SxSW Panel Rejected? Here’s a second chance

There are a lot of reasons panels get rejected by SxSW. Some don’t even make it into the panel picker, while others just aren’t ‘pimped out’ hard enough to garner sufficient votes.  Some are really, really fantastic ideas, but miss the mark regarding timing.  Some are just bad (note: if it’s bad, you have no second chance unless you rework it).

Whatever the reason your panel was rejected, here is your second chance to present your talk with your panel on the afternoon of Tuesday March 16, 2010. So submit your panel to us in the comments below (make sure everyone can be there still) and we will, at our sole discretion and judgment, select two (2) or three (3) panels which will receive 30 minutes each to live stream to our global audience from the Social Media Clubhouse beginning around 3pm.

We have this fantastic venue 20 minutes from the convention center, a shuttle bus and a live musical performance we are putting on from Kole Christensen starting at 5pm as part of our KUT Live series.  We also have a daily recap show to produce on Tuesday at 6pm with TechZulu. But we don’t yet have a Summit booked, or a sponsor for it other then Social Media Club, which has a pretty awesome announcement to make this week </teaser>.

So let’s go for it and share some knowledge together. If you get it, we will stream it!

Suggestions

• If it’s a commercial pitch, forget about it, you should have signed up as a sponsor
• If you want more immediate attention, tweet it @socialmediaclub with a link to the panel submission elsewhere online and make sure to use the #SMCH3 hashtag
• We are looking for topics that are interesting to our Social Media Club members from around the world, so if you have a strong case why it would be, present it in the comments (or on your own blog post)
• Don’t contact me personally, please. Especially if you know me personally. I just dont have time to deal with all those extra communications while we are in the midst of producing #SMCH3
• The ‘application’ we choose will be notified by Sunday night so there is time to prepare on MON
• Ummm, well, if you have something to talk about regarding media literacy and how to create more of it, or anything to do with our core missions, that, well, that might get some preferential treatment.

#SMCEDU Chat: Converting Non-Technical Educators

Social Media Club Education Connection (aka #SMCEDU) is a national initiative whose goal is to unite educators, students, and professionals to further the development of social media curriculum in our schools, enabling a wider network of learning and workforce preparedness.

#SMCEDU is a part of Social Media Club, a nonprofit organization that is working to promote media literacy and connect people to share what they are learning about social media.

With today’s #SMCEDU chat, I wanted to brainstorm with our community on ways to encourage non-technical educators to explore and learn about technologies that can potentially improve the learning process.

I imagine it’s a sensitive subject: educators work hard, and many that have never used any form of technology have been teaching for years using a system that has helped numerous students achieve their goals in learning.

Yet we’re at a point in many industries, and in our culture, where some changes can’t be ignored. To better prepare students for this world and to enhance learning in all subjects, schools and instructors need to make the changes to both curriculum and teaching methods to:

a) keep students engaged and interested in learning

b) stay relevant against a constantly-evolving backdrop that’s created because of, and through, an increasingly technical society.

Educators that aren’t as technically adept need a reason to become more so; why and how they should start was the focus of our chat.

Maybe the reason social media gets such a bad rap in the educational world is misperception, and maybe teachers just don’t understand the effectiveness of using technology to teach.

The reasons why some educators haven’t applied technology to the classroom can go on. We tried to focus on the reasons they should.

So much of social media is driven by the practice of sharing. The act of teaching is one of giving, an act that fosters trust. It would seem the best way to increase interest among the skeptical is for trusted colleagues that have the experience to convince them of its upside.

One way to do this is through formal teaching in the form of workshops, although the willingness to invest time (if even for sheer curiosity) must be present in those that lack technical exposure.

PLNs (Personal Learning Networks) are another great resource to expand knowledge, but challenges exist there as well.

In fact, any sort of guidance that’s technically-based (such as PLNs) are part of the problem…the problem being that it takes some willingness to cross a digital divide that’s greater than some realize (for another example of why it’s wrong to assume techical ability, check out this post from ReadWriteWeb). PLNs and PLEs (Personal Learning Environments) are extremely effective, but there has to be a starting point.

But once again, I’m focusing on the reasons educators won’t migrate to using technology in the classroom, while instead I should be focusing on reasons why, and how, they should.

Another approach to persuade educators to adopt technology is to remind them of their primary responsibility: to teach. If students can present compelling ways they use social media to learn, then it’s a callous teacher that won’t listen to that argument.

In fact, it’s exactly these types of student-driven, multi-purpose projects that will be impossible for teachers to ignore and for students to forget.

Students aren’t alone in convincing their instructors. By connecting with businesses that use social media and creating projects that give them real-world experience, the dual-cry of requisite from educational institutions’ two most important customers (the students that populate their campuses, and the businesses/organizations that hire those students) will force change.

That change won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. Just remember this quote from retired U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki:

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”

We’re very excited to have so many new participants each week, we’re grateful for all the shared thoughts and ideas. We look forward to more in the future, see you all again next Monday at 12:30pm EST!

For a complete transcript of today’s chat, click here.

Links to resources mentioned during today’s chat

• From Ana Adi (@ana_adi): U.S. Department of Education draft, National Educational Technology Plan 2010
• From Terry Eberhart (@digin4ed): The Educator’s PLN, #edchat on Twitter
• From Dana M. Nelson (@danamnelson): Steve Radick (@sradick) keynote speech at the University of Southern Indiana
• From Kristina Setzekorn (@ksetzekorn): #lrnchat on Twitter

MD/DC/VA: SMCEDU Information Gathering at George Washington University – March 11, 2010

As SMCEDU interest grows in the DC area, interested individuals are invited to an information gathering at George Washington University.

The event, hosted by GWU’s Andrea Genevieve (@andreagenevieve), welcomes all educators, students, and professionals that have a stake in improving social media education at the university level.

The event will take place on Thursday, March 11, at 5:30pm at George Washington University in the School of Media and Public Affairs building, 4th floor conference room.

If you’re thinking about starting an SMCEDU chapter at your school, or want to share ideas for hosting events, this would be a great opportunity to meet others doing the same!

If you have any questions, please contact either Andrea or myself. Hope to see you there!

#SMCEDU Chat: The Myth of Digital Natives

Social Media Club Education Connection (aka #SMCEDU) is a national initiative whose goal is to unite educators, students, and professionals to further the development of social media curriculum in our schools, enabling a wider network of learning and workforce preparedness.

#SMCEDU is a part of Social Media Club, a nonprofit organization that is working to promote media literacy and connect people to share what they are learning about social media.

Monday’s #SMCEDU chat topic centered around the myth of digital natives, the idea that younger generations are naturally gifted at using online resources.

I found this blog post that presented the argument that while younger people “blog, game, and network on a variety of platforms, often multi-tasking,” the idea that this sort of digital literacy is natural and ubiquitous is false. The post also linked to a series of papers that explore this idea, I found it interesting.

What did our community think of this? Here are the main points from our discussion:

• While younger generations are more comfortable using technology, they are not necessarily more capable
• Younger generations don’t have greater technical “know-how” because schools, especially at lower grade levels and into high school, aren’t teaching them
• Learning should be a lifelong experience, and one that will help individuals stay competitive in the work world

During the chat, many of our participants shared links to various resources; we ALWAYS appreciate the extra information!

Younger Generations More Comfortable with Technology, Not More Capable

While it’s true that devices like laptops and smartphones are ubiquitous among young students, that doesn’t automatically translate to digital mastery. In fact, instructors may may make assumptions about their students’ technical capability that aren’t always true. And while some students feel confident that they “get it,” the truth is that many don’t understand the full potential of the tools they use daily, and as a result, are almost as blind to potential and reach of technology as older generations that aren’t as immersed.

This isn’t to say that young people won’t learn faster, but the reason why has nothing to do with age-associated ability, but with their willingness to “play around” rather than look for a manual.

What this translates to is that personal needs are being met, but they’re missing both communication skills and business savvy. This, of course, is subject to change once they are given the lessons appropriate to the modern, digital culture in which they live.

Why Younger Generations Don’t Fully Grasp the Potential of the Technologies They Use

This is a subject that produced some insight from our educators: it seems there’s a sense of frustration that new college students will enter a classroom without basic skills…in some cases, really basic skills.

But how can students live in a digital world while blind to so many aspects of that world?

I asked this question, and it seems that our K-12 levels (especially high schools) are lacking when it come to teaching these skills. It’s not completely fair to blame educators, as students also have a responsibility to learn. But there are some issues that must be overcome, especially regarding changes to policy. Still, the most important factor is educating the educators, and would probably be the most beneficial way to tackle this problem.

If you’re an educator, check out both PROpen Mic and The Educator’s PLN (Personal Learning Network) on Ning for resources, networking, and other help. And of course, Social Media Club Education Connection is dedicated to improving social media in higher education.

Lifelong Learning

We’re people that are deeply involved in the business of education, and I believe that most of us would agree that learning doesn’t end with graduation. To stay competitive in a world that has seen so much change in the last two decades requires a sense of urgency, a need to stay relevant.

The motivation might come from looking over your shoulder to see who’s behind you, or it could come from knowing that whatever skills you acquire will not only benefit your current understanding, but inspire and enhance learning more in the future. Learning material is plentiful on the Web, the trick is knowing how to find it and what to do with it that will determine success.

While critical thinking skills might take time to develop, we can also re-think critical thinking and how it’s taught in such a way that our students arrive at the college level with both a firm technical foundation and grasp of how they, as individuals, learn and apply new information.

Join Us Again!

The issues we discuss each week always get me thinking, and I learn so much from all the input and feedback. During some chats (like this one), I find myself immersed in additional information that strongly supports our goal of improving social media in education. Keep spreading the word, the more participation we have, the more knowledge is shared.

Thanks again to all who participated for a great chat, we hope to see you next Monday at 12:30pm EST!

Links to resources mentioned during today’s chat

• From Robert French (@rdfrench): Pew PowerPoint presentation on the difference between digital natives and immigrants
• From All of E (@allofe_he): Blog post on digital natives and digital immigrants by Marc Prensky
• From All of E @allofe_he): Blog post on the digital natives/immigrants vs. digital residents/visitors
• From Michele Lorito-Chase (@ghostexecutive): Resources from SWFL Junior Camp, a BarCamp for elementary-high school students
• From Robert French (@rdfrench): PROpenMic
• From Robert French (@rdfrench): A project used to teach social media in the classroom at Auburn University
• From Robert French (@rdfrench): Another student project using social media at Auburn University
• From M Zayfert (@mzayfert): Teaching and learning with the Net Generation
• From Terry Eberhart (@digin4ed): The Educator’s PLN (Personal Learning Network) on Ning

Social Media Timidity In UK Women

Do you often ponder about the finer points of culture? Or more specifically do you consider how our backgrounds and our personal social conditioning (sociological phenomenological process of inheriting tradition and gradual cultural transmutation passed down through previous generations) plays its part in our every day life?

You see, I do, and I do this regularly – I am an academic by trade, nature, mistake, chance, purpose. I’ve never actually gotten in to ethnography in a meaningful studied way, though I regularly research, quantify, dig deep for the answers, I’m one of life’s observers I guess. I’ve always been skilled at looking at the big picture, taking a step back and casting my inquisitive eye over the whole, or as much as the whole as one can see at any point, again depending on social conditioning, expectations, experiences and various other influential conditions.

So why am I starting this Blog post with such reflection, why am I asking you to join me in my reverie?

Well, I’m currently in the development cycle for our second Social Media in Business Conference, and one of the things we are experiencing is, and I have to be careful how I phrase this, an apparent timidity in UK women when speaking opportunities come along. That is way too generalised of me, on many levels, naturally it could just be my own social circle (funny how we use that phrase commonly now) that is lacking, perhaps my circle is male dominated? – I know it is not though.

Just by way of example, we ran a Social Media Mafia MediaCamp, as part of Social Media Week, in NYC last month, and all but one of the sessions that day were held by women. Of course this is a crude comparison as there are far too many variables to draw any proper scientific outcomes, though the “feeling” I got, and of course “feelings” are a large part of social media it seems, was that women in USA (or is it just NYC?) are all over social media like a rash, – sorry bad term! But the women I know in USA adopting social media, really are enthused and very very active and ambitious.

I asked Twitter and Facebook this morning to get some feedback from my friends:

Joanne Jacobs is an Australian living in London, she’s fairly active in some of the London social media niches.

So I asked her: “So what makes an Aussie girl different from an English girl? I’m keen to get to the bottom of this.”

See this is great insight, as that is certainly not the case in UK, to my knowledge.

Anna Hill, from UK, suggested that perhaps schooling, or the differences between boys and girls approaches to the sciences and technical subjects could be the cause of this apparent timidity. I must admit it, having worked in sound engineering for a long time, that industry is heavily weighted with men, it simply doesn’t attract the girls, in general. That could include all sorts of peripheral reasons like a bad career choice for such things as a desire to have a family, sound engineering is not particularly “social” hours, and certainly not a nine to five. I do know many more women that are not interested in the sciences than are, though So.Me is a kind of blend of technology, a new medium, but at its core it’s just people talking – a very naturally female trait, no?

Kerry made a great point, which got me thinking:

And then we have Mitzi Szereto’s comment which oozes studied psychology:

The conversation in Facebook really start picking up some traction.

Jo Jordan made a great comment.

A good comment, though of course no distinction between USA and UK women. Still, an interesting view point, but is that even gender specific?

Some of the big take-away’s following my very non-scientific research:

• Generally speaking women in UK compared to USA are less inclined to put themselves forward for speaking opportunities
• Differences in background and social conditioning have an obvious influence
• UK schooling does not encourage the questioning of authority
• Women in general find speaking a low priority compared to other activities (though this does not concur with my experience of USA)

But what about you, I’d love to hear your views?

#SMCEDU Chat: Grading — Is There a Better Way?

Social Media Club Education Connection (aka #SMCEDU) is a national initiative whose goal is to unite educators, students, and professionals to further the development of social media curriculum in our schools, enabling a wider network of learning and workforce preparedness.

#SMCEDU is a part of Social Media Club, a nonprofit organization that is working to promote media literacy and connect people to share what they are learning about social media.

I’ve had the opportunity to listen in on several events that cover social media in education, including two recent ones that I’ve attended (Social Media U in Richmond, VA and Friday’s Social Media event at Georgetown University). Recently, Melinda Gates wrote about the need for educational reform, and I listened as Daniel Pink (@danielpink, author of “Free Agent Nation” and “A Whole New Mind”) was interviewed about his new book on the new motivation required for today’s workforce.

The lessons I’ve collected from these resources bring two points to mind: the call for change in higher education institutions, and the potential to create it.

I felt that as long as we’re considering change, why not tackle one of the more frustrating aspects of the educational process: grading.

For as long as the need to determine students’ comprehension has existed, the current grading system (or one similar) has been used to assess students’ “success” or “failure.” While the current evaluation process may prove helpful in determining short-term comprehension, does it really give an accurate determination of a student’s aptitude to learn?

We opened Monday’s #SMCEDU chat with this question. While the subject of grading is a hefty topic, the opinions were plentiful and ideas were flowing among our participants.

There were a great many attitudes toward grading from both students and educators. Not all educators are fully supportive of the current grading system. Take for example this opinion from NY educator Terry Eberhart (@digin4ed), this reluctant acceptance from Purdue University professor Dr. V (@mihaela_v), and this observation from Marquette professor Gee Ekachai (@fvrythingpr).

Outside of educators and students, business professionals like Joshua Cyr (@jcyr) and technology-in-education advocates All of E (@allofe_he) agreed that grades shouldn’t be the primary focus of students.

But consider teaching how to use social media in the classroom. Where would you even start when it comes to evaluating?

Booz Allen Hamilton social media lead Steve Radick (@sradick) brought up this point about one of the challenges.

You’d have to set standards, and even those metrics are up for debate. You could start here, as Queens University of Charlotte professor John McArthur (@jamcarthur) suggested, or here, as suggested by Media Studies professor Danielle Stern (@daniellestern).

Like “the real world,” students should have an idea of what they want to accomplish using social media noted journalism student Evan Strange (@evanstrange).

I still think that studying social media (that is, how to use it), while valuable, doesn’t focus on its true impact on education. I mean, what’s the point of taking a class? Preparation for getting a job is a huge part of it, but that seems to extinguish a greater desire to learn that can go beyond professional training.

It’s true that many students focus solely on grades, but to be fair, many have a wider perspective.

And while some need the guidelines provided by a traditional grading structure, the joy of independent learning and the effort resulting from it should be rewarded equally.

What are some of the ways to recognize that?

Justin Herman of Tech Adventure DC (@justinherman) brought up alternative grading criteria, but what about a truely different approach?

Grades always felt to me like a cart-before-the-horse emphasis. I believe that if a student finds a subject or method for learning that really sticks, the grades will follow. Social media (the connections made through using it, not the technology itself) can be the stimulus that inspires learning without focusing so much on report cards.

This isn’t an easy argument, to be sure, and it’s not the first time it’s been suggested. But we now have the means to carry the discussion further, with a wider group of people, in a more convenient setting, than ever before.

I feel like we’re setting the table right now. Education is slow to change, and integration of new tools and practices will not happen overnight. But we’ve got an idea of what it could take to create improvements in education, and the right people to do it.

Our chat concluded without a final answer on whether or not social media can lead the way to a better system for interpeting student success. It doesn’t look like people were looking for an alternative to As and Bs, but rather, another form of curriculum that’s not based on lectures, tests, and quizzes.

Maybe grades won’t go away, but the connections made and the resulting action that’s facilitated by using social media will help shift the emphasis back to learning…the grades will follow.

We welcome the new participants to #SMCEDU chat, and as Jenna Langer (@jennalanger) tweeted, it’s a good place to exchange ideas. We hope you can join us next Monday at 12:30pm EST!

Georgetown University Hosts “Social Media in the Classroom: Implications for Teaching and Learning”

On Friday, Feb 19, I attended the Georgetown University-hosted event, “Social Media in the Classroom: Implications for Teaching and Learning.”

The event featured three esteemed speakers, each deeply involved in social media on their respective campuses:

• Gerry McCartney, Vice President for Information Technology and CIO and Oesterle Professor of Information Technology, Purdue University
• Ulises Mejias, Assistant Professor of New Media in the Communication Studies Department at the State University of New York at Oswego
• Edward Maloney, Director of Research and Learning Technologies at the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship and Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of English, Georgetown University

The full video of the event will be offered on iTunes U — Georgetown University within the next few weeks.

Quick highlights:

The first speaker, Dr. McCartney of Purdue University, described two technologies being used at his school:

• Signals is a system used in large classrooms to identify students academically at risk . According to Dr. McCartney, the students that have the highest risk of not succeeding in their first year are students that are used to performing well at high schools with lower standards. Upon entering a competitive classroom environment that demands higher performance, these students often perform poorly in their first exposure to university-level curriculum. Signals uses data mined from Blackboard Vista to place each student in a “risk group.” They are then given a stoplight rating that represents their performance and potential to succeed in the class.

  The feedback is real-time and given to students on their Blackboard homepage. Along with the rating system, instructor-written intervention emails and suggestions for study resources are given to provide the student with an early warning and aid to improve performance.

• Hotseat Collaboration is a technology that attempts to engage the student in the classroom using the methods and devices that students are already familiar with. This mobile Web application promotes “micro-discussion,” allowing students in a large class to interact by posting messages during class using their Facebook or Twitter accounts, sending text messages, or using the Hotseat Web site. The instructor will start a session by posing a question for discussion, and students respond to the question. In addition to these responses, students can vote on which topics and questions they’d like to see addressed.
  
  

The next speaker, Dr. Edward Maloney of Georgetown, spoke at length about two important questions:

• 1. What does it mean to take seriously the impact of social media on learning?
  Dr. Maloney brought up a concept that we’re trying to grasp with SMCEDU: learning environments can change, they don’t have to remain static.
  
  He related Web 1.0 (the static Web) as corresponding with traditional teaching practices; that is, delivering information through a central source to a wide audience. Web 2.0, he said, corresponds well to our real world practices outside of the classroom.
  
  As learning happens outside of the classroom (everywhere, really), social technologies encourage the ideas of community, collaboration, exploration, exchange, and communication. Further, it promotes learning in informal, real, participatory, dynamic, and ongoing ways…in other words, learning in a non-traditional sense. What does it ultimately mean to think about social media for learning? To put it succinctly, teaching and learning in a new way.

• 2. What is at stake in this question and the answers we may provide?
  This is a question that never ceases to fascinate. What’s at stake, in my mind, is how we distribute education. From expanding classrooms to empowering students with a new enthusiasm and means to learn, the true scope of what social technologies can do for learning is exciting to speculate, and beyond anyone’s current ability to realize.

Dr. Maloney described informal writing and blogging exercises that helped his students plainly express their understanding of the class. It also gave the instructor a constant evaluator of how each student was doing, along with providing a collaborative, ongoing document that could be used for reference by each student.

The final speaker of the day, Dr. Ulises Mejias, brought some interesting perspectives to social media, and the overall effectiveness of using social technologies.

He offered the network as episteme. As networks are not just metaphors, we use them to form templates and models of social orgnanization; indeed, we use them to shape social realities. But, he asked, what are the limits of networks as templates? What do they include and exclude, make possible or impossible?

Dr. Mejias shared some of the concepts presented in his class:

• Nodocentrism: The distance between a node and something outside the network. For all practical purposes, if something is not a node, it cannot be rendered in the network as a node can only see other nodes.

  I took this to mean that if a person is not included in the network, they don’t “exist” within the network, and the data gathered from network participants should take this into consideration.

• Paranodality: The outside of the network is not empty but inhabited by multitudes that do not conform to the organizing logic of the network. He described this as, “that which cannot be Googled.”

  When considering who/what is excluded from a network, one can view social media as a sort of social slavery: who decides what’s included/excluded?

  Another consideration is that social media tools are largely controlled by private companies. As such, they might not always be in the best interest of learners despite being convenient and cheap. As services such as Youtube (the go-to service to upload videos) or Twitter (the go-to service for micro-blogging) strenghthen their positions, participation among users is increased, but so is the inequality among competing services. As everyone knows, competition is a crucial component in the success of an open market.

  As it stands now, using the popular social media services is easy and cheap, but the relationship between these companies and its users is not equal. The shift may not be from a one-to-many paradigm to a many-to-many paradigm as popularly touted; rather, it’s a shift from one-to-many to many-to-one.

  Dr. Mejias’s final point was one that struck home with Social Media Club Education Connection: What is the universities’ role in social media?

  It’s possible, and perhaps suitable, for the university to develop alternative social media tools that encompass a variety of services (blogging, micro-blogging, wikis, social networking, etc.) and release them as public goods. They could be promoted through their use in projects both within and outside the university, becoming refined and standardized as they evolve. There is a possibility (currently refuted) that Facebook won’t always be free; similarly, the guarantee of free doesn’t exist for other sites/services. Why not have universities work conjointly to offer an alternative?

#SMCEDU Chat: Are Students on Their Own to Learn Media Literacy?

Social Media Club Education Connection (aka #SMCEDU) is a national initiative whose goal is to unite educators, students, and professionals to further the development of social media curriculum in our schools, enabling a wider network of learning and workforce preparedness.

#SMCEDU is a part of Social Media Club, a nonprofit organization that is working to promote media literacy and connect people to share what they are learning about social media.

We’re seeing new participants every week during our #SMCEDU chats, and as we continue to grow (which is so exciting to see), I want to make sure our participants and listeners receive value from each of our conversations. After all, it’s not every day that we have the privilege of joining leading social media educators and concerned/active students in one dialogue, so it’s important to make the most of it.

With that said, I make the (sheepish) acknowledgement that this week’s topic wasn’t completely clear…for that, I’m regretful because it was an issue which I think is crucial to the development of social media as both skill and study. In the future, I’ll post a brief pre-chat blog that will explain the question before we get started.

What caught my attention last week were two posts: a video from Stanford and University of California at Berkeley professor Howard Rheingold (@hrheingold) on the new media literacies, the other from USC professor and Provost Emeritus Dr. Lloyd Armstrong (@changehighered) on the societal obligations of higher education.

I was curious if our participants thought that colleges and universities are adequately preparing students for today’s work environment in terms of both technical savvy and critical thinking ability.

Learning Media Literacy & Critical Thinking — Are Students on Their Own?

Howard Rheingold talked about the five media literacies (essential skills in the online community), and Dr. Armstrong brought up the need for colleges and universities to survey their effectiveness in preparing students to compete in a global economy with an emphasis on communication and critical thinking.

These experts say these skills are crucial; do students and educators feel that our schools are doing enough to teach them?

Justin Herman (@justinherman) of Social Media Club New Hampshire felt the answer was a resounding no.

University of Orgeon journalism professor Kelli Matthews (@kmatthews) told us about how her school is adjusting to the new digital landscape. It’s an adjustment that many schools might consider, and Professor Matthews pointed us to her class blog for updates on how it’s going.

Lauren Daniels (@miamilauren) of Miami felt that students are on their own to learn these skills.

M Zayfert of New York (@mzayfert) tweeted about the inexperience among some teachers when it comes to using social media in the classroom, another indication that the need for learning communication in the digital age is not being met.

Kendall Morris (@kendallmorris) of SMCEDU-RVA and Fahrenheit Technology proposed that students are learning these lessons outside of the classroom. She added that while changes are slow, students have a say in their education.

This sentiment was echoed by Social Media Club president and co-founder Kristie Wells (@kristiewells).

Eastern Michigan University professor Tonja Deegan (@tvdeegan) illustrated why one of Mr. Rheingold’s media literacies is crucial to students’ success.

More Takeaways

Tonja Deegan (@tvdeegan) also shared this link to a great post on the cultural shift of social learning. Worth reading!
• Virginia Commonwealth University professor Jeff Nugent (@jeffnugent) lead a workshop on social media in education on Monday in Virginia. His link to the resources from the event is a valuable store of videos, RSS feeds, and other assets. All material is related to social media in education, and I’m sure it will be valuable to many teachers and students.
• There was an interesting question from Deb Rexon of Mt. Laurel, NJ (@dkrex) that asked if there’s a starting point for emergency medical service personnel to become more social media savvy. The question shed light on both a growing interest among emergency workers and a need to meet it. Booz Allen Hamilton social media lead Steve Radick (@sradick) provided a study into social media’s role in crisis communication in response to the question…shared learning in action.

I think our community has been wonderful in not only sharing their thoughts and experiences, but also in welcoming new participants. The spirit of sharing and collaboration is evident, and I hope all can join in again next week!

What is #SMCEDU Chat?

Social Media Club Education Connection (aka #SMCEDU) is a national initiative whose goal is to unite educators, students, and professionals to further the development of social media curriculum in our schools, enabling a wider network of learning and workforce preparedness.

#SMCEDU is a part of Social Media Club, a nonprofit organization that is working to promote media literacy and connect people to share what they are learning about social media.

Every Monday at 12:30pm EST, Social Media Club hosts #SMCEDU chat, a live Twitter conversation that explores issues in social media as it relates to higher education.

We started #SMCEDU chat as a way to keep our network of educators, students, and professionals actively involved with our effort, and to tap into their experience and knowledge so their lessons could be shared in a public format.

Our participants include educators, students, and business professionals. Many of the educators have years of experience both teaching and using social media in the classroom, and are at the forefront in advancing social media as both an academic discipline and learning methodology.

A question/topic will be proposed at the beginning of each session, although participants are welcome to bring up their own concerns and inquiries. Recaps are posted shortly after each chat with highlighted main points and insight.

If you have a stake in using and/or learning social media as either an educator or student, or have a business interest that would benefit from employing a media literate workforce, we welcome you to join us!

SMCEDU Needs a Grant + Our Purpose, Our Goals

First, thanks to the members of SMCEDU for creating a strong foundation for a real community, and a real global initiative to improve the quality of social media education in our school systems. We have some wonderful stories of on campus successes, some great resources have been pulled together and most importantly some wonderful connections have been made between teachers.

In short, for being an idea, staffed by a hard working but part time intern (big thanks to Yong C Lee for making this possible), SMCEDU is an early success. But there is much harder work to be done and there is a real need in the overall academic community for the type of support we are seeking to provide.

So today I am writing to seek your help in finding a volunteer grant writer and some foundations to get funding that will take this SMCEDU initiative to another level and help us hire Yong C Lee as a full time program manager. We need $250,000 so we can hire Yong, a “curriculum curator” and another part time program manager to work on developing specific initiatives with our teachers and administrators from around the world. We can start with something as small as $50,000 so we can at least hire Yong full time but we need to go for more so we can expand our efforts and do it right.

So that the vision is a bit more clear, here is a current draft of what I have set out for the program goals

• Develop a set of resources and links to resources that reside elsewhere which professors can use to help them get social media related classes approved in their schools and offer the best social media focused education possible – ie, case studies, syllabus, courses, suggestions for getting past no, etc…
• Build the most comprehensive directory of teachers offering social media globally and become the source for schools looking to see what people are offering. This requires building out additional resources on top of the Ning network, ie coding/programming
• Develop and encourage the development of Open Courseware programs that are Creative Commons licensed and available to other teachers to use and improve upon (using non-comercial share and share alike licenses)
• Create relationships between local Social Media Club chapters around the world and their local universities so that we can create a path to professionalism for those seeking to be a social media professional, or merely those seeking a chance to use social media as a part of their chosen career
• To encourage the on-campus development of Social Media Club chapters, empowering students to create their own local communities that can be connected and supported by our global network
• Offer internship and mentorship programs so as to develop real world professional experiences to supplement the classroom education
• Develop and offer training for those teachers seeking to offer Social Media classes at their school and/or using social media as part of teaching other subjects
• To identify and review other social media education offerings outside of our domain
• Support and increase awareness for other important initiatives of interest to social media professors including but not limited to Classroom 2.0 and Social Media Classroom. To expand this global web of support and partnerships so as to form a network of similarly oriented initiatives for mutual benefit and support.

My recollection from my very early youth is that an education is supposed to prepare you to enter the world and be a valuable contributing member to society. Is that still true? If it is, then the goal of SMCEDU is straight and true. My purpose for SMCEDU has never been more clear – it is to prepare students to be better critical thinkers when it comes to interacting with the world around them, especially focused on a broad set of skills I reference as media literacy. It is also focused on preparing them to enter the real world of work, to provide current workforce literacy which means an understanding of how to interact, create value and leverage social/web technology for the purpose of the organization as opposed to the individual. More broadly, I hope to imbue a sense of community in students so that they see the interconnectedness of the world around them and can take that education to make their world, and ours by extension, a better place.

We could really use your help in securing a grant (or grants) in order to fulfill this mission. Please let us know your thoughts and help us if you can.

#SMCEDU Chat: Social Media in the Classroom…What’s the Incentive?

Social Media Club Education Connection (aka #SMCEDU) is a national initiative whose goal is to unite educators, students, and professionals to further the development of social media curriculum in our schools, enabling a wider network of learning and workforce preparedness.

#SMCEDU is a part of Social Media Club, a nonprofit organization that is working to promote media literacy and connect people to share what they are learning about social media.

Last week, Social Media Week wrapped up in five different cities around the world. I wrote about a panel event held in New York on Friday that featured an interesting question from the audience, a question that lead off today’s #SMCEDU chat (you can hear the question in the second video here at the 35:10 mark).

First, to frame the question: A member of the audience (a professor) stated that it is the goal of teachers to educate, and the goal of students to hand in their assignments so they can receive a grade quickly. As a tenure-track professor, he also has the incentive to publish research, along with his other responsibilites.

The professor, who admittedly enjoys using technology, professed that he used wikis, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook in all his classes, only to be met by a mere 20% adoption rate and frustrated students. His question: “What is the incentive for both teachers and students to adopt these friction-reducing technologies?”

Our participants had their perspectives ready.

Incentive for Students to Use Social Media in the Classroom

The incentive for students to adopt these technologies in the classroom seems fairly obvious: it impacts their career perspectives. Not only are more professionals relying on social media to network within their industries and perform their jobs, but SM tools have helped many on the job hunt as well.

Here are a few other responses, followed by my own thoughts:

• Personal branding: It’s expected in the communication, journalism, public relations, and marketing fields, and more industries are Googling potential new hires to view their personal portrayals.
• Grade requirements: Although students can be “forced” into using SM tools, and could ultimately benefit from this course style, subject retention rarely comes without some level of personal interest
• Student/public recognition: As Virginia Commonwealth University’s Jeff Nugent imparted at Social Media U in Richmond, his students underwent a “transformative expereince” when they realized their comments and posts could be seen by others beyond their classmates.
• Teach not only how to make connections, but facilitate them as well: Many professional connections begin in school; cultivating your networking skills early will only bolster your pool of contacts.
• Greater engagement: When given a greater pool of students and teachers, more thoughts and ideas are brought together. Shared experiences can pave the way for new lessons.
• Learning new skills: The SM tools used in the classroom (wikis, blogs, etc.) are the same used in the “real world.” Sharpening skills in the classroom means you’re ready to use them before/after graduation.

Incentive for Teachers to Use Social Media in the Classroom

This seems to be where things get contentious. As educational institutions (at least, four-year schools) are slower than the business world to adopt to rapid transformations, changes to the traditional classroom paradigm are viewed with skepticism. In fact, there were more tweets about why teachers are unwilling to adopt social media in classrooms than suggestions for incentive. There are factors to consider when thinking about using SM in class, and the viewpoints of the participants are favorable to using technology. Here are some of of those views. Again, reasons followed by my thoughts:

• Sharing knowledge: As we learn, more content will (hopefully) be shared for greater benefit.
• Greater impact on students: This goes hand-in-hand with the issue of engagement, the lack of which is a common problem for students.
• Speaking of engagement… The main reason for teachers to use technology, or any teaching tools, is to educate students. There are as many methods as there are teachers, but expanding the classroom outside of a physical space has benefits…whether or not the benefits are worth the risk and work are up to each teacher.
• One of my favorite tweets.

Incentives for Both

• Exposure/Positioning when compared to other schools: The rest of the world is becoming more digitized; a school that emphasizes its willingness to accept that change and prepare students for it is a more attractive option.
• Greater personal fulfillment: This is one of my favorite reasons. Thinking beyond professional aspirations, media literacy and taking responsible, informed action are benchmarks of Social Media Club’s mission. What I don’t find mentioned often enough when hearing about reasons to continue education is curiosity. The Internet is a huge pool of both information and misinformation…learning to swim in it is vital.

Currently, the rallying cry to use social technologies to learn is coming from students. And while some teachers are reluctant to move away from the more traditional methods of education, there are many that are pushing for social media to improve learning and the educational experience.

Welcome to the many new voices in #SMCEDU chat, your thoughts and input are greatly valued! We hope you all can join us next Monday at 12:30pm EST for more discussion!

Social Media Week New York Panel: The Future of Social Media in Higher Education

On Friday, McGraw-Hill hosted a panel discussion on the future of social media in higher education. The panel included:

• Adam Ostrow Editor in Chief, Mashable.com

• Dr. Kathleen P. King Professor, Fordham University; Professor, Transformation Education, LLC

• Greg Verdino VP Strategy & Solutions, Powered; author of microMARKETING

• Mary Casey NYU Student and Founder of Jatched.com

• Vineet Madan VP Strategy & Business Development, McGraw-Hill Education

The panel was moderated by Yianni Garcia, a marketing specialist at GradeGuru.com. Tweets from the discussion can be found under #smwmcgraw.

Video 1

Video 2

The central topic of the discussion revolved around how how social media is affecting the classroom now, and how it will change the classroom of the future.

There is a growing recognition among universities to adopt social technologies to enrich the learning experience. Friday’s discussion revealed that educators and the tech community are acknowledging that concern, and George Washington University’s Andrea Genevieve gave a thoughtful perspective on the issue here.

Some of the points that really registered with me during Friday’s discussion:

• Two-year colleges are leading the way in advancing distance learning (in terms of both programs and adoption of new technology). This is due largely to the speed in which these schools can adapt to changes in demographic and economy, along with other student demands. Also, two-year institutions face fewer levels of bureaucracy than their four-year counterparts.
• Non-traditional students (students not in the 18-21 age group) are outnumbering traditional students. This is relevant to the growth of social media in education because the fastest growing demographic for popular social media tools (such as Facebook and Twitter) are part of the non-traditional set.
• There is a large debate over how to monetize the use of social media in academic institutions, just as in business. While many believe that intellectual property should be protected, others believe that in education, knowledge should be shared. This is a very high-level observation of the argument, but it’s obvious that copyright issues are a concern that will grow.
• One of the great things about social media is that it promotes engagement. Of all the students that enter a college or university today, only about half of them will earn a degree within six years. The biggest reason has nothing to do with the ability to do the coursework, but rather, lack of engagement in their studies. As panelist Veneet Madan stated, “Lack of engagment is one of the biggest problems we have in getting students through the college and university system…if we don’t tackle the engagement problem, collectively, we’re not going to get more people through the system. If we don’t get more people through the system, we’re not going to have a more educated workforce, we’re not going to have economic growth, then we have all the other problems and issues that ends up raising.” (17:00 min mark of the first video)
• The best question from the audience was the final one (at the 35:05 mark of the second video): “I keep hearing tech is the reduction of friction. How are we going to align the incentives of both the teachers AND students to adopt it?” I recommend you listen to the exchange, it was an enlightening piece.

The fact that more discussion is starting to take the tone of not only “What if we did take on these technologies,” and are leaning toward “Why haven’t we done it already?” speaks to a level of increasing acceptance and hopefully, realized potential.

SMCEDU Chat – What Motivates Students to Participate AND Create Good Content?

Our #SMCEDU chat was joined by more new faces today (always exciting); our continued discussions are broadcasting some great ideas and thoughts! I’ve received wonderful feedback on the chats, and I believe as more contribute, the quality, breadth, and depth of our shared lessons will grow.

I love seeing both students and educators discussing educational topics on equal footing. The professors involved in our weekly chats are gracious in not only sharing with their peers, but in answering the concerns of the students’ voice. It would have been especially gratifying to hear students chime in on today’s topic, so tell your classmates to voice their opinions!

A big thank you to all who participate in our weekly chats, your opinions and experiences are reaching a wider audience!

Today, we discussed the topic of student engagement. Namely, what gets students to participate and create good content?

Let’s first qualify “good” content. VCU’s Jeff Nugent describes it as content that helps others learn.

It’s obvious that there’s a lot of information out there, and the lessons that persist will be those that have the largest impact on students. Once students understand the scope of where their message can spread…well, that’s where the excitement of possibility/potential can ignite motivation.

But what makes students want to join in the conversation? What makes them want to actively participate in their own learning, laterally teaching others along the way?

Here are a few thoughts on how to engage students from our community today:

• Robert French, Auburn University

• Show students the benefit of creating a personal brand
• Give students leads to follow that will involve them in their future jobs
• Help students overcome the initial “deer in headlights” effect felt when publishing for the first time. Robert gives his students an “opt-out,” the option to keep content private

Lauren Vargas, Northwood University

• Guide students through the principles and tools rather than a “trial by fire” approach that could leave some turned off to the experience

Tonja Deegan, Eastern Michigan University

• Let students write what they are passionate about as good content comes when someone cares about what they are saying
• Create dashboards (RSS feeds) to related subjects
• Teach personal brand management as students, like many others, don’t realize that what they post is PUBLIC content

Sean McCandless, Atlanta, GA

• Focus on social benefits and good rather than monetary gain (one of my personal favorites)

Kelli Matthews, University of Orgeon

• Listen to your students. Learn how to connect with them!

Jenna Langer, Student/Advocate of Social Media

• Let students choose their inspiration
• Allow students to help develop the curriculum, making everyone responsible for the teaching experience

Ana Adi, University of West Scotland

• Find what interests the students, let them create and become more responsible

Corinne Weisgerber, St. Edward’s University

• Require students to create Personal Learning Networks (PNLs)…it will both showcase the benefits of networking and actively engage the student
• Corinne also shared this lesson in just how accessible our information is, a real eye-opener for both students and teachers

What I gathered from this conversation is that just as social media has given consumers a voice to articulate their thoughts and opinions, the old teaching paradigm of teacher lecturing to students should now include the feedback of the learners.

By creating courses that students help shape, their interest and involvement not only are encouraged, but required.

I’m sure educators have an opinion on this, and we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

I’d like to again thank those that make our weekly #SMCEDU chats so valuable, we welcome the new faces and hope all return to ponder again next Monday at 12:30pm EST!

SMCEDU-RVA Hosts Social Media U: Fundamental Shifts in Learning, Sharing, and Collaboration

Richmond, VA, proved once again to be a leader in advancing social media in education as the SMCEDU-RVA organization hosted Social Media U on Tuesday evening at the University of Richmond.

Tuesday’s event, billed as an exploration of the “Fundamental Shift in Teaching, Learning, and Collaboration,” focused on the concerns of educators and the issues they face in incorporating social media into the classroom. Although education was at the center of the discussion, the audience was peppered with students and professionals seeking to grasp more understanding of social media as it affected both the academic and business worlds.

Before I relay some of the details, I’d like to first highlight the efforts of the SMCEDU-RVA team for their continued work and enthusiasm: Kendall Morris, Nhat Pham, Nathan Hughes, Tammy Berwanger, and Brittany Gordon all contributed in putting together an event that featured insightful speakers and engaging dialogue, and their continued push to advance the goals of SMCEDU are helping lead the way for other Social Media Club chapters and affiliate universities.

So thanks to their hard work, we were excited to have the following panel:

• Lon S. Safko
  • Author of “The Social Media Bible”
• Jonathan Becker, J.D., Ph. D
  • Assistant Professor at the Educational Leadership Department at Virginia Commonwealth University
• Jeff Nugent
  • Associate Director, The Center for Teaching Excellence
  • Over ten years experience in teaching at the college and secondary level

As I write this, I’m reflecting on a post from panelist Jeff Nugent. As he’s someone who has first-hand experience with the fundamental shifts occurring in the many areas that are touched by technological collaboration and social participation, I recommend you read his thoughtful analysis of Tuesday night’s Q&A.

There were so many points and opinions that illuminated the struggle in adopting social media practices in academic institutions that I feel remiss in not having video. We’re working on that, but for now, here are key points that caught my attention (the emphasis is my own):

Q: With trends coming and going so quickly, how do classes keep up?

• JN: Don’t focus on trends, focus on how the tools used in social media can enhance learning. What are these tools? What do you do with them? And what’s their value for teaching?
• JB: I’m more interested in helping educators understand the possibilities, helping them rethink entirely the institution of “school,” to rethink all the possibilities of learning that come from social media.
• JN: I would add that I’m more interested in things that persist…ideas like collaboration, interaction, exchange of information…the tools come in to play as a platform for participation. That’s what I’m interested in: how can we transform the ways students and learners can participate in the educational experience?
• LS: Social media is not a group of magic bullets…it’s just new technology we’re applying to traditional marketing. The rules of engagement have changed, but the reason why it works is never going to change. The thing to stress is that we’re not pushing the message anymore, we’re participating in a conversation.

Q: How is teaching with social media different than teaching traditionally?

• LS: The traditional means of pushing the message just don’t work anymore, it’s just not trusted. There’s a fundamental shift in power.
• JB: There’s a fundamental shift in power is absolutely right…a lot of professors need to understand that, too. We (professors) no longer need to be the solo expert in the classroom. (Speaking about an experiment where a class was broadcast on Ustream and others were invited to participate)…the walls of the classroom are broken down, and you can invite the whole world to learn with us at the same time. We need to rethink our notions of space, we need to rethink our notions of time…we have to rethink the aspects of teaching and learning that are based on the idea that information is scarce. Information is not scarce anymore, we no longer have to assign textbooks to our students because that is the sole source of information on a topic. It’s all out there, and we have to figure out how to arrange our set of tools to best access it.
• JN: It involves a change in practice. One of things we know about change in instructional practice is that it happens at a glacial pace. Jon is a unique case in that he’s willing to engage on the experimental fringe of what social media invites into the classroom, and not everybody is willing to do that…you have to give up control to the students so that they can be equal players in the co-creation of learning that occurs in that space. When you bring up these ideas (to the faculty), they become scared. (They) recognize the sense of potential and power, but aren’t sure what sense to make of it. However, the driver for this change is not the same in education as it is in business.

Q: How do you get students to produce good content (such as contributing to a wiki)?

• JB: We as professors used to be the sole determinants in what is good content, but one of the things social media allow us to do is have students judge what is good.
• JN: It (good content) becomes amplified. Good content is content that helps them, and others, learn. What gets them to produce good content? When they recognize that what they’re doing in the classroom extends beyond the classroom, and they generate stuff for an audience that’s much wider than the 25, 30 people that are in the course…that was transformative for my students.

Q: With the influence of social media, what is the classroom model of the future?

• JB: If we accept the position that social media allows learners to manage their own own learning, what are the conditions for that? For me, it’s getting people to be comfortable with sharing their ideas, and to understand that information is easily accessible…if we can get there, the possibilities are limitless. Are we going to see the dissolution of K-12 schools? Unlikely…it’s possible that we’re moving more toward a hybrid (online and lecture) model.
• JN: I can answer that question in two kinds of ways. One, in terms of trends that I see are coming together, that are combining and resulting in something that we don’t know what it is. The other is a kind of hope…I think some of the things we’re seeing with social media is creating a platform of participation…we have this kind of commenting culture that allows everyone to interact and exchange, and that has created a context for a really different kind of knowledge building and growth. Along with that, we have an emerging open education movement, where you have colleges and universities like the MIT Open Courseware Project, Yale open courses, Carnegie Melon open courses…producing this massive amount of sequenced, organized, high-quality learning content available to anyone, anywhere, anytime. What comes next? I think we have to wrestle with this, but there becomes a crisis of relevance for higher education. I don’t know, it’s anybody’s guess, but we have to come to terms with that somehow…but the “hope for piece” is that the power of social media will get students to connect in real space for action.
• JB: Learning institutions really need to think about how to maximize face time. If you’re in the business of delivering information, please don’t do that face-to-face anymore…it’s too easy to do that. I hold on to the concept that learning should be face-to-face, and educators need to figure out how to better use that time.
• LS: I don’t see it replacing K-12 classes. What social media does is enhance learning, it doesn’t replace the classroom. Look around at everyone in the room, they could be participating using Skype or GoToMeeting, but they’re not…there’s no replacement for face-to-face. One of the largest meetings I went to was a Social Media Club meeting. Social media tools are just tools to enhance the ability to communicate, especially within the classroom.

Q: How well are universities and colleges preparing students to enter the work force using social media tools?

• JB: I don’t teach undergrads, so it’s difficult for me to answer that. If there’s a problem we have in doing that is that we have too many silos and compartments so that the set of competencies gets pushed to different departments. I think universities need to think about what it means to all departments.
• JN: I would think that social media also needs to be understood in the context of a liberal education, and what does it mean to use these tools effectively for the social good? What does it mean to think critically in these types of environments? I see it not just as being pressed into the service of preparing students for a work force, but what does it mean to be a citizen in a digital age?

At this point, I’d like to suggest that it’s the type of insight gleaned from Tuesday night’s session, and from educators and thought leaders across the nation and the world that will shape the course of not only social media education, but the classroom dynamic itself. The vast scope of issues requires input from the many educators and students that grasp the potential for change and are willing to enact it.

We’ll continue to collect the lessons and examples that are being lived every day and share them with the SMCEDU community.

Thanks again to all the participants, panel, and organizers of Social Media U! The good people of SMCEDU-RVA are planning their next event for March 23, stay posted!

SMCEDU Chat – Innovation, Choosing The Right Tools, FERPA, Participation…Yes, We Can!

As we held another weekly #SMCEDU chat on Monday, we saw old and new faces (avatars?) join in the discussion, and were able to hit a wide range of topics that deserve deeper analysis. For now, raising awareness and discussing these ideas in short bursts allows for ideas to flow, and we’re all for exploring and progressing ideas. To that end, it was another great, timely conversation, and I apologize for the untimely-late summary post!

We covered a wide range of topics today, and finding a common thread proved to be challenging. Instead, I’ll cover the major topics.

Innovation

I’m writing this as I watch a video stream of Apple’s announcement of the iPad, and it’s a reminder of the level of attention that’s paid to anything related to technological advancements (especially from Cupertino).

We started the chat on Monday with an inquiry into innovation within the classroom. Although technology (in terms of hardware, software, and use) is advancing rapidly, we don’t want to miss the forest for the trees by focusing on the “what” rather than the “why” in regard to the communication channels we use. However, as we continue to look for and share examples of how social media is changing the classroom dynamic, we can’t leave out some of the tools that encourage the interaction that puts the “social” in social media. We heard some great suggestions, including this, this, this, and this.

Amid the talk of different tools, it became evident that we shouldn’t focus so much on which services to use, but form a better understanding of the tools themselves.

The Right Tool for the Right Job

As Dr. V of Purdue noted, the end dictates the means. With so many existing options, it becomes imperative for educators to have a strong foundational understanding of what to use. Dr. V succinctly stated the issue here and here.

But who has the time to ramp up on the best tools to use? This is another service I’d like to explore: educators, show us an example of what you’re using in your classroom (links would be great!), and we can all share the lessons in what worked and what could be tweaked. Not all educators have the same level of experience with different technologies, and developing a “User Guide” of sorts to help teachers navigate through the sea of services could prove useful to many…kind of like this one, but focusing more as a case study/user’s manual. Let me know your thoughts on that!

With different tools come different concerns, and we hit two of the main concerns on Monday.

FERPA

The privacy issue is one of the key arguments when discussing the open Web. It affects universities just as much as the rest of the online world, and Bill Handy of Oklahoma State brought up this relevant point. FERPA regulations seem to be a concern for many teachers that use social media within the classroom, and it doesn’t seem like the issue regarding the use of student content/information has been resolved yet. As we navigate these uncharted waters, it would be helpful to keep other educators informed of the rules and restrictions as they evolve.

Participation/Grading

There are different levels of participation in online communities, but in a classroom environment where each student needs to have a voice, how does an educator evaluate the variety of personalities?

One would think that online interaction might lend itself to the student less likely to speak up in class, but that may not always be the case. Should those that don’t choose to interact be graded negatively?

There are different opinions on why students wouldn’t participate, and it continues to perplex some (wouldn’t you want to take advantage of something like this in school?)

Encouraging students to participate and create quality content leads me back to one of the hopes for Social Media Club: to unite and build a community of good citizens that know how to connect and collaborate online and create positive change in the real world.

Next week, Social Media Club will host Social Media Week in San Francisco. Monday is the kickoff event, Social Media Camp, with an great list of speakers. If you’re in the Bay Area, swing through and meet others within the community! We’re branching out, and the SF/SV area is a target location!

Thanks to all who participated for your valuable input, we look forward to growing and learning more with you!

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