations of reciprocity are within a PLN, and what is the nature of informal learning within a PLN. Keywords: Twitter, microblogging, Personal Learning Network, PLN, informal learning"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Twitter experience : the role of Twitter in the formation and maintenance of personal learning networks"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Muirhead, William"],"dc:creator":["Lalonde, Clint"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2011-09-01T16:52:22Z"],"dc:date.available":["2011-09-01T16:52:22Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2011-09-01"],"dc:description.abstract":["This qualitative phenomenological study involving in-depth interviews with seven educators in K-12 and higher education examines the role that the microblogging service Twitter plays in the formation and development of Personal Learning Networks (PLN) among educators. A double hermeneutic data analysis shows that Twitter plays a role in the formation and development of PLNs by allowing educators to; engage in consistent and sustained dialogue with their PLN, access the collective knowledge of their PLN, amplify and promote more complex thoughts and ideas to a large audience, and expand their PLN using features unique to Twitter. This research also examines the nature of a PLN and shows that participants believe their PLN extends beyond their Twitter network to encompass both face-to-face and other ICT mediated relationships. Secondary research questions examine how Twitter differs from other social networking tools in mediating relationships within a PLN, what motivates an educator to develop a PLN, how trust is established in a PLN, what the expectations of reciprocity are within a PLN, and what is the nature of informal learning within a PLN. Keywords: Twitter, microblogging, Personal Learning Network, PLN, informal learning"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10170/451"],"dc:subject":["Professional learning communities","Twitter","Microblogs","Qualitative research (Research methodology)","Phenomenology (Research methodology)","Interviews (Research methodology)"],"dc:title":["The Twitter experience : the role of Twitter in the formation and maintenance of personal learning networks"]},"updated_at":"2026-08-21T22:21:56Z"}