Strictly Digital - Social Media workshop slides

Editor's Notes

• #2: Social Software /Social Media /Web 2.0 – these all refer to similar tools. A range of tools are now available which have the potential to transform the way we learn and teach. They can be used to communicate with others, to create, collaborate and share resources and to make learning a more personalised experience. During this session we will introduce some of these tools and highlight how they can be used in a learning and teaching context.
• #3: Which SM tools do you use as an individual?
• #4: Social software/media refers to a number of online services or tools which are for social and collaborative activities. They are transforming the way we use the internet allowing us to participate in creating content, to collaborate and communicate with others, to share ideas and information, and to personalise content in ways that suit us as teachers or as learners. The Social in Social media comes from the fact that communication is the main ingredient in Social Media. As the web developed it became an excellent repository of information, but was a place where only technically adept users and organisations would author content, and we have been passive consumers of the internet but social software/media has enabled us to contribute/comment and publish to the internet without the need for any specialist web skills. The main assumption in the use of social media is that people are always on line, via PC / laptop or handheld devices. The tools are web-based and rely on browsers such as IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari to access the tools and they are easy to use JISC infoNet have created a good Social Software overview which can be accessed from their website - http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/social-software/index_html
• #5: ETNA – Electronic Training Needs Analysis – is survey carried out by the RSC Scotland and is intended to identify training needs of staff in Scottish FE colleges, and to inform strategic planning and decision making. This is the 5th instance of the survey, with data available since 2001. This allows us to trace the use of learning technology in colleges over the past decade, giving a clear picture of technology use within the Scottish FE sector – The survey is tailored to gather relevant information from a variety of different roles: Survey categories:Academic Staff / Middle Managers / Senior Managers / Learning Resources Staff / Technical/Network Staff / Learning Technologists As SM tools emerged they were utilised as personal tools that were solely used within social spaces but as they became ubiquitous opportunities to use them in an academic context were identified. Social Media tools are widely available across colleges (although some tools are blocked)  70% of academic respondents indicated that the use of social media enhances the quality of the learning experience, with 69% agreeing that students were at ease using it Not all staff agree about the benefits of social media, with some academic staff indicating that they consider social media to be a distraction to learning; The most popular social media tool is YouTube (used by 62% of academic staff),
• #6: With other tools such as Facebook, blogs, wikis and Twitter lagging behind; Within in the survey some highlighted concerns about using what they consider to be a non-college or personal tool with their students, and are rightly concerned about e-safety as well.
• #7: Which SM tools do you use as an individual?
• #8: Pedagogy is always the starting point in teaching and learning, and although technology should not be the driver for learning and teaching it has however complemented existing pedagogies such as social constructivism and contributed in evolving pedagogies such as connectivisim. Social constructivism (based on the theory of Vygotsky, Soviet Learning Theorist) – highlights the social aspects of learning – knowledge constructed through discussion and collaboration and technology has provided more opportunities for this type of learning through forums and wikis, which form an integral part of online learning, with an emphasis on creating an online community to eradicate the feeling of isolation that perhaps was a key factor in the high drop-out rate of online learners in years gone by. Connectivisim (Siemen,George, Educational Theorist, Canadian) – learning through our connections and by making connections, tapping in to networks, accessing resources, connecting ideas. Knowing where to find information more important than what we know. Application of these pedagogies requires supporting opportunities for collaboration, interaction, discussion and finding resources. Meeting learners expectations Increasingly learners are ICT literate with high expectations of ICT availability, interactive teaching resources & learning materials and expect to be able to work & learn wherever and whenever they want and this as been enabled by the ‘always online’ culture, and they also want to be able to use personal devices i.e. smartphones and tablets and to use their own technologies, including cloud based technologies, along with institutionally provided tools. Peers play an important and often unacknowledged role in the learning experience. Whether through one to one text messages, instant messaging or facebook groups it mostly occurs without the support or knowledge of their tutors. IMO the significance of informal social activities for learning is underestimated and it places more emphasis on having effective communication channels.
• #11: 40% of users look but don’t tweet – statistic brain 43% use their phone
• #13: Statisticbrain Percent of 18-34 year olds who check Facebook when they wake up 48 % Percent of 18-34 year olds who check Facebook before they get out of bed 28 % Average number of friends per facebook user 130 Average number of pages, groups, and events a user is connected to 80 Average number of photos uploaded per day 205 Number of fake Facebook profiles 81,000,000
• #21: Three key areas of focus when your thinking of eSafety – People / Systems and Procedures   An e-safety coordinator is crucial to the process of developing and maintaining an e-safe culture. This should be a named individual with specific responsibility for overseeing all areas of digital safeguarding within your organisation, ideally as part of a wider child protection or safeguarding role. Workshops or training sessions can help to raise awareness of e-safety issues and risks, along with the many positive opportunities offered by new technologies. Include digital literacies which incorporate eSafety in essential skills programes – maybe you do that aready? So ask these questions: Do all our staff and receive training on e-safety awareness? Do our leadership team and governors have adequate awareness of e-safety issues? Do we have a single point of contact for all e-safety issues? Does everyone know who it is?   In terms of systems, accredited suppliers must meet and maintain specific standards in content filtering and service performance in areas such as browsing of web-based content, email filtering, blocking and filtering of newsgroups and chat services, and virus alerting, all with a strong focus on e-safety. Its about risk assessment, Strike a balance between keeping systems safe and not stifling creativity – ensure you have strong educational arguments for opening up systems.   Acceptable use policies (AUPs) are simple documents, detailing the way in which new and emerging technologies may and may not be used, and listing sanctions for misuse. When embedded within a wider framework of e-safety measures, AUPs can help to promote the positive behaviours needed to keep all users safe online. Logs of e-safety incidents, resulting outcomes and follow-up actions are essential for maintaining a safe online environment.