Have you ever noticed people in crisis? I’m reminded of Steve Martin in some of his earlier films like, The Jerk. These people and often each of us take on some of Martin’s shtick humor. They run around without direction, hands flaring in the air. Usually their first steps during the crisis and decisions are askew from their normal ability. They’re in panic mode. As we look back using hind sight, we realize we could have avoided that last minute reaction. We realize the signs were there; we just chose to ignore them. Well, hindsight is 20/20. The reason I bring up that scenario is there are many signs in front of our nose, indicating we are on the edge (if not already over the edge) of a shift in learning.

The classroom may physically look the same. There’s a presenter in the front with a podium and screen. The audience is seated in anonymity relative to the established traditional hierarchy of presenter as ruler. Lesson flow and interaction is at the grace of the mighty presenter. But as you pull back the curtain, you’ll notice things are shifting. The learners are taking control of their destiny. They are gathering information from many different sources. In some cases, the learner is leaving an unskilled presenter in a pool of irrelevance. One of the weapons of this learning revolution is Twitter.

Following is a list of reasons why a Learning Professional should want to incorporate Twitter into the learning experience:

• During a presentation, it’s like note taking on steroids. A key point captured can take on a life of its own. A notebook is closed channeled, twitter is open channeled.
• Content is king. You become privy to the intellectual capital of your network. Learning extends beyond the presenter.
• Distance becomes a myth. The classroom extends beyond the four walls.
• Feedback is instant. Inhibition is often less present in the virtual world versus the real world.
• Engagement is standard. The learner is engaged the entire presentation (and even after) due to the abundance of information.
• Learners become more connected to the community in the room and out.
• The presenter receives real-time level one and two evaluations.
• The learner will exist simultaneously in both the synchronous and asynchronous learning environment. As necessary, they’ll be engaged by both the presenter and a catalogue of other resources provided by their network.
• Collaboration is as present as oxygen. Learners are joining together to enhance their learning experience as a community.
• Learners and presenters experience, “Presentation Ping.” An idea is presented live, spreads via the backchannel, and returns back to the classroom changed into a bigger or more complete idea.
• Control is not conducive to learning. In the modern classroom, learners are released from presenter ego. When the presenter’s ego is active, the learner can explore a more relevant use of their time.
• Informal becomes a partner of formal learning.

Although I am a huge advocate of Twitter and the backchannel, it’s not as simple as just expecting it. There are some challenges to overcome. The following are some obstacles that the Learning Professional must negotiate to be successful in the new classroom.

• The new paradigm will change the way we facilitate learning. This introduces a new skill set to learning professionals in the old classroom.
• Reading the audience shifts from the physical to the virtual. Are they playing solitaire, taking close channeled notes or using the backchannel? They all look the same with faces in their laptop.
• Learning professionals can’t rely on the hostage situations of the old classroom to hold their learners attention. The learner can be off anywhere in the virtual world on or off topic.
• Social norms like turning off cellphones don’t make sense in the new classroom.
  Fear not, all these warnings are the signs we want to see. You’re in front of them now. We don’t have to panic. We just have to act. Following are some solutions to incorporating Twitter into your modern classroom.
• • Park your antiquated ego at the door or nail the coffin shut. Learners take ownership of the process today. They won’t tolerate a presenter who won’t engage them or who feels their opinions, thoughts, and feedback are less relevant than hers or his.
  • Develop the skills to manage both the real and virtual environment.
  • Partner with a facilitweeter during the presentation (someone willing to facilitate the tweet stream) to help validate the backchannel.
  • Plan for the backchannel and invite it into every presentation.
  • Use it to evaluate every aspect of your presentation. Be sure you don’t become distracted by it.
  • Take a break periodically to review the tweet stream. Answer any questions you see. Clear up any misunderstandings. Adjust your presentation as needed. You no longer have to wait till the end of the presentation to know if your audience connected with you.
  • Develop an instant relationship with your learners before, during, and after the presentation by using the back channel.
  • Open up the discussion on Twitter days or weeks before your presentation.
  • Make your key points stand out to the learner. This typically encourages a flurry of tweets that jolt the backchannel. You can also tweet those points yourself either live or via tools like SocialOomph that schedule a tweet for you.
  • Don’t let your presentation die after everyone has left the room. Set up a blog (there are many free ones); post your slides on SlideShare; if you took video, post that on YouTube; post photos on Flickr; and bookmark your website links on Delicious.
  • Open your Twitter account already.

Learning Professionals shouldn’t be scared of this change. They definitely should not look at it as fad either. It has grounded itself in the classroom and refuses to be uprooted. Nor should it because of the tremendous value it brings to the learning process. There are still many learning events that don’t have evidence of a technology supported backchannel. However, those numbers are diminishing. Now is the time to get in front of your peers and the inevitable change that is at bay.