1 / 41

Using Social Networking to Transform Your Class Into a Learning Community

Using Social Networking to Transform Your Class Into a Learning Community. John Ricard TRETC 2012. Objectives. What is a social network? What are some strategies to help apply a social network to my course? What are some effective procedures that will help adopt a social network efficiently?.

corbin
Download Presentation

Using Social Networking to Transform Your Class Into a Learning Community

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Using Social Networking to Transform Your Class Into a Learning Community John Ricard TRETC 2012

  2. Objectives • What is a social network? • What are some strategies to help apply a social network to my course? • What are some effective procedures that will help adopt a social network efficiently?

  3. Introduction • Currently teaching: • Latin • AP Art History • AP European History • At Somerset Academy in Pembroke Pines, FL • Created Romae.org – Classical Languages and Studies network • Created RicardAcademy.info – network and ancillary tool for “non-Latin” subjects • Contributor on AFireKindled.com – focuses on integrating education with technology • BA in Art History • MA in Classics

  4. Overview • Not a lecture • An interactive workshop • Learn by doing! • Agere non modoputare! • Applies to any subject

  5. Have Questions? Comments? Join and Post Them! • AFireKindled.com/Community • Look for confirmation email when registering • Join Group: Educational Technology Roundtable • Post in Forum: Using Social Networking to Transform Your Class into a Learning Community

  6. What is a Social Network? Redefining Learning

  7. What is a Social Network? • Social networking is a way to connect and share ideas • Offers ways to collect, curate, and collaborate with content • Some examples are Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn

  8. Why Social Networking? • Wanted to find a way to use the technologies my students are familiar with • Further engage students • Make courses relevant • Create an easy, fun environment for learning • Easy access to assignments, information • Accountability

  9. Problems with Social Networking • Stresses “social” behaviors • Facebook, Google+ • Too many distractions • Blurs line between personal/academic • Blocked on most campuses • Twitter • Limited to 140 characters • Can only collect content online (limited curationand collaboration) • Blocked on most campuses

  10. Problems With social networking • Need to adapt social networks into “learning communities” • The technology provides a template for both teachers and students to follow • Teachers = technology immigrants • Students = technology natives

  11. What do you mean “Learning community”? • Focuses on a particular subject • Allows collaboration within a community of learners • Social networks are for “socializing” • Learning communities are geared towards learning

  12. 5 C’s of Educational Technology • Every Learning Community should have these capabilities • Collect– resources that collect content • Curate – resources that maintain and update content; also reinforce concepts learned in class • Create – resources that help create content • Collaborate – resources that allow collaboration using content • Communicate – resources that help communicate about content

  13. Case Studies How I adapted social networking technology

  14. Solution: Build a Social Network • Romae.org/Amicitia • Social network for Romae.org • Allows members to interact and form learning communities

  15. Solution: Build a Social Network • RicardAcademy.info • Solution for my “non-Latin” courses

  16. Features Overview: activity • Activity – shows site-wide activity • Great way to see who has been active • Helpful for students to find others and collaborate, review together

  17. Features Overview: Groups • Groups – allows for different courses to have their own spaces, discussions, etc. • Allows students to form networks with one another • May foster friendly competition (year to year!)

  18. Features Overview: Members • Members – easily find other members on the network • Find “study-buddies”, partners for collaborative assignments, group projects

  19. Features Overview: Sites • Sites – easily find your course’s main site • Assignment updates, announcements, resources for projects, etc. • Creates accountability for BOTH students and teachers

  20. Features: Groups • Groups – where the main “action” happens

  21. Features: Groups • Group Features: Documents • Post exclusive documents for group members to share

  22. Features: Groups • Group Features: Forum • Used for discussions between group members

  23. Features: Groups • Group Features: Docs • Creates a collaborative workspace for group members

  24. Features: Groups • Group Features: Members • Form connections between various group members • Follow their activity on the network

  25. Features: Groups • Group Features: Send Invites • Allows members of a group to invite other members to join the group

  26. Features: Groups • Group Features: Send Email • Allows members to send communication outside the network

  27. Why Social Networking? • Using a social network I can: • Collect new content for my course • Curate and update content myself or via my students • Create new content, assignments, projects • Collaborate with my students in a thriving learning community • Communicate with others about assignment dates, project obstacles, etc. • Gives me all solutions in one place • Accessible from anywhere on “the cloud”

  28. Strategiesand tips What’s next?

  29. Strategies and Tips • Form a learning community that is interactive! • Be consistent! • Keep them coming back! • Monitor student activity • E.g. use @username to directly “ping” a student – like Twitter • Upload and share important documents with your class • Syllabus, rubrics, study guides • Create events and announcements routinely • Field trips, test dates, etc. • Create discussions that are open-ended, enriching, interesting! • Try “non-traditional” activities • MinecraftRomae

  30. Strategies and Tips • Keep assessments simple • Grade based on completion • Encourage students to use the resource to help them learn, not make it the basis of their learning • When students create accounts, have a procedure to be able to easily identify their usernames

  31. Strategies and Tips • I built my sites using open source software • Wordpress extended with Buddypress • Building your own site takes time, patience, and experience • Lots of work and “frontloading” • Find a solution that will make your life easier and that is scalable

  32. Solutions How?

  33. Implementation • Technology is supposed to make life EASIER • Find ONE resource and use it to make your life EASIER • Use it to make your class more exciting, more relevant! • Lots of FREE options!

  34. Collect

  35. Curate

  36. Create

  37. Collaborate

  38. Communicate

  39. Continuing the conversation Keep it going! What ideas do you have?

  40. Continuing the Conversation • AFireKindled.com- online publication for integrating technology with education • AFireKindled.com/Community • Look for confirmation email when registering • Join Group: Educational Technology Roundtable • Post in the group forum

  41. Continuing the Conversation Interested in having your own site/social network? • Contact me: • me@johnricard.info or visit JohnRicard.info • Twitter: @johnricard or @magisterricard (see how I use Twitter for my classes) • Read: • AFireKindled.com • Sites/Projects: • RicardAcademy.info • Romae.org

More Related