Conference: Online Educa Berlin, 2008 By: Eky Fioole Presentation as a part of the Learning Design Symposium with Gilly Salmon Finding the best combination of social software remains a challenge to most educators and institutions. Usually, students are far better skilled in IT and they generally do not equate applications such as blogs, wikis and Facebook with educational activities; in fact it is considered quite the opposite. The objective of Avans is to prepare our students for their professional future and to encourage them on self-development, knowledge exchange and mutual cooperation. In order to be prepared to facilitate the ‘net-generation’, Avans formulated explicit goals to obtain a higher level of eLearning. In 2010 students and staff members are effectively supported in their learning processes by a rich set of eLearning facilities in such a way that: - students and staff members experience no difference in the availability of IT-facilities on or off campus - eLearning facilities are part of the default set of IT-facilities - the social function of campus is getting more and more important (school as a meeting place) - the expertise of staff members is used in an effective and efficient way to support the learning of students

1. How to facilitate student learning
with social software, and more …
Eky Fioole
Avans University of Applied Sciences
The Netherlands

2. Our view on Learning and teaching
Our main drivers are:
 To produce excellent professionals who will continue to further develop
themselves and their profession.
 For selected businesses and organizations we are their partner for
knowledge development and knowledge sharing.
 In learning and teaching we opt for people (students, lecturers and
professionals) to connect, cooperate and collaborate in acquiring
knowledge and becoming competent.
Our main drivers are:
 To produce excellent professionals who will continue to further develop
themselves and their profession.
 For selected businesses and organizations we are their partner for
knowledge development and knowledge sharing.
 In learning and teaching we opt for people (students, lecturers and
professionals) to connect, cooperate and collaborate in acquiring
knowledge and becoming competent.

3. Trend 1: From VLO’s towards PLE’s
ePortfolios
• PLE’s … within an institutional framework (context,
validation)
• Shift from courses/communities to ePortfolios and a
Content System
• Students are becoming more and more prosumers (co-
makership, collaboration, connect, communication, co-creation….)

4. ePortfolios:
some examples
within Avans
Studentportfolio
Staffportfolio
Schoolportfolio

5. Trend 2: Social Software and Learning
• Students use Social Software … but mostly not for learning
• Staff know about learning and learning processes … but not a lot on Social
Software
 Creating awareness on how Social Software can be used for Learning,
By: - making the connection to learning, labelling them (knowledge,
reflection, connecting with ….) and investing in e-Compentencyskills.
- using ePortfolios as linking pins.
 Further integration of Social Software and VLE’s/PLE’s.

6. Social Software
in Learning situations

7. Trend 3: Integration with the world outside
• Use of wikis to create digital content (co-creation, knowledge sharing,
prosumers…)
• Use of blogs as a recruitment tool, to gain a better insight in learning
processes and its translation to the curriculum (updating).
• Use of Facebook to connect with Alumni but also the professional field
• Integration of the educational institute, the learners but also (future)
employers  employability / LLL

8. The learning design model

9. Our Lessons Learned
• ePortfolios are fast becoming the heart and soul of PLE’s,
however they are not limited to …..
- systems
- time
- roles
• It’s important to link your view on learning and teaching to
innovative projects and the use of ICT (Walk the talk)
• Define your (learning) goals and pace yourself accordingly.
• Take your students very serious as prosumers and as
guides.
• Invest in programs on e-Literacy and e-Competency.

10. Web accessible references
• Eky Fioole, ey.fioole@avans.nl
• http://avans-elearning.blogspot.com/
• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113925421