To me, having a debate or a discussion requires retort and a long, detailed explanation. This is the first time I've ever heard of a discussion on Twitter, but I think it's safe to say that it is the most inefficient mode of communication when arguing a point. What hinders Twitter from having any active and constructive discussions is the fact that you are limited on the amount of characters you can write per post. It forces you to be more concise and articulate, something that may seem great, but will definitely hinder a conversation. What if I want to explain a difficult or complex situation, or tell a long story?
Now in a student's perspective, BlackBoard seems like a logical place to hold discussions. You can freely write as much as you please, and to me, it's fairly user-friendly. If you wanted to see any responses from what you had to say, they are filed into the system in a way that it's just a click away. It shows how many people have viewed the post, and even how many responses you've received.
Nothing beats an in-class discussion, however. A strong discussion definitely requires some passion or emotion towards the subject, something that isn't easily shown on a computer screen. It's hard to read these things when you're just reading an excerpt, so to me, an in-class discussion is the most effective and efficient way to communicate.
This is an interesting perspective on Twitter. I think it is a great tool to use to communicate with people outside of just the classroom. However I also think you're right that it does hinder a conversation because of its restrictions. It's unfortunate that many people are struggling to have real conversations nowadays without the use of social media.
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