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Social Learning: Log On, Link In, Join Up

Social Connection, Find Me On...

By Heather Hickerson

With social networking and blogs making up 17 percent of time spent online, the lines between socializing and learning are blurring. Among educators, there's a sense that "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." The impact is so great that many UCM professors are finding creative ways to adopt social media into their pedagogy, drawn by its interactive characteristics, free access and relative familiarity to their younger generation of students. With millions of active users, web sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia, Ning and Twitter are being accessed by professors to connect with students.

Odin Jurkowski, associate professor of educational technology, says, "I use social media tools in my classroom to improve communication and increase collaboration among students. Students just tend to be more relaxed and loose about the discussion online."

"I started three years ago when students in a computer lab class immediately logged on to Facebook before the class started," says Michael Sekelsky, professor of music. He discovered from necessity the value of using the world's fastest growing communication web site. "I had recently sent out an email announcement about future assignments, class format, etc. The majority of students indicated they did not receive it. When I asked for a reason, they said, 'You didn't send it through Facebook - that is the only account we check on a regular basis.' We set up a Facebook page at the beginning of that class session."

Joseph Kyser, a graduate assistant in business teacher education, finds social media is a new way to connect to students. "By using a social network such as Ning, I was able to chat with others live [similar to a Facebook chat]. Blackboard is a great tool for delivering content; however, the social media tools provided a way to communicate with others in the class in more dynamic ways," he adds.

As sites such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs become more commonplace, others are starting to surface, such as Ning. This web platform allows users to create and customize their own social networks based on common interests or shared experiences.

Holly Davenport, Coordinator, Technical Projects for the department of Information Technology and Instruction at UCM, says she likes using Ning to showcase students' work to help them land jobs or internships.

"Ning is an open network, so you can invite people in," she says. "I was inviting professional designers to act as guest speakers to the class. This lets students have 'face' time with professionals, a lot of whom are looking for interns or employees."

 

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