Research on social networking and it's affect on teaching and learning is just beginning to surface in scholarly journals and periodicals. Many of the resources that I found were articles in mainstream publications like The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Economist, Campus Technology, and Inside Higher Education. However, what I did find has been published in the last three years as social networking has weaved it's way into online and face-to-face courses. Junco, Heibergert, and Loken (2010) did a study on the effect of Twitter on college engagement and grades at a Midwest university using a 1-credit course for their sample (both control and experimental groups established) and found that "using Twitter produced a more rich discussion students relationship's to themes covered in the book than would have been possible during the limited class time" (p.8). Average grades for the experimental group were higher than the control group that did not use Twitter. In essence, Twitter extended the conversation to the back-channel, which is a term used in many other contexts like professional conferences, where it is used to extend the conversation and flow of information. The back-channel, though, also required an extra time commitment from faculty teaching the course. An extra time commitment that many are not willing or able to accommodate.
Those that are willing to try new methods of teaching using social networking are considered digital early adopters. They have little regard for sticking their neck out and trying something new. Graduate teaching assistants are many of those at the forefront of trying to incorporate social networking into teaching and learning strategies. Someday, some of them will be faculty members, tenure track or adjunct, and social networking might move into the mainstream of instructional technology delivery methods. Already, some institutions like Purdue University, have stepped forward to create their own Twitter-like micro-blogging platform called Hotseat. Why have Twitter servers host the classroom back-channel when it can be kept in-house. "Hotseat, a social networking-powered mobile Web application, creates a collaborative classroom, allowing students to provide near real-time feedback during class and enabling professors to adjust the course content and improve the learning experience. Students can post messages to Hotseat using their Facebook or Twitter accounts, sending text messages, or logging in to the Hotseat Web site" (Purdue University, 2009). It is homegrown social networking with a touch of the familiar tools of the trade. The digital infrastructure better be ready, because the tweets are coming.