Learning in the Future

In preparation for my presentation last week on Harnessing the Power of Social Media to Increase Community of Learning in Higher Education, I found numerous great resources related to social media and education.  Following are some of my favorites:

Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture:  Mass Education for the 21st Century (PDF)
A quiet revolution is occurring in our society.  As a result of technology and Web 2.0 concepts, we now expect to participate in our media.  How does this affect education?
(Jenkins/MacArthur Foundation - 2006)

A review of current and developing international practice in the use of social networking (Web 2.0) in higher education (Doc)
The results of a five-nation survey of social media use in education
(Armstrong/Franklin - September 2008)

Web 2.0 for Content for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PDF)
“Web 2.0 will have profound implications for learners and teachers in formal, informal, work-based and lifelong education. Web 2.0 will affect how universities go about the business of education, from learning, teaching and assessment, through contact with school communities, widening participation, interfacing with industry, and maintaining contact with alumni.”
(Franklin/Harmelen - May 2007)

101 Uses for Second Life in the College Classroom (PDF)
An overview of Second Life and a handbook of sorts for using Second Life for education.
(Conklin, February 2007)

 Web 2.0 tools: underpinning pedagogy, uses, and best practices in education (PDF presentation)
“An illustrated PowerPoint PDF introducing the underpinning pedagogy of Web 2.0 tools, their uses and best practices in the context of higher education, together with a comprehensive Webliography about the subject. The presentation covers wikis, blogs, wikis vs. blogs, podcasts, and confluence of Web 2.0 tools, e.g., blikis and voice wikis.
(Boulos, June 2007)

Wikis in Higher Education (PDF)
“An explanatory report about the value of wikis in higher education, from a faculty perspective.”
(University of Delaware, May 2008)

Can We Use Twitter for Educational Activities?
“With a solid experience in using Web2.0 technologies in education, the authors are trying to provide arguments for using Twitter as microblogging platform / social network in education, underlining its advantages, but also possible bad points.”
(Grosseck and Holotescu, April 2008)

Drive Belonging in the Classroom with Facebook (PDF)
“This explains how Facebook should not be used to advance learning in social networks, but rather social networks should be used to advance learning by building community”
Some great tips!
(Staton, 2008)

Collaborative tagging, metadata creation and learning: A study within a higher-education course (PDF)
“In this paper we present a study regarding metadata creation by students and discuss the implication of such learning activities.”
(Or-Bach, year unknown)

Creativity Through e-Learning: Engendering Collaborative Creativity Through Folksonomy (Google)
“This paper sets out to demonstrate that creativity can be fostered in learners through the use of such Web 2.0 technologies and, in particular, through tagging and it’s social form, folksonomy.”
(Lapham, 2007)

Nineteen Interesting Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom (GoogleDoc, PPT)
Although geared more toward K-12, this presentation has some innovative strategies for using Twitter in education.
(Barrett, year unknown)

Also, here is a nice collection:

socialmedia items tagged via Delicious

If you have other online resources, please feel free to comment below so I can include them for other educators! 

I’ve been invited to present at the “Virtual Worlds and Interpretive Communities: Opportunities for Global Dialogue” international conference hosted by the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies and the Sammy Ofer School of Communication held on February 16-17 in the Greenspun Hall Auditorium.  Following is the title and description of my presentation:

 Harnessing the power of social media to increase community of learning in higher education
Marketers have learned that simply publishing information about a product is no longer effective—consumers want to feel part of something; they want to belong to a community. These same concepts apply to higher education. Media tools like blogs, microblogs, folksonomies, and wikis have revolutionized the educational landscape and helped usher in an era of collaboration and camaraderie among students.

I’d like to be able to discuss how social media has the potential to increase the sense of connectedness and enjoyment that students (and faculty) feel when participating in online learning.

This train of thought comes as a direct result of my recent experiences exploring social media.

At a recent local blogging conference (WordCamp: Las Vegas), I heard blogging strategist and presenter Liz Strauss say:

“I don’t care what you know, until I know that you care.” 

While I know she was speaking in reference to marketing and customer loyalty, I couldn’t help but consider the implications for education.

I was also struck by a re-tweeted quote from Shane Ginsberg, executive director of marketing agency Organic:

“Social Media is a party. Brands are the narcs in the corner taking notes.”

This makes sense to me.  Social media networks seem to fill a basic need for people to connect with each other and belong to a community.  Sensing a profit potential, entrepreneurs capitalize on the gathering.

But where does education fit into the equation? I had to think about that.  I think I’d like to append Ginsburg’s quote:

“Social Media is a party. Brands are the narcs in the corner taking notes. Education is the quiet guy at the party…trying to figure out how to turn this experience into a learning opportunity.”

I’d love to hear your feedback on these concepts.  I’m especially interested in any research that has been done on social media and its effect on education.  Please feel free to comment!