2_2 Discussion Assignment-Technologies in higher education

Social networking and the learning community

By Steve Grede for NAU, CC590 

I asked a friend who maintains a very active Facebook page, ‘why do you spend the time and energy?’ After some thought she replied, ‘we are like pack animals that are more comfortable knowing what everyone else in the pack is doing.’ Perhaps social media is means of strengthening our sense of community.

I become impatient with the level of conversation often found in social media. Most forms have a lag time that necessitates multiple responses. I am just not good at texting. Honestly, I prefer in-person interaction. I can read so much more from another’s intonation and body language. Pictures may be good but there is nothing like being together.

I work to foster a sense of community in my Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) classroom. Teaching design and drafting software can be challenging. Students come with widely varying skills and abilities. The software is challenging and not very intuitive. There are many hurdles that can stop a student’s progress. Some students find the frustration overwhelming. When there is a learning community, students help one another. The student does not have to wait for me to get to them before they can have assistance and continue.

The great diversity of students provides greater opportunities for learning. Some of my students are professionals who need to learn the software or update their skills. Others have been raised with computers yet have little understanding of the professional applications. Learning is far greater if the students can share, support, and mentor.

There is a camaraderie that develops. Our classes run five hours and twenty minutes a week for sixteen weeks. The students have a lot of personal contact. If a student is absent, another student usually texts to find out why and will help catch them up. It is this kind of environment that makes teaching so much fun.  

The CAD Department is considering offering classes in a hybrid format; meaning that the class would meet in person once a week and the additional work time would be independently. The computer lab would be available for students who do not have the computing ability to run the free versions of the software. I suspect meeting once a week will still maintain that physical sense of community. The support of the community will hopefully extend beyond the class time.

Depending on the success of the hybrid format, we are considering offering some sections entirely online. Other programs have done this successfully. The online courses tend to fill more quickly. There are logistical concerns such as the computing requirements to run the software. I find the greatest concern is the potential loss of a learning community. Some students can learn from tutorials but the majority of my students seem to benefit from instructor assistance and a sense of community.

This class is showing that there are other means of creating a community. According to Hung (2010), “learning emerges from social interaction.” (p. 704) “We therefore urge higher education practitioners to look more closely at the technological affordance of social media ant its instruction use for creating a positive learning community.” (p. 712) Certainly this class will give resources to support learning in any modality. Of particular interest are the strategies for fostering a learning community in hybrid and online formats.

Before this class I associated social media with Facebook. I do not keep up a Facebook page, in part because I am an educator. I am reluctant to share personal information with students and respect their privacy as well. According to a study performed by Malesky (2012) “Over one-third of the students and one a quarter of the faculty participants reported that it is inappropriate for faculty members to have accounts on SSNs (social networking sites).” (p. 135) The article went on to discuss the concept of “dual relationships” or the blurring of profession and social relationships. There are potential ethical considerations of assessing all students equally.

I am learning that there are many more types of social media available. Tweets might remind students of deadlines. I am intrigued by blogs and interested in how this might be incorporated. The ability to make and post movies podcasts and movies has great potential. I look forward to trying out these technologies and learning what the next three weeks of class might offer.

Resources:

El-Hussein, M. O. M., & Cronje, J. C. (2010). Defining Mobile Learning in the Higher Education Landscape. Educational Technology & Society, 13 (3), 12–21.

 

Hung, H. T., & Yuen, S. C. Y. (2010). Educational use of social networking technology in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 15(6), 703-714.

Malesky Jr., L. A & Peters, C. (2012). Defining appropriate professional behavior for faculty and university students on social networking websites. Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning, 63(1) 135-151.