1 Meeting the Challenge of Community: Online Social Networking to Facilitate Online Distance Learning.

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Meeting the Challenge of Community: Online Social Networking to Facilitate Online

Distance Learning

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Web 2.0 = The Social Web

• Content more easily generated and published by users

• Collective intelligence encourages democratic use

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(Gunawardena, et al., 2009)

(Boulos & Wheeler, 2007, cited in Gunawardena, et al., 2009)

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Online Social Networks in Higher Ed

• According to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (2005)– ICT strongly present in higher education

– More significant impact on administrative services

– Less significant impact on pedagogic fundamentals

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Why Use Social Networks (SNS)?

• Web 2.0 platforms provide new and engaging opportunities for learning, teaching and research with an emphasis on – Collaboration– Constructive learning– Interactive

Communication

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Course Management Softwarevs

Social Networking Sites

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CMS

- Developed for management and delivery of learning

- Limited to administrative that can be managed

- Developed for teachers and administrators

SNS

- Developed for management and delivery of learning

- Limited to administrative that can be managed

- Developed for users

(Dalsgaard, 2006)

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The Always-On Generation

• Students bring SNS experience– High rates of use (see

left)

– Positive attitude

– Advanced skills

– Creative opportunity for instructors and learners

– Increased rapport with learners

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(Windley, 2003, cited in Baird & Fisher, 2005)

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(“Ning Traffic,” 2009)

Why Ning?• Facebook skills easily transfered to Ning environment

• Customizable features go beyond CMS tools

• Robust support and resources for teaching and learning

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Ning Features

• Email - Comment walls

• Blog - to post course material

• Discussion board

• Video sharing

• Photo-sharing

• Chat- tells you who is online

• Create groups - private and public

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Ning Community

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Learning Application

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Blogs ➺ Lecture, course notes

Discussions ➺Reaction papers, interview notes, reviews of media

Text boxes ➺

- Important class documents- Class links- Online academic support

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Learning Application

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Videos ➺Course media materialsLearner-generated content

Photos ➺ Charts, graphs

Chat room ➺Synchronous meetings, online office hours

Announcements ➺ Deadline reminders

Important class info

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Teaching Extras

• Analytics - tracking• Alerts announcements• Archives• RSS boxes for news feeds• Text boxes• Widgets (grade books, calendar)• Easy to add in other tools (audio, wikis)

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Using Ning - Challenges

• Accessibility needs improvement• Advertisements• Lack of integration with campus record

systems and CMS• Lack of content migration• Course creation and revision more time

consuming

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Other Considerations

• FERPA and other university policies– Privacy and security– Student grades and accessibility

• Class management parameters• Technical support considerations

– Self-sufficient tech support– Ning developers

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Course Issues• Establish security and privacy parameters• Determine content parameters for student pages• Customize tabs for course needs• Determine how Web 2.0 apps can be used

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RSS Feeds

Audio/Video

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Impact: Content

• Learners benefit from more opportunities to interact with course content

• Learners generate and share content• Learners build classroom community

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Impact: Interaction

• Learners discuss and post comments on all aspects of course content

• Learners share information, including class notes

• Learners share their work for interaction and review

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ITC 19525

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Student Pages

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Student Pages

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Student Pages

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Assessment• Quality Matters Rubric (handout)• Midterm evaluation for course to

remedy challenges• Midterm online peer evaluation• Student assessment of course as part of

assessment assignment and final project• Traditional campus evaluation

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Model: Community of Inquiry

• Cognitive presence

• Social presence• Teaching

presence

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(Teaching and Learning Center, 2007)

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Student Gains

• SNSs foster “social capital”• SNSs promote “next generation” skills

– Creativity and innovation– Communication and collaboration– Research and information fluency– Technology operations and concepts– Digital citizenship

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Epistemological Approach

• Constructivism– “Reality is constructed by individuals and social

groups based on their experiences with and interpretations of the world” (Reiser & Depmsey, 2007, p. 46)

– Dependent on:• human experience• perceptions• mental and human constructs

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Theoretical Approaches (Learning)

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Situated Learning Theory ➺

Learning occurs through participation in community

Social Constructivism ➺ Learning strongly

linked to social context

5 “E Model” ➺

EngagementExplorationExplanationElaborationEvaluation

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Final Outcome Centered Around Learner: FOCAL Model

• Utilize networking capabilities of Internet

• Develop online “thought communities”

• Emphasize Community of Practice (CoP) to– Create

– Discover

– Apply existing wisdom

– Develop wisdom potential

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(Gunawawardena, et al., 2004)

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Social Networking Spiral

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* Uses Web 2.0 tools

* Emphasizes 5 phases of learning process 1. Context 2. Discourse 3. Action 4. Reflection 5. Reorganization

(Guwarnada, et al., 2009)

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Student-Centered Approach to e-Learning

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(Dalsgaard, 2006)

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Final Thoughts• SNSs address educational challenges of

millennial learners• Ning offers attractive features to

educators and students• Constructivist, Socially Mediated

theoretical models, with motivational features

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