Fostering 21st Century Skills in a Social Network Classroom : Fostering 21st Century Skills in a Social Network Classroom Mary Hricko, PhD
Kent State University – Geauga Campus
Points to Ponder… (K-12) : Points to Ponder… (K-12) The National School Board Association (NSBA) survey found that 96% of (15-17yr olds) use a social networking tool.
High school students spend nine hours a week on social networking sites.
School related activities (homework, group projects, tutoring, sharing notes, etc.) was the second most popular reason why students from this cohort used social networking tools.
Points to Ponder : Points to Ponder In 2007, 1 in 4 Americans had a MySpace account.
86.6 million people in the USA are using social networking sites on a weekly basis.
98% college students surveyed use a social networking tool DAILY.
94% of those students stated that they preferred using their SN tool more than email.
Sener (2007) “The growth of enrollment in online education indicates a preference for life online.”
Horizon Report 2007 : Horizon Report 2007 It is more than just a friends list;
truly engaging social networking offers an opportunity …
to contribute, share, communicate, and collaborate.
—all desirable qualities for education
Social Networks & Education : How we began to integrate the use of social networks at our campus…. Social Networks & Education
Learning Community Space : Learning Community Space WEBTAS (web teaching and academic support services) is a global learning community for educators interested in emerging technologies – we needed a multi-modal meeting space
We selected a social network because many of us were already using ning
http://webtas.ning.com
webtas.ning.com : webtas.ning.com
KSU SCIENCE Portal : KSU SCIENCE Portal Establishes a science lab portal for faculty and students to continue research
Links faculty and students together in one place to get information about courses
Establishes learner support center for science students (tutoring, study groups)
Provides mentoring resources for new faculty – develops cohorts
Coordinates class scheduling, lab work
KSU Science Portal : KSU Science Portal
Conference Planning : Conference Planning Used SNSs to plan an academic writing center conference
Used site for conference attendees to network before, during, and after the conference
Sustaining site for next conference planning and resource for Northeast Ohio Writing Centers Association
Posts CFPs, workshops, handouts, tutorials
NEOWCA Conference : NEOWCA Conference
KSU Teaching Applications : KSU Teaching Applications Instructors used SNSs as supplemental course sites for resources, assignments, and information sharing
Instructors used NING to set up blended courses as alternatives to courseware
In Summer 2007, some of the members of WEBTAS began teaching their courses in NING
Getting Started : ….if you are planning to teach with a social networking tool Getting Started
The Challenges : The Challenges FERPA…FERPA…FERPA
Accessibility issues for users with special needs need to be improved
Instructors will find more work involved in managing content for the site and maintaining its security
Courseware tools are more readily supported by the university IT department; social networks are still held suspect
More Challenges : More Challenges Some SNSs are not user-friendly to education applications.
Facebook vs. Higher Education
Content isn’t migrated from semester to semester; rosters aren’t loaded; standard courseware features may not be available
Student reactions aren’t always “academic” in their response to the social networking classroom
Features of SNSs Tools - Standard : Features of SNSs Tools - Standard Blog, discussion tools, forum tools, email
Profile pages for members
Privacy setting for network access
Allows integration of media-rich technologies: audio, video, rss, and other media
Allots network creator to develop levels of administrative access and moderation
Provides easy tools for content creation
Enables creator to add widgets
Features of SNSs Tools - Custom : Features of SNSs Tools - Custom Enables greater flexibility to customize settings within tool
Enables network creator to build in “social circles” or special groups within the network
Enables levels of privacy for each element within the network
Enables redesign of templates and objects within the network
Provides advanced archiving and search tools
The Merits : The Merits SNs provide an “active rich” environment for students to engage in their learning
SNs foster “social capital” which is linked to improving student success and retention.
SNs promote “next generation” skills
Creativity and innovation
Communication and collaboration
Research and information fluency
Technology operations and concepts
Digital citizenship
Overall we felt that . . . : Our students need to learn how to use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively and to support their individual learning and while contributing to the learning of others Overall we felt that . . .
My ITEC Course : My ITEC Course
Mary’s course : Mary’s course Core course for Education majors
Students must demonstrate understanding of ISTE NETS Standards (21st Century skills)
Students must develop e-portfolio with content that demonstrates competencies.
Students must peer review portfolios
Students must demonstrate understanding of tech tools
Basic assignments : Basic assignments Graded discussions
Blog journaling and short mini-essays
Enhanced lecture notes – I blog the primary lecture and then each student adds content (links, video, photos, text) to enhance the lecture
Students post discussion questions that others answer
Tech skill assignments : Tech skill assignments Building a content area WebQuest
Creating a video essay on education case
Creating a Jing presentation on class related topic
Build an interactive content area tutorial
Developing an e-portfolio on their pages – listing all of their assignments for the others to see
AALit Class : AALit Class
Our assignments : Our assignments Student-led discussions on selected readings (poets)
Collaborative research paper- peer reviewed
Video essay on favorite poem (Favorite Poem Project)
Multi-modal presentation of their essay (audio-video-text)
Online submission of their work to e-journal
21st Century Skill Building : How social networks help foster these skills 21st Century Skill Building
1. Creativity : 1. Creativity Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology
Students are apt to respond to each other’s comments and questions; they become the facilitators
After the first week of class, students were uploading videos and photos to contribute to the class
2. Communication and Collaboration : 2. Communication and Collaboration Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively.
The variety of communication tools helps build different skills
Students collaborate without being prompted; the nature of the tool inspires the activity
Students are using their blogs to write class notes and then they share their notes with others
3. Research and Information Fluency : 3. Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information
Students are apt to evaluate each other’s content for accuracy
Students seem to be more mindful in creating content when they realize others will be viewing it
Students tend to cite references more in their blog postings
Tagging, linking, identifying
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making : 4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions
Level of discussions seem to be more in depth; students work together to generate usable content
Students ask more questions of each other
Students are enhancing my blog lectures with their content
5. Digital Citizenship : 5. Digital Citizenship Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior
Students come to understand how to present information to each other in an appropriate manner
It makes sense to demonstrate issues about digital copyright in a digital environment
Students learn about privacy and security in the use of the network
6. Technology Operations and Concepts : 6. Technology Operations and Concepts Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.
Students learn how to use participant technologies to communicate, acquire information, and create content
Students learn how to use multi-modal technologies by using the various features of the application
Slide 33 : Enabling students to create their own educational content increases engagement, improves learning, and can result in products of lasting value.
(Sener 2007) “In Search of Student Generated Content in Online Education” – Sloan-C
The Merits : The Merits Social learning teaches “learning to be”.
SNSs promote unlimited avenues of user-consultant collaborations (student-to-student).
Most students are veterans of SNSs technologies and are comfortable in this environment.
SNSs benefit “silent members” who develop a sense of solidarity within the community.
Resources for You : Resources for You
Take some time to read…. : Take some time to read…. Horizon Report 2007 – Profiles social networking tools and user-generated content
CyberSkeptic’s Guide to Internet Research
Sener, J. (2007) “In Search of Student Generated Content in Online Education” www.e-mentor.edu.pl/eng.emertor
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007_Standards.pdf
Take some time to browse… : Take some time to browse… Educators and Ning (http://education.ning.com)
Social Networks in Education Wiki – (http://socialnetworksined.wikispaces.com)
ChitChat (http://chitch.at)
Carmun (www.carmun.com)
EDUCAUSE on Social Computing (http://connect.educause.edu/wiki/Social_Computing
For more information : Please contact me at mhricko@kent.edu or join the WEBTAS SN at www.webtas.ning.com to continue the discussion. For more information
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