Monday, December 9, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Social Media in Education
So we all know what social media is don't we? Well do we? So if you want a definition here is one from Joosten (2012). "Web 2 applications that have the potential to increase interactions amongst individuals through creating and sharing” She goes on to say that usually this communication takes the form of User-generated Content (UGC) which is created, shared and gathered.
So what are the pedagogical benefits of social networking? Communication, sharing and connecting are what define social networks and it is this that makes them perfect for the fluid and dynamic nature of peer learning. With social networking, students can continually share anything they discover, from any source and in any format. They can use a discussion forum, a video link; share a whole file or just a snip of a conversation. Social networks can be used well for whole class projects that require students to consistently interact with each other over a period of time in order to build their knowledge of a topic.
The success of the social network depends on the members being able to make and sustain their connections with others, allowing the network to grow and flourish organically.
So do we need to rethink pedagogy again? Does technology innovation inply the continual renewal of what we mean by pedagogy? There has been many suggestions that students learning differently in 21st century, but do we really mean that we process things differently or is it simply that we have access to information differently, so we therefore need to understand how to handle the information differently in order to learn? The theoretical concepts and approaches of Dewy, Vygotsky, Bruner, Papert, Lave and Wenger, we all study as educators, are still fundamental to our understanding of how learners learn. The emphasis is guiding the learner to learn. So do these new technologies have a positive impact on our pedagogy and therefore on learning? Beetham & Sharpe (2012) talk of digital technologies that trigger a different kind of relationship between teacher, the learner, and what is being learned. They suggest that we do in fact need to rethink the style and scope of the pedagogy as the digital age continues to “throw up new technological-driven challenges. (p16)”
Social Media Series: Introduction to Social Media in Education
So what are the pedagogical benefits of social networking? Communication, sharing and connecting are what define social networks and it is this that makes them perfect for the fluid and dynamic nature of peer learning. With social networking, students can continually share anything they discover, from any source and in any format. They can use a discussion forum, a video link; share a whole file or just a snip of a conversation. Social networks can be used well for whole class projects that require students to consistently interact with each other over a period of time in order to build their knowledge of a topic.
The success of the social network depends on the members being able to make and sustain their connections with others, allowing the network to grow and flourish organically.
So do we need to rethink pedagogy again? Does technology innovation inply the continual renewal of what we mean by pedagogy? There has been many suggestions that students learning differently in 21st century, but do we really mean that we process things differently or is it simply that we have access to information differently, so we therefore need to understand how to handle the information differently in order to learn? The theoretical concepts and approaches of Dewy, Vygotsky, Bruner, Papert, Lave and Wenger, we all study as educators, are still fundamental to our understanding of how learners learn. The emphasis is guiding the learner to learn. So do these new technologies have a positive impact on our pedagogy and therefore on learning? Beetham & Sharpe (2012) talk of digital technologies that trigger a different kind of relationship between teacher, the learner, and what is being learned. They suggest that we do in fact need to rethink the style and scope of the pedagogy as the digital age continues to “throw up new technological-driven challenges. (p16)”
Social Media Series: Introduction to Social Media in Education
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
National Express
National Express
Taking year 3 Ed Studies to London in january to BETT 2014 at London Excel Centre. A return coach for £10.98 not bad. Hope to find a hotel deal as good as this!
Taking year 3 Ed Studies to London in january to BETT 2014 at London Excel Centre. A return coach for £10.98 not bad. Hope to find a hotel deal as good as this!
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