Before reading Collins and Raman (2017), I never seriously considered whether or not hashtags could enhance the online learning experience. In truth, I hadn't considered the academic potential of hashtags at all since I’ve never engaged with hashtags in a particularly meaningful way. I’ve always understood their purpose and appeal on social media, but I never saw how they might serve in an academic setting.
What the article helped me realize is that when students use hashtags in discussion posts, they’re essentially creating navigational breadcrumbs. A hashtag can highlight a key idea, theme, or even a question, allowing others to follow that trail to related content. Instead of sifting through discussion threads, students can search or scan for specific tags and quickly connect with relevant conversations.
Collins and Raman observed that graduate students used hashtags not only to stay engaged but also to organize their ideas and strengthen their sense of connection with peers. This simple tool encouraged meaningful interaction and made it easier to track ongoing dialogue across different posts.
With the right implementation, hashtags could create a knowledge hub where ideas are organically built upon and contributed to by the collective. I think it's a rad idea, but I don't know how I can scaffold something like this in a corporate training environment. Either way, the concept offers a fresh take on collaborative learning that’s worth considering.
Great article !
ReplyDeleteI have it on good account that one of the big theme parks ran into this issue coming out of COVID. They were forced to use a similar tagging system to the social media version because they were doing double work. They literally had no idea how or a way to crosslink content they already had to the new projects they were given. Understandably, if you are working for a ID creation firm, tags would not be needed. However, if your company has ID "in house" I would think it would be mandatory. But hey, the theme park I referenced only realized their errors 5 years ago.
I really enjoyed your take on the article. I also mostly thought of hashtags as something for social or marketing purposes, not necessarily as academic tools. However, the idea of them acting as “navigational breadcrumbs” really stuck with me too. It makes so much sense in a digital learning environment, where discussions can become hard to follow or revisit. While corporate training might not be the first place that comes to mind for hashtag use, I wonder if there's potential in using them for things like tagging key takeaways during a multi-day training, or even as a way for learners to self-organize ideas in collaborative projects.
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