4. The Shift Begins in Kindergarten
“rigorous and based on college- and career-ready expectations”
http://www.all4ed.org/
5. Shifts in teaching and learning
Transmission of knowledge è Active construction of knowledge
Step-by-step è Exploration
Individual è Collaborative
End-on assessment è Integrated assessment
Decontextualized è Authentic
One source of truth è Multiple perspectives
Rigid è Flexible
Contained è Lifelong, lifewide
6. Shifts in learning and technology
Learning from technology è Learning with technology
Immobile è Mobile
Alone è Social
Tethered è Wireless
Institutional è Personal
Local è Cloud based
Fixed resources è Open educational resources
Set and forget è Learning analytics
7. Shifts in teacher role
The following are roles teachers play in networked learning environments:
1. Amplifying
2. Curating
3. Wayfinding and socially-driven sensemaking
4. Aggregating
5. Filtering
6. Modelling
7. Persistent presence
(George Siemens - http://www.connectivism.ca/?p=220)
Teacher is now just one of many input channels.
8. What is Social Media?
“UGC needs to fulfil three basic requirements in
order to be considered as such: first, it needs to
be published either on a publicly accessible
website or on a social networking site accessible
to a selected group of people; second, it needs
to show a certain amount of creative effort; and
finally, it needs to have been created outside of
professional routines and practices”
(OECD, 2007).
11. Student Expectations/Experience
UWA’s first year cohort are predominately school
leavers and survey results show that they are
enthusiastic adopters of social media in their private
lives, to stay ‘connected’.
Cluett, L. & Skene, J. (2011) Trends and outcomes from five years of surveying first year university students
about ICT and social media at an Australian university. FYHE Conference.
12. Student feedback
• 2011 - A more central, easier to use discussion board in real time would be
beneficial and allow students the opportunity to use the board more as they
would use Facebook
• 2011 - A pop-up on the Blackboard home page would make checking discussion
boards much easier
• 2011 - All units should have online discussion boards. It is frustrating when
there isn't one! You don't have any feedback from fellow students.
• 2011 - An open chat facility incorporated into Blackboard that archives chat to
engage further with students enrolled in the course.
• 2011 - Blackboard could definitely stand to be upgraded in terms of design and
web tools. I.E. Social, collaborative etc.
• 2011 - Blackboard is still too clumsy and the system for at least the art area
requires a Facebook level of interaction to be able to share work more readily
and comment etc.
• 2011 - Blackboard needs to be upgraded to be an instant chat service not a stale
email type system. A chat room would be much better as people are able to
view who is online when they are online. A lot of students are looking to
Facebook groups instead.
13. Student feedback
• 2011 - Communication tools are not as fast as Facebook therefore i prefer to use
other options for discussion
• 2011 - Create a Facebook page controlled by Curtin to update any latest
happenings. We hangout in Facebook very frequently
• 2011 - People have begun to set up Facebook groups for those in your semester
in your course. These are generally better than the discussion boards because it
notifies everybody and is more social.
• 2011 - While conducting BLW14 there was a strong community of discussion
amongst students, with various tutors also weighing into discussions with their
feedback on other's viewpoints as well as their own, even on weekends.
• 2010 - All units should come equipped with a chatroom available 24/7 for
students to use, and tutors and lecturers should have staff twitter accounts to
make them more accessible to off campus students.
• 2010 - Further involvement from tutors on Twitter would be very useful as many
students use Twitter to communicate with each other.
14. Are changes occurring?
“I kluged together a wiki, a
blog a message board and
asked students to join free
public social media services
like De.licio.us, Flickr,
Youtube, and Twitter.
Again I was surprised…
they were overwhelmed…”
Howard Rheingold “Social Media Classroom Screencast” Aug 19, 2008
http://socialmediaclassroom.com/index.php/using-the-smc
Photo by Joi Ito
http://images.cdn.fotopedia.com/flickr-2121488118-
hd.jpg
15. Networking
from student to professional
“Interestingly, researchers found that very few
students in the study were actually aware of the
academic and professional networking
opportunities that the Web sites provide.
Making this opportunity more known to
students, Greenhow says, is just one way that
educators can work with students and their
experiences on social networking sites.”
University of Minnesota study into Educational benefits of social networking.
http://www1.umn.edu/news/features/2008f/UR_191308_REGION1.html
18. Personal Technology
Personal Learning Environment
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adesigna/3923138328
“Personalization cannot take place at scale without technology.”
Culture Shift: Teaching in a Learner-Centered Environment Powered by Digital Learning
http://www.all4ed.org/
20. Staff-Student Relationship
“Teacher’s self-disclosure
on Facebook can promote
classroom
atmosphere, teacher’s
credibility and student–
teacher relationship”
Qiyun Wang, Huay Lit Woo, Choon Lang Quek, Yuqin Yang and Mei Liu
Using the Facebook group as a learning management system:
An exploratory study
(British Journal of Educational Technology 43/3 p 428-438 May 2012)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01195.x
21. Matters of Trust
Social media has not, and will
not, change the fundamentals
of learning, but will rather
complement and supplement
its dynamics by creating new
channels of communication.
Social media will also create
new channels of trust as the
global reach of the Internet
exposes learners to new
sources of learning, be those
sources, people or repositories.
Rasmus, D. Social Media in Higher Education: Time to take the plunge.
http://danielwrasmus.com/Documents/Rasmus%20-
%20Social%20Media%20in%20Higher%20Education.pdf
22. Shifts in academic authority
“While student-centred
pedagogies are by no
means new and long
predate the Internet,
Web 2.0 technologies
throw issues such as
academic authority into
sharp relief.”
Chang, R., Kennedy, G. & Petrovic, T. (2008). Web 2.0 and user-created content:
Students negotiating shifts in academic authority. In Hello! Where are you in the http://www.all4ed.org/
landscape of educational technology? Proceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008.
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/melbourne08/procs/chang.pdf
23. Perceived “authority”
• Students may presuppose
that materials created by
the academic are superior
• Ignoring that student
generated content reflects
a creative learning process
Chang, R., Kennedy, G. & Petrovic, T. (2008). Web 2.0 and user-created content:
Students negotiating shifts in academic authority. In Hello! Where are you in the landscape
of educational technology? Proceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008.
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/melbourne08/procs/chang.pdf
Photo: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5283/5334413714_a909540f16_b.jpg
27. Raising student awareness
• “so much of social networking is free.”
• “Engagement is another important reason to use social
networking.”
• “Lastly, social networking lets you incorporate real-world
experiences into your classroom. You can teach students how
to collaborate online, adhere to acceptable-use policies, and
develop best practices for networking before they stumble
through on their own.”
Getting Smart blog
http://gettingsmart.com/blog/2011/12/developing-a-social-media-strategy-for-your-classroom/
29. Seeing teachers in context
One of the overlooked
dimensions of social
media is the ability for
students to see their
teachers interacting
with the world – this
can include
professional and
personal interactions.
http://www.thenetworkedteacher.com/
31. Content or Relationships
“In a nutshell, bitly's research
reveals that generally, links
3 hours shared on Facebook, Twitter, and
via direct sources like email or
instant message have a shelf life
of about 3 hours.”
Read more:
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/245
07/Shelf-Life-of-Social-Media-Links-Only-3-Hours-
Data.aspx#ixzz1x4RNvKWG
32. Possible actions
Revisit the First Year Experience – this is where
the expectations for new undergraduates can be
most readily aligned with quality teaching and
learning.
The expected behaviours and attitudes can be
established if all teaching staff have aligned their
approaches.
Ongoing reinforcement throughout subsequent
years is also required.
33. Australian Higher Education Students
Source DEEWR: Student 2010 Full Year: Selected Higher Education Statistics
http://www.deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Publications/HEStatistics/Publications/Pages/2010StudentFullYear.aspx
34. Active Online Learners
• Students are a diverse population
• Generalisations are difficult.
• Research is limited – with various
findings, often contradictory.
• Teachers are also a diverse population.
35. Learning Networks
Learners learn, really learn Social
when they engage with Peers
classmates, when they
connect, share, communicat
e and collaborate with each
other. Learning from and Inclass Tea
Learner Other
Peers Expert
through peers is a s
dimension of learning both
in the class and online that
is often negated. Teachers
http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/tag/active-learning/
36. Active Online Learners
There is a growing body of scholarly
research suggesting that, when used
properly, social media can boost
both learning outcomes and student
engagement. The key phrase in that
sentence is “when used properly.”
The problem is that research in this
area is still relatively limited, and
most of what is being done in
classrooms is experimental. No one
has figured out definitively what
does and does not work.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/for-social-media-in-the-classroom-to-work-instructors-need-best-practices.php
37. Curtin Online Courses in 2012
All Curtin fully online Courses
• 8 Undergraduate Courses with 18 Majors
• 39 Postgraduate Courses offered as either:
Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or
Masters (71 in total).
41. Assessment tasks
Internet Studies
• Constructing a web presence
• Student conference
School of Education
• Wiki – blog – Voicethread – Sliderocket - etc
45. Impact of iPad Initiatives
• Mobile Learn – platform well received by
students – instructional design of units could
leverage it more.
• Yammer/Lync trials for staff – similar staff-
student interactions yet to emerge.
46. Social Media Initiatives
In a blogging case study, the educators found
that knowing more about the student’s
requirements through the blogs saved time and
was beneficial, as they were able to better plan
the face-to-face tutorials to directly address
students’ needs. In the Twitter case study, the
educator mentioned that use of Twitter enabled
better understanding of the students’
needs, and other interactions (face-to-face or in
e-mail) could be accordingly adjusted.
Minocha, Shailey(2009) 'A case study-based investigation of students' experiences with social software tools', New
Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia, 15: 3, 245 — 265
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13614560903494320
47. Social Media Initiatives
In the case study which employed Second Life, a 3D
virtual world, the students felt that avatar-based
representation in Second Life resulted in them
being more sociable with their tutors. Also, in this
case study, students shared their Facebook profiles
with the tutor. The tutor mentioned to us about this
increased level of familiarity with his students
through Second Life and Facebook. There were
similar sentiments expressed in three other case
studies involving Facebook, blogs and
Twitter, respectively.
Minocha, Shailey(2009) 'A case study-based investigation of students' experiences with social software tools', New
Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia, 15: 3, 245 — 265
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13614560903494320
48. Social Media Initiatives
In my syllabus, at the start of the semester, I share my course policy
about extra credit. There is a maximum amount of extra credit that any
student can earn (20 points) through completing activities I have
designed for them. However, there is one way students are eligible to
earn an extra 10 points (or a max of 30 extra credit points) — and that
is by earning a Masterpiece Blog Award.
A Masterpiece Blog Award is earned throughout the semester by a few
select students and is intended to be a prestigious symbol of blogging
excellence. But it is not I, their professor, who decides who will receive
the award(s) — or how many of them will be distributed — it is the
students themselves. Students have an opportunity to nominate two
of their peers who have demonstrated a consistent effort to post blogs
on time, share thought-provoking and relevant content in their
posts, and engage their peers in meaningful dialogue. Students know
about this special designation from day one of class, and it’s up to
them to set the tone and live up to this standard during the class.
Michelle Pacansky-Brock (2012) Motivating College Students with Social Media and Web 2.0
URL: http://getideas.org/getinsight/motivating-college-students-with-social-media-and-web-2-0/
49. MOOCs and Badges
Opportunities to study in informal
settings are becoming more
popular and there seem to be
systems developing that will
acknowledge learning. These
systems tend to be heavily driven
by social media and the portfolio
approaches for assessment are
driving user generated content.
57. Further reading
Bohlinger, B. The beauty of an online conference: night and day, my pace
http://britbohlinger.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/the-beauty-of-an-online-conference-night-and-day-my-
pace/
Pingdom Study: Ages of social network users http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/02/16/study-ages-of-
social-network-users/
Allen, M. New Challenges in Education: Online learning, knowledge networks, ‘edgeless’ universities
Keynote lecture, Institute for Global Initiatives, Kennesaw State University October 6 2011.
http://www.netcrit.net/wp-content/uploads/2011-newchallenges.pdf
Chang, R. Kennedy, G. and Petrovic, T. Web 2.0 and user-created content: Students negotiating
shifts in academic authority http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/melbourne08/procs/chang.pdf
Elaine Tay & Matthew Allen (2011): Designing social media into university
learning: technology of collaboration or collaboration for technology?, Educational Media
International, 48:3, 151-163 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2011.607319
Waycott, J., Bennett, S., Kennedy, G., Delgarno, B., and Gray, K. Digital divides? Student and staff
perceptions of information and communication technologies Computers & Education 54 (2010) 1202–
1211
Davis III, C.H.F., Deil-Amen, R., Rios-Aguilar, C., & González Canché, M.S. Social media and higher
education: A literature review and research directions. Report printed by the University of Arizona and
Claremont Graduate University. January 2012. http://works.bepress.com/hfdavis/2/
58. Further reading
Tapia, W. (2010) An Exploratory Case Study On The Effectiveness Of Social
Network Sites: The Case Of Facebook And Twitter In An Educational Organisation
MBA Dissertation Graduate Business School, Griffith College Dublin
http://gcd.academia.edu/WendyTapia/Papers/326720/An_exploratory_case_stud
y_on_the_effectiveness_of_social_network_sites_The_case_of_Facebook_and_T
witter_in_an_educational_organisation
UMNews July 10, 2008 Educational benefits of social networking sites
http://www1.umn.edu/news/features/2008f/UR_191308_REGION1.html
Winkler, T. Facing up to Facebook: social media and universities The Australian
(April 18, 2012) http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-
education/opinion/facing-up-to-facebook-social-media-and-universities/story-
e6frgcko-1226330591529
Copeland, D. For Social Media In The Classroom To Work, Instructors Need Best
Practices. ReadWriteWeb May 2, 2012
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/for-social-media-in-the-classroom-to-
work-instructors-need-best-practices.php
59. Further reading
James Schirmer, (2011),Fostering Meaning and Community in Writing Courses Via
Social Media, Charles Wankel, in (ed.) Teaching Arts and Science with the New
Social Media (Cutting-edge Technologies in Higher Education, Volume 3),
Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp. 15 – 38 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/S2044-
9968(2011)0000003005
Linda Wilks, Nick Pearce, (2011),Fostering an Ecology of Openness: The Role of
Social Media in Public Engagement at the Open University, UK, Charles Wankel, in
(ed.) Teaching Arts and Science with the New Social Media (Cutting-edge
Technologies in Higher Education, Volume 3), Emerald Group Publishing Limited,
pp. 241 – 263 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/S2044-9968(2011)0000003015
Tham, D. (2009). Generative Audiences and Social Media. In Papandrea, F., &
Armstron, M. (Eds.) Record of the Communications Policy & Research Forum 2009,
(pp. 216-235). Sydney, N.S.W.: Network Insight
http://www.apo.org.au/node/19820
60. Further reading
Babbitt, M. Has Social Media Become Our Higher Education? January 20, 2012
http://balancedworklife.com/blog/has-social-media-become-our-higher-
education/
Dunn, J. How Students Can Use Social Media To Actually Learn Real World Skills
Edudemic April 24, 2012 http://edudemic.com/2012/04/how-students-can-use-
social-media-to-actually-learn-real-world-skills/
Priego, E. How Twitter will revolutionise academic research and teaching. The
Guardian Higher Education Network September 12, 2011.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2011/sep/12/twitter-
revolutionise-academia-research
Anyangwe, E. Your Twitter tips: using social media to enhance student
experience. Guardian Higher Education Network September 27, 2011.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2011/sep/27/social-
media-in-higher-education-tips
61. Further reading
Page, Ruth. Social media savvy: the universities and academics leading the way.
Guardian Higher Education Network March 14, 2011.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/higher-education-network-
blog/2011/mar/14/social-media-best-practice-in-higher-education
Waycott, J., Bishop, A., Kennedy, G., Delgarno, B., and Waycott, J. Implementing
Web 2.0 technologies in higher education: A collective case study Computers &
Education 59 (2012) 524-534
Charles Wankel, (2011), New Dimensions of Communicating with Students:
Introduction to Teaching Arts and Science with the New Social Media, Charles
Wankel, in (ed.) Teaching Arts and Science with the New Social Media (Cutting-
edge Technologies in Higher Education, Volume 3), Emerald Group Publishing
Limited, pp. 3 – 14 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/S2044-9968(2011)0000003004
Rasmus, D. Social Media in Higher Education: Time to take the plunge.
http://danielwrasmus.com/Documents/Rasmus%20-
%20Social%20Media%20in%20Higher%20Education.pdf
62. Further reading
Mangan, K. Social Networks for Academics Proliferate, Despite Some Doubts.
The Chronicle of Higher Education. April 29, 2012
http://chronicle.com/article/Social-Networks-for-Academics/131726/
Schaefer, M. Social media pioneer says technology will transform education.
November 13, 2011. http://www.businessesgrow.com/2011/11/13/social-media-
pioneer-says-technology-will-transfom-education/
Teras, H. & Myllylä, M. (2011). Educating Teachers for the Knowledge Society:
Social Media, Authentic Learning and Communities of Practice. In S. Barton et al.
(Eds.), Proceedings of Global Learn Asia Pacific 2011 (pp. 1012-1020). AACE.
Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/37292.
Notas do Editor
The upfront takeaways are:Teacher –student interactions can be very positive but one of the best outcomes for using social media is the development of effective personal learning networks driven by peer engagement.There seems to be some displacement of teacher authority in relation to “information” – the situation is more complex when you start to consider learning. Anecdotal examples of students simply searching for “correct” answers raise questions about the authenticity and relevance of many academic tasks. The is some concensus that if a student can Google an answer then the assessment strategy is flawed – likewise most teachers agree that shifting to authentic approaches introduces a range of other issues.The ability to request support can be anywhere/anytime – the ability of teachers to respond in the same manner isn’t as easy; this is another practice where turning to your peers is perhaps more useful for total flexible engagement.
This topic seems to target a somewhat neglected area of research in the field. The impact on perceptions/relationships between teachers and students in the social media context gets lost in the mix of K-12 discussions about online propriety for teachers, educational usage of social media, social media practice and student achievement, and social media engagement for corporate and support areas in higher education. To tease out a narrative about staff-student interactions I’ve tried to navigate a range of research output, anecdotal reports and personal experience – the result is, I hope, an informed speculation.
The Higher Education sector is beginning to see a more ubiquitous level of social media experience as school leavers emerge from the K-12 sector with many years of technology experience behind them 1-1 programs are becoming more common in primary and secondary sectors. However, this does not account for all students – low SES, mature age undergraduates, etc. The Higher Education context does not guarantee that student expectations and high order technology use will be met.
A dizzying array of possibilities can cause confusion and conflict – Often students seem to miss the point of learning activities – especially if the platforms selected seem to be disconnected from what they perceive as their core focus. However, this often overlooks activities where teachers want process to be highlighted. The challenge that faces teachers is finding ways to ensure that learners make the appropriate connections – discovery sometimes seems more valued by teachers than by learners in the HE landscape.
The average university context uses a much smaller subset of “social media” in its teaching and learning activities. Generally these applications operate around an LMS hub.Consider “open” and “closed” social media. Public and gated social media environments. Still meet the OECD definition.Even with ECHO360 video lecture playback there is now the opportunity to engage in social discussion around the video using inbuilt tools for interaction. Future upgrades will introduce realtime streaming and consequently real time student commentary – on both content of the lecture and the lecture as content. The requirement for additional “personal response systems” may well disappear.
These comments from student satisfaction surveys highlight that there are UX expectations from students. Proprietary LMS systems seem to feel too closed for some users. Matthew Allen – “The only reasonable conclusion I can draw from this is that the STUDENTS, not the curriculum or teaching, explain the difference. Curtin undergrads had a class *as well as* all the online work and thus can be assumed to have had a richer / better teaching experience of the same content. Yet they were less satisfied. I conclude that the most likely reason for this is that, on the whole, Curtin undergrads have a more teacher-centric approach to their studies and thus an authentic, challenging learning experience is not as satisfying for them because it does not fit their expectations.” http://www.netcrit.net/surveys-of-students-perceptions-of-teaching-a-cautionary-tale/
Similar experiences are still reported by teachers who are proactive social media practitioners. The digital native meme is constantly challenged – but ultimately misunderstood. Indigenous digital citizens are not necessarily skilled at all possible uses of technology. While “consumption” is probably the key experience of most young digital citizens, the experience of creation, collaboration and curation are seldom accentuated – it doesn’t mean they aren’t present in very particular contexts. Participation in social media contexts requires contribution… the creation and collaboration may be meagre but they are real.Matthew Allen – “The only reasonable conclusion I can draw from this is that the STUDENTS, not the curriculum or teaching, explain the difference. Curtin undergrads had a class *as well as* all the online work and thus can be assumed to have had a richer / better teaching experience of the same content. Yet they were less satisfied. I conclude that the most likely reason for this is that, on the whole, Curtin undergrads have a more teacher-centric approach to their studies and thus an authentic, challenging learning experience is not as satisfying for them because it does not fit their expectations.” http://www.netcrit.net/surveys-of-students-perceptions-of-teaching-a-cautionary-tale/
Observations of high school students showed they were demonstrating desirable 21 century skills. What seems to be missing at times is the awareness of the broader possibilities in terms of developing a personal professional brand, professional networking and academic extension. Perhaps the changing relationships between teachers and students can foster this awareness so it becomes more useful earlier to a broader population of learners?Certainly, with all the challenges that humanity is facing, our species would do well to maximize our rate of learning. It’s becoming more apparent every day that one of the simplest and most powerful ways of doing this is to increase connectivity among people, their ideas, and the data that their technology is churning out in record quantities. Our minds are products of self-organizing, emergent forces, not products of committees or curriculum boards. Our institutions need to understand this if they are to remain viable. Today, more than ever, as we become better acquainted with the science of complexity, we are starting to see the importance of interconnectivity, the power of diverse ideas, and the innovation that comes from connecting many minds, ideas, sensors, and data.Schools will change. The frustration comes from those who see how today’s technology is being underutilized and hobbled by The Academy. Unfortunately, (for short-term practical reasons) most people still see The Academy’s credential as being more important than the mind’s ability to use existing (and future) technology. That will change as employers can no longer afford to hire credentialed individuals who lack the requisite abilities to adapt quickly through connectedness. The performance levels of people who’ve learned to use connectedness compared to those who haven’t will be too great to ignore. Whereas performance differentials in traditional work do not vary much between individuals, with knowledge work, they can be drastic. (http://ed4wb.org)
Teaching spaces reflect the shift towards student-centred learning. Accommodating BYOD
Teaching spaces are slowly transforming into spaces for learning – increasingly they are learner centric rather than teacher centric – there is no position of authority in the design of this type of space. Universities are slower to adapt – but new builds and refits do show a similar transition. These spaces do not privilege “teacher”
Teaching spaces reflect the shift towards student-centred learning. Accommodating BYOD
In 2008, there were 1.1 million students enrolled in higher education courses, of whom 63% were aged less than 25 years and 55% were female (graph 12.18 and table 12.19). (http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/0/6751D1E2E91DF21ECA25773700169C93?opendocument)
In my experience fostering positive relationships in the classroom has served as the basis for good teaching and learning.
The expectation of students as critical enquiry agents has long been a part of contemporary pedagogy. This raises questions about what its is to teach – is subject specialism enough?
Beliefs persist (according to this study) that “teachers know best” – user generated content, peer generated content and collaboratively created content seems to still be held with some suspicion in certain contexts. More teachers are attempting to embrace student-centred approaches but often find themselves pushed into more traditional teacher-led, teacher-directed activity. This study from ASCILITE 2008 suggested students are less willing to accept student-generated content…
My guess is that thereis often a perception that students are here to “receive” an education – a very dated mindset that persists. Learning is a proactive, critical activity that is about managing change in knowledge, skill and belief.
In 2008 63% of Higher Education students were under 25 (DEEWR/ABS) … assuming that statistic is moreorless current then the low social media usage by that age group suggests there might be a mismatch with expectations.
These statistics seem to play out across a range of sites – 35-54 years seem to dominate, as do high end income groups. The implications of this are not carefully study (as far as I can see) but there are bound to be issues of perception about social media. The 18-34 demographic combined on many sites still does not reach the usage levels of older users. We might conclude that its likely that university teachers are more likely to be adept users over their students – however the education statistics suggest that highly educated users are not the most prolific. A case of being locked away in ivory towers and ivy covered terraces??
Free means the possibility of a diverse range of tools and broad access across all socio-economic levels.Engagement is a high level predictor of success - more time involved often means better learning.Real-world engagement means teachers can play more of a mentoring role if they wish to.
Teachers at all levels are now subjects of review – students have the ability to publicly rate and critique their teachers. The Higher Education sites seem to be quieter than K-12 sites with similar intent.
One of the overlooked dimensions of social media is the ability for students to see their teachers interacting with the world – this can include professional and personal interactions. This could be wonderful modelling to the next wave of practitioners within a field.
Increasingly these are open to students – primarily postgrads but still a trickle of undergrads.
Given that some pundits are suggesting that the shelf life of social media links is about 3 hours – there must then be some consideration of how the users conceive of the relationships they’ve established via social media channels.
The main stumbling blocks here are that many faculties have limited coordination of the first Year experience across all participating units of study. Not every academic is a great teacher – some still prioritise their research roles, others focus too heavily on their subject expertise rather than shifting to adopt more effective pedagogy, etc.See McCarthy - http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/mccarthy.html
There really isn’t a homogenised student body anymore – online/on campus distinctions are blurred, undergrads may be recent school leavers, high school students, self-directed open university enrolments, postgrad (continuing), postgrad (returning), undergrad mature age with professional experience, undergrad mature age with limited experience, undergrads with previous tertiary qualifications… and each of these categories with varying degrees of understanding and experience of social media/online culture. Generalisations are difficult.Research is limited – with various findings, often contradictory.Teachers similarly have a range – non-education professionals recruited for subject expertise (tend to replicate their own learning experiences), current HDR students (not teachers), tenured staff (length of employment not a clear indicator of technology adoption), sessional staff (often fitting into predetermined teaching programs where they have no input to development)Within all demographics there are increasing numbers of students with more expectations regarding the effective use of technology in teaching and learning. It seems to be a more frequent complaint that academics in universities do not make good use of available technologies and in many instances alienate students who are already proactive with social media. Common issues – lack of use/Poor use of lecture capture, information distribution, timely updates, etc. Currently, in many higher education contexts there is no prescribed requirement for staff to use these channels.
The potential scope of a personal learning network is huge – allowing quick comparative discussions about content, approach and methods. Backchannels can be formed very easily. Discussion of Bachelor of Education on the EssentialBaby forum. Informal discussion about coursework, course structure, teaching approaches and personal matters over several months. http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t799535-300.html
Within all demographics there are increasing numbers of students with more expectations regarding the effective use of technology in teaching and learning. It seems to be a more frequent complaint that academics in universities do not make good use of available technologies and in many instances alienate students who are already proactive with social media. Common issues – lack of use/Poor use of lecture capture, information distribution, timely updates, etc. Currently, in many higher education contexts there is no prescribed requirement for staff to use these channels.From hierarchy to distributed networks:Many expertsMany avenues for complaintMany information sourcesSeeking timely, personalised guidance and support from both peers and teachers.Differences between postgrad and undergrad – postgrad learners are often more connected with professional networks, Academia.edu, etc – undergrads often discount the benefits of professional associations. Age and experience also play a role in setting different expectations.
In 2012 we opened up Curtin Online to include all fully online course offered at Curtin other than OUA course Largest enrolments are in BCOmm and Bhealth Sciences with a total of about 14000 unit enrolments which is about a third of unit enrolments through OUA. This s is not surprising because our OUA courses are marketed nationally and the majority of our students live in the eastern statesApart from the courses being different OUA and Curtin Online had different entry pathways. OUA is open although some course do have restrictions whereas Curtin Online Courses reuire students to meet university entrance requirements resulting in commonwealth supported places. Ie significantly more money for the university coming in through Curtin Online than OUA. In 2012 this has changed whereby OUA students who have successfully completed 2 or more OUA units can be offered csp placesFully online students seem to have a much greater appreciation of staff engagement via informal social media channels - Entry into Curtin Online course required students to have tertiary entrance requirements (unlike OUA by definition). Students entering Curtin are required to have a minimum ATAR of 70. Because of the vagaries of the senior high school subject selection in WA we have a particular problem:
With increasing ubiquity of ownership of smart/web-enabled mobile devices and the growing interdependence of social media tools upon mobile technology (apps, free access in data plans, etc) the whole situation is poised with incredible potential – whether it pivots towards a significant shift in higher education depends heavily on how the teaching paradigms shift.
At Curtin all of our units have a Bb presence. This year Bb has developed mobile Learn which is an interface for mobile devices to access Bbunits. We will be making this app available tio all our students next year. Clearly this will benefit students as they are mobile. Interestingly access through apple operating system iphones and ipods and 25% through androidAs long as access to wifi or cellular networks mobie learning can be everywhereBut what about the traditional learning spaces?
Matthew Allen reported that students readily accepted the tasks, were more actively engaged and entered into public sharing. While some academic limitations were imposed it was successfully implemented and showed that many students had to be guided into the tasks and shown different ways about thinking about their online presence. (http://www.slideshare.net/netcrit/authentic-assessment-and-social-media)Casual monitoring of Twitter streams throughout these tasks show that students and staff interacted – but what seemed to be evident was that students started to turn to each other for guidance and support.
Matthew Allen – “The only reasonable conclusion I can draw from this is that the STUDENTS, not the curriculum or teaching, explain the difference. Curtin undergrads had a class *as well as* all the online work and thus can be assumed to have had a richer / better teaching experience of the same content. Yet they were less satisfied. I conclude that the most likely reason for this is that, on the whole, Curtin undergrads have a more teacher-centric approach to their studies and thus an authentic, challenging learning experience is not as satisfying for them because it does not fit their expectations.” http://www.netcrit.net/surveys-of-students-perceptions-of-teaching-a-cautionary-tale/
Tensions can arise when the teaching and learning demands cannot be supported by the available technology and infrastructure. Or when there are inexplicable platform dependencies.Certainly, with all the challenges that humanity is facing, our species would do well to maximize our rate of learning. It’s becoming more apparent every day that one of the simplest and most powerful ways of doing this is to increase connectivity among people, their ideas, and the data that their technology is churning out in record quantities. Our minds are products of self-organizing, emergent forces, not products of committees or curriculum boards. Our institutions need to understand this if they are to remain viable. Today, more than ever, as we become better acquainted with the science of complexity, we are starting to see the importance of interconnectivity, the power of diverse ideas, and the innovation that comes from connecting many minds, ideas, sensors, and data.Schools will change. The frustration comes from those who see how today’s technology is being underutilized and hobbled by The Academy. Unfortunately, (for short-term practical reasons) most people still see The Academy’s credential as being more important than the mind’s ability to use existing (and future) technology. That will change as employers can no longer afford to hire credentialed individuals who lack the requisite abilities to adapt quickly through connectedness. The performance levels of people who’ve learned to use connectedness compared to those who haven’t will be too great to ignore. Whereas performance differentials in traditional work do not vary much between individuals, with knowledge work, they can be drastic. (http://ed4wb.org)
Mash-ups work to link information and generate new services. Diverse representations of knowledge are able to be integrated and juxtaposed with ease. The effect being that engaged learners are more readily able to compare and evaluate the representations they are offered in the formal learning context. Some educators are finding greater success in working with students to find and evaluate the quality of information they encounter. The LMS is slowly transforming to accommodate the mashup, new PLEs are using mashup as the very platform – new forms of modular LMS. Bryan Polivka presented a session in 2008 “Mashups and Widgets are the future of the LMS” – the real challenge with such environments is constructing appropriate learning activities that impose a critical frame on access.
There are some units where “social media” activities are included – they include Twitter, Facebook, etc but are undermined by the artificial nature of the interactions – requirements to generate new “just for class” accounts – screen captures of low level activity – no RPL for established and experienced users of the technology.
There are some units where “social media” activities are included – they include Twitter, Facebook, etc but are undermined by the artificial nature of the interactions – requirements to generate new “just for class” accounts – screen captures of low level activity – no RPL for established and experienced users of the technology.
There are some units where “social media” activities are included – they include Twitter, Facebook, etc but are undermined by the artificial nature of the interactions – requirements to generate new “just for class” accounts – screen captures of low level activity – no RPL for established and experienced users of the technology.
There are some units where “social media” activities are included – they include Twitter, Facebook, etc but are undermined by the artificial nature of the interactions – requirements to generate new “just for class” accounts – screen captures of low level activity – no RPL for established and experienced users of the technology.
Mozilla's Open Badges project
Tools like Hotseat, LectureTools, GoSoapbox, Socrative,etc provide platforms where the pace and focus of a lecture or large class can be influenced by students.
Student Support services seem to be making good use of a variety of social media channels – it my be presumptuous to assume the same dynamics in teaching and learning. Perhaps this has something to do with student confidence. Student support positions learners as consumers… a mantle they may feel some expertise in wearing… but as a producer/creator/collaborator in a teaching and learning context they seem to see as making them somewhat more vulnerable and consequently more cautious and “needy”.
Corporate use of social media seems to be appreciated by many students.
Distance education is well established – School of the Air, SIDE, etc – more – the US traditional “going off to college” is less evident – and consequently expects less for the development of “citizenship” – and also the remoteness of teachers and peers is a familiar condition.