Twitter is an increasingly popular way to share information and build personal and professional contacts – and it regularly makes the evening news...

A Creative Approach to Information Sharing Through Twitter

Location:

2000 NSW
Australia

Venue:
The University of Newcastle
A Creative Approach to Information Sharing through Twitter

Featuring

Bronwyn Hemsley

Associate Professor

Associate Professor Bronwyn Hemsley, from the School of Humanities and Social Science, is a speech pathologist with an interest in disability and the use of information communication technologies that help to connect people online.

She views the rapid growth of digital connectivity as a new opportunity for enhancing online communication for many people who often lack good access to information. Through three major research projects, Hemsley explores how social media, eHealth records, and health informatics solutions can help people to participate in their own healthcare, in an online society.

Bronwyn is currently leading a joint research project investigating Twitter as a way of communicating to help people who have experienced stroke, cerebral palsy, autism, motor neurone disease, or a brain injury to get their message across. Bronwyn explains that the team's initial findings indicate Twitter can help people with communication disabilities share information and be included in online communities.

Access and Inclusion

  • Wheelchair Accessible - Access to the venue is suitable for wheelchairs (toilets, ramps/lifts etc.) and designated wheelchair spaces are available.

Event Details

Twitter is an increasingly popular way to share information and build personal and professional contacts – and it regularly makes the evening news. The pace and amount of information in Twitter can be confusing to new users. The challenge for Twitter users is being able to find the people and information that matters to them most and to build up the networks that help.

Can you use Twitter more confidently? How do you find good information, fast? And how can you best use it to chat about specific topics such as health issues? In this workshop, participants will explore ways to find topics of interest in Twitter and learn how to create and strengthen their Twitter networks.

This workshop is conducted by Associate Professor Bronwyn Helmsley, a certified practising speech pathologist and Fellow of Speech Pathology Australia and the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Bronwyn has used Twitter to connect people on health issues for the past seven years, and is now investigating how people can use it to inform good health decisions.

Learning Aims

This workshop aims to:

  • Introduce Twitter as a platform for conversation, communication, and information on any topic
  • Demonstrate the practical ways that people can find information and use Twitter to spread information with their audience
  • Highlight some strategies that help to grow supportive networks in Twitter

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this workshop you will know more about how to:

  • Use Twitter to search for and spread health information online
  • Take part in a conversation and communicate with others using Twitter
  • Use hashtags effectively to connect with other people and reach a larger targeted audience

Intended Audience

This session is suitable for anyone who has an interest in using Twitter to engage, inspire and inform, and anyone looking to use Twitter as a source of information. The course is open to all members of the general public, 18 years of age and above.

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Access and Inclusion

  • Wheelchair Accessible - Access to the venue is suitable for wheelchairs (toilets, ramps/lifts etc.) and designated wheelchair spaces are available.