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Facebook & Blackboard. Comparison of learner perspectives. Introduction. The team: Patrick Parslow, Shirley Williams, Michael Evans, Karsten Ø ster Lundqvist, Edwin Porter-Daniels, Robert Ashton Contact details: p.parslow@reading.ac.uk
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Facebook & Blackboard Comparison of learner perspectives
Introduction • The team: Patrick Parslow, Shirley Williams, Michael Evans, Karsten Øster Lundqvist, Edwin Porter-Daniels, Robert Ashton • Contact details: p.parslow@reading.ac.uk • Domain : All surveys conducted at University of Reading
Results • “What do you think would make a good eLearning environment?” • “Something that doesn't detract from a physical learning environment.” • “An education into how to use and what e-learning is attempting to achieve” • “Fun and easy to use” • “accurate information”
Results • “What do you think would make a good eLearning environment?” • “E-mail” • “An easily accessible website, for students doing the same course(s), not necessarily from the same institution.” • “I think blackboard is ideal really.” • “nothing, teaching is best done in the classroom, face to face. eLearning is silly.”
Results • More from the comments and interviews: • eLearning environment needs to be widely used to be useful • Consistency between modules and interfaces • More discussion groups • Privacy, within group and sometimes excluding lecturer • Trust is an issue • Separation of academia and social matters
Results – connecting to people • Students 5 times more likely to find peers on Facebook than on UoR Blackboard • Marked gender difference found in prototype survey not supported by results of full survey so far • Strongest correlations with departments (for FB) • Chemistry and Human & Environmental Science • -ve correlation with Health & Social care, and Biological Science • Appears unrelated to gender • May be related to active social groups in departments
Why is connecting important? • Connectivism • Rapidly changing knowledge landscape • Short half-life of information • Important to have a network of information sources • Collaboration • Many heads are better than one • Synergy • Inter-disciplinary cross fertilization • Constructivism • Learn better if creating things others will see/use
Conclusions • Learners will learn through social networking • Even in the absence of course materials • There may be a eLearner role • Those who learn both through the VLE and other tools • Intentional use of tools improves outcomes • At least in terms of frequency • Something about UoR use of Blackboard seems to inhibit • 1 in 6 intending to learn by using it never do
Thank you Any Questions?