Introducing #FutureLearnAsks: our new, regular Twitter chat
Update – our first #FutureLearnAsks Twitter chat has now taken place. Read the highlights.
Starting 27 January, we’ll be holding regular Twitter chats called #FutureLearnAsks. They’re a chance for you to discuss and debate some of today’s big topics with leading experts and other learners, outside of the confines of a FutureLearn course. Here, our Social Lead, David Thair, explains how to get involved.
One of our core beliefs at FutureLearn is that people learn better through conversation. That’s why we’ve built social functionality into every step of our courses.
Now we’d like to take that same approach on social media, to spark debate and provoke thoughtful exchange.
So, we’re launching a monthly debate series on Twitter called #FutureLearnAsks. We’ll be asking experts from FutureLearn partners and beyond probing and provocative questions, and we’d like you to take part in the conversation.
You’ll have an opportunity to discuss a wide range of big topics, and learn something along the way. Afterwards, if you’d like to see the how the debate unfolded, all of the discussions will be archived and summarised, so that you can easily see what took place in your own time.
Join the first #FutureLearnAsks on 27 January
The first #FutureLearnAsks will be about cyber security. It will take place on Tuesday 27 January, from 18:00 – 19:00 GMT (see the time in your location). All you need to join is a Twitter account.
Guest contributors
Three guests will be joining us:
Arosha Bandara
@arosha
Arosha is a software engineer interested in creating adaptive systems that can improve information security, a senior lecturer at The Open University, and lead educator on Introduction to Cyber Security.
Andrew Smith
@teraknor
Andrew is lecturer in networking at The Open University, a “somewhat geeky” academic, author and senior examiner with a background in ‘infrastructure’ networking.
Cory Doctorow
@doctorow
Cory is a science fiction author, activist, journalist, blogger, and your guide through The Open University’s free online course, Introduction to Cyber Security.
How it works
For an hour starting at 18:00 GMT, FutureLearn will tweet questions from @futurelearn. You can then respond to these questions by including #FutureLearnAsks in your tweets.
You’ll be able to follow the discussion by doing a Twitter search for the hashtag. This works whether on the website or in an app. If you ever get lost, just pay the FutureLearn Twitter account a visit.
Each question will be numbered Q1, Q2, etc, so when you respond, you should include the number in your answer. E.g.
A2 This my answer to question 2. #FutureLearnAsks
You’re also encouraged to reply to other people’s tweets, and the guest contributors will be joining in too.
FutureLearn will retweet some of the most interesting contributions, and generally help to facilitate the conversation. We’ll create an archive of the discussion and share it after the event.
What to do now
Remember to put the time and date in your diary! And if you’re planning to take part, you could use the hashtag #FutureLearnAsks to introduce yourself right now.
Photo of Cory Doctorow by Jonathan Worth.
