#crit101 Twitter Discussion – Tonight 7-8PM (GMT)

Twitter BirdThe first #crit101 Twitter discussion takes place this evening between 7:00PM and 8:00PM.

As previously discussed, sharing and discussing ideas encountered in the course is an important aspect of learning to become an in(ter)dependent learner. I hope that you will all be able to join in.

In this first discussion there will be an opportunity to ask any questions that you may still have about the course. Then we will turn our attention to the idea of learning to become a more independent learner. What did you make of the learner survey and reading materials from week one? Do you agree with everything you have read? Are there ideas or concepts that you disagree with or are unsure about? Tonight’s discussion is a chance to explore,  test and debate.

Joining in with a discussion on Twitter for the first time, with multiple participants, can be a bit daunting.

First and foremost, remember to include the hashtag #crit101 in all of your tweets.

Secondly, prepare yourself. It is best participate using a computer or laptop rather than a mobile phone. You want to be able to see the stream of #crit101 tweets and be able to tweet/reply at the same time. There are a couple of ways to do this…

You could use the Twitter web interface. Search the hashtag and away you go. This has limitations, and works best if you have two windows open side by side. The first window includes the stream of #crit101 tweets. The second is your @ replies, so that you can see if anyone has tweeted you directly.

Alternatively, you could use TweetDeck. Available for both MAC OSX and Windows, TweetDeck is a Twitter client that  works perfectly for following and participating in a discussion on Twitter as it allows you to have multiple columns, including your tweets, @ replies, DMs and hashtags you are following.

See you in the Twitterverse, very soon. 🙂

Syndicating Posts, Comments & Tumblr

During the course posts that you publish will be syndicated here as part of the main blog feed. They will link directly to the original post, encouraging your fellow participants to visit your site and read your posts. Please remember to include #crit101 in the post title as well as the post category, tag or label, depending on your platform of choice.

Also, commenting on posts during the course is to be encouraged. As I said in the opening lecture yesterday, this is an interactive course and success is dependent on how well you work with the your peers. With this in mind, there are a number of you using Tumblr. There is nothing wrong with that, but unlike Blogger or WordPress, Tumblr does not support comments. Do not fret, there is a solution. You can install the Disqus comment system. Sign up for a free account and follow these instructions.

If you need more help with this please drop me an email or a tweet.

#crit101 kicks off today at 7:30PM.

The course will begin with a live introductory lecture. The link will appear on the ‘Week One‘ page shortly before 7:30PM.

The ‘Week One‘ page has been updated to include a more detailed introduction, reading material, and assignments, including a learner survey. Please take the time to read through all of the information.

The first Twitter discussion will take place on Wednesday 23rd January between 7:00PM and 8:00PM. Don’t forget to include #crit101 in your tweets.

Assignments are due in by 6:00PM on Sunday 27th January.

If you are interested in participating in the course but have not yet enrolled, there is still time. Enrolment will remain open until Sunday 27th January.

Why should I enrol in #crit101?

Quite rightly some of you have asked why you should enrol in #crit101?

Here goes:

  • To improve the way that you learn outside of the classroom
  • To improve on and develop a set of skills that can be used across all of your A-Level subjects
  • To develop skills and prepare for the rigours of learning at University
  • To learn to be a more independent learner
  • To engage in new ways of learning that you are likely to encounter at University or within your chosen workplace.
  • The course is something that you can put on your University application and CV
  • The skills are accredited and can be added to a personal blog, website or online CV
  • It would give you that something extra to discuss at an interview

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by Email or Twitter.