Embracing Social Media in the Classroom:

Why? Why not? How?

Valerie Lopes, PhDAdvancing Learning Conference

Thursday May 26th, 2011Lambton College

Agenda

• Setting the context

• What is social media

• Guiding Principles for using Social Media

• Considerations for Integrating Social Media in the curriculum

Learning Objectives

At the end of this session you will be able to:

• Describe Social Media

• Discuss some ways that it may be used in the classroom

• Discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages to using social media for teaching and learning

• Identify the preliminary steps to implementing social media into curriculum delivery

Setting the context

“

“Just as print technologies and literacies shaped the Enlightenment, the social media technologies and literacies will shape the cognitive, social and cultural environments of

the 21st century”… Harold Rheingold

What's most important is not access to the Internet — we have more than a billion people on the Internet now and there are over 4 billion phones in use—

but access to knowledge and literacies for the digital age.

The ability to know has suddenly become the ability to search and the ability to sift and discern.

Who are our learners?

The claims about the net generation fall into three categories:

• their widespread and intensive use of digital technologies;

• the impact of this use on how this generation accesses and uses information, how they interact socially, and how they learn;

• the unique behavioural characteristics and learning styles of this generation.

With the exception of the first category a review of the popular and academic literature shows that there is no empirical support for the most prevalent claims in the other two categories and methodologically sound research contradicts this claim.

Our learners….

• “Digital learners in higher education – Generation is not the issue” – Mark Bullen, Tanis Morgan, Adnan Qayyum – Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology

Students born before and after 1982 are not significantly different in how they learn

THIS IS NOT AN ARGUMENT FOR MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO ….what it means is that we MUST:

Avoid the temptation to base our decisions on generational stereotypes

Generation is not the issue – CONTEXT is…

• Seek deeper understandings of how students (all of us) are using technology and what role it plays in learning and teaching

• Identify the issues associated with both social and educational uses of social media – and resist the urge to make institutional wide decisions that may not be appropriate for all subjects/programs/groups of learners

• Find technologies/social media tools that are specific to context and content

Social Media – defined?

Wikipedia

Social media is the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue

Joe Thornly

Social media are online communications in which we shift instantly and easily between the role of audience and creator – without needing to know how to code. We do this by using social software that incorporates functions like publishing, sharing, friending, commenting, linking and tagging

Chartered Institute or Public Relations - UK

Social media is the term commonly given to Internet and mobile-based channels and tools that allow users to interact with each other and share opinions and content. As the name implies, social media involves the building of communities or networks and encouraging participation and engagement

“Social Media” – just another meme?

Let’s take a look…

• Social Media Explained Visually

What is social media?

Includes the various online technology tools that enable people to share information and resources – text, audio, video, images, podcasts and other multimedia communications – It’s all in the clouds…. It’s all about Communication

Social Perspective

Social Networks

• Redefine communities, friends, citizenship, identity, presence, privacy, geography

• Enable learning, communication, sharing, collaboration, community

• Networks form around shared interests and objects

The challenge

How do we make learning so interesting that we engage learners in more ways that what’s in/on their laptops, mobile phones, ipads, playbooks, android devices?

How do we learn to teach in ways in which we never learned to learn?

Rheingold’s 5 Social Media Literacies

A new way of communicating

• education that acknowledges the full impact of networked publics and digital media must recognize a whole new way of looking at learning and teaching….Henry Jenkins

• This is not just about using new tools in the classroom – it is about adopting new ways of teaching and learning and living and being…..

……..that’s what so difficult….

Why use social media?

Why use anything in the classroom?

It depends…What do you want to do?

• Deliver information in a virtual space• Broadcast information• Extend the classroom• Collectively share and gather resources (co-construct knowledge) • Increase access• Enhance dialogue• Share information• Assess learning• Create a virtual social space• Explore new ways for students to express themselves and be

creative

So many choices…

Examples of Social Media

Effective uses of Social Media

Social BookmarkingCollaboration:

Synchronous and asynchronous

Shared document creation

Streaming media – videos, audio

Content communities

Commenting, reviewing, reflecting

Real time networking

It’s all about Communication

Uses for social media

• Collaborating• Moderating• Negotiating• Debating• Commenting• Meeting• Skyping• Video conferencing• Texting• Broadcasting

• Reviewing• Questioning• Replying• Posting and Blogging• Networking• Contributing• Chatting• Twittering• Microblogging• Instant Messaging

Multiple Pathways to Demonstrate Knowledge

• YouTube• VimeoVideo

• Wordpress• MediaWikiWebpage

• Glogster• WordlePoster

• SlideShare• PresiPresentations

• Picasa• Flickr

Photo Collages

• Amazon• Yelp• Netflix

Reviews

• CreateDebateDebates

• Facebook• Twitter

Role Playing

• Museums• Art Galleries

Virtual Field Trips

• Digg• Diggo• RSS Feeds

Develop Personal Learning Networks

• Second LifeSimulations

• Ning• LinkedIn

Professional Learning Networks

• Skype• U Stream

Guest Lectures and

Conversations

Experiential Learning Potential

Bloom’s Cognitive Pyramid

Social Media in the classroom

• Conduct Office Hours via Skype

• Use Twitter hash tags to organize weekly discussions

• Use Social Bookmarking to Note Important Sites for Learning

• Create a Class Group Page on Facebook

• Use Google Docs for Group Work and Collaboration

• Use Skype to Bring in a Guest Speaker (and record the talk)

• Digital Literacy

• Use Foursquare for students to check in at assigned locations

• Debate a topic using CreateDebate

• Create a course Wiki for study notes

• Write a review of a book or restaurant on Amazon or Yelp

• Use Google Earth or Google Maps to Explore Cities or Regions of the World

• Have students create blogs to journal and display work

• Media Literacy

100 Inspiring Ways to use Social Media in the Classroom

Let’s Debate

Is Facebook good for people?

Why not?

Challenges/Major Concerns – The Why Nots

• Reluctant Students

• Buy in

• Multiple Log-ins and Passwords

• Many choices

• Institution’s Acceptable Use Policy

• Online Safety and Security

• Time Requirements

• Reluctance from others

• Learning the necessary skills

• Multiple systems

• Relevance

• Digital Bling

• Miscommunication

Protect your Identity Online

• Think before you click!• Know who your friends are.• Pay attention to privacy settings.• Avoid disclosing your location. • Don’t share your password and change it regularly.• Trust your instincts.• Be ultra-careful with your SIN.• Protect your e-mail address.• Protect your privacy, as well as your friends’ privacy .• Be discreet.

Identify the Objective

Explore the Tools

Design the Task/

Assignment

Explain in Class

Detailed Guidelines

Assess the Outcomes

Reflect

Revise

Redesign

The Path to Implementation

Think in terms of desired outcomes

first, and then find the tool that can aid in

reaching those outcomes.

http://thestar.blogs.com/stargazing/2011/03/finally-social-media-explained.html

Thank you for listening

Valerie Lopes – valerie.lopes@senecac.on.ca 416-491-5050 x 2111

Resources

• Centre for Learning and Performance Technology – Social Learning Tools 2011

• Skype in the Classroom

• Examples of educational wikis

• Directory of Learning Tools – 2011

• Twitter Basics – Video

Resources

• Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Ten Guiding Principles for the use of Technology in Learning – Contact North

• Ontario College of Teachers - Professional Advisory: Use of Electronic Communication and Social Media

• Attention and Other 21st-Century Social Media Literacies

Resources

• To Bloom or not to Bloom – probably the best explanation of Learning Objectives around

• Bloom’s Cognitive Pyramid – using social media

• Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy

• Twelve Cognitive Processes that Underlie Learning