Marc Parry of the Chronicle of Higher Education reports that a Pearson national survey on social media use in Higher Ed reveals:
More than four out of every five professors use social media. And more than half of professors use tools like video, blogs, podcasts, and wikis in their classes.
Parry also reveals that only about 10 percent or 12 percent of survey responses represent “active” uses of social-media tools which means despite using these tool most faculty are only using these tools to passively convey information.
It is wonderful that faculty are at least using social media tools but very disappointing that they are only using them for passive means. Perhaps once they are comfortable with the tools the active uses may increase–time will tell.
One of the most interesting findings is that:
Professors with more than 20 years of teaching experience use social media only slightly less than do their younger peers.
This finding reconfirms additional research that shows there is very little age discrepancy in the adoption of online or technology based learning so we can’t use the “age” excuse any longer.
There are several keys aspects to understanding social networking. The first priority is to understand today’s learner and grasp what is really significant to them. This is followed very closely by understanding where and how our learners are networking. The following resources are not meant to be an exhaustive list, but should serve as a starting point.
Who is
For example, in the book Online Social Networking on Campus: Understanding What Matters in Student Culture authors Ana M. Martínez Alemán, chair of educational administration and higher education at Boston College, and Katherine Lynk Wartman, resident director at Simmons College and a Ph.D. candidate at Boston College offer advice on how to use Facebook and other social networking tools in academia.
What higher education professional should know about Facebook,
Understanding what students practices on Facebook are worrisome;
The issues of looking at Facebook profiles as part of the application process;
Whether administration and faculty should “Friend” student and the need for a code of Facebook ethics.
The following statement emphasizes the need to be proactive with respect to social networking systems in academia:
Computer mediated communication technologies have already made it necessary for academic faculty to modify or simply transfer traditional modes and norms of real-life academic and pedagogical communication online. It’s just a matter of time before we see a SNS as a classroom experience.
“Kids’ Informal Learning with Digital Media: An Ethnographic Investigation of Innovative Knowledge Cultures”
http://digitalyouth.ischool.berkeley.edu/report
From Knowledgable to Knowledge-able: Learning in New Media Environments
http://www.academiccommons.org/commons/essay/knowledgable-knowledge-able
Michael Wesch, “Anti-Teaching: Confronting the Crisis of Significance”
http://www.cea-ace.ca/media/en/AntiTeaching_Spring08.pdf
The above article followed this video:
The 21st-Century Digital Learner
http://www.edutopia.org/ikid-digital-learner-technology-2008
The author of the above article is Mark Prensky and you may find his writings useful. You can access the above article and many more from:
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/
Educational Benefits Of Social Networking Sites Uncovered
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080620133907.htm
Wave is what email would be today if it were created from scratch. Yes email has been around for over 40 years but most people have really only been using it for the last 5-10 years or less and it took them the 5-10 years to get used to it so a change–even if it is a good one may not be that welcomed.
Whether one is personally willing to acknowledge the reach and impact of social networking there is no denying that it is a cultural phenomenon. Educators really need to understand the power and impact and of social networking. It has changed the way we speak and define thing and it will change our educational systems–educators just need to decide if they will once again be playing catch-up with society.
It is very unfortunate that Harriet L. Schwartz’s, assistant professor of professional leadership at Carlow University, post in the Chronicle of Higher Education is only accessible through a paid subscription because she makes a very well reasoned argument for using facebook in the learning environment. Its where your learners are–and most everyone else.
When my 60 something sister, my wifes 70 something parents and all just about everyone else I know is “friending” me in Facebook I guess I too will have to move from being a passive intermittent user of Facebook and meeting my social network where they are at.
Reminder to self — do not renew Chronicle of Higher Education subscription–this content should be free.
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