Reflections for Week 11 & 12
Preservation of Data & Social Media in Education
Reportedly by Brown, S. A. (2012) the perception by students in higher education is that social media is helpful in some contexts. The perception seems to be that some valuable skills are acquired by learning how to interact with Web 2.0 tools. Such as student centered learning. To me in some ways that translates into students taking courses now especially online are self-taught and need to be extremely self-disciplined and self-motivated. These skills no doubt are transferable into any sector of ones life especially for employment. Brown suggests there is a certain amount of experimentation going on with social media and education.
With regards to teacher/students relationships and grade scores being higher by use of Facebook instead of teachers traditional websites housed inside traditional school website, I was honestly SHOCKED to read that (Mazer, et. al, 2007). This is so surprising to me but I suppose it shouldn't be as social media is creeping into all areas of life. I am not comfortable with sharing my facebook page with my professors nor do I ask for theirs. I feel like it perverts the roles between teacher and student. Now, I will say that I did friend request one of my undergrad professors after I graduated to share literary finds. But, generally speaking I don't appreciate that practice.
Generally, I am not a huge fan of online learning. I know that it is all the rage these days, but given a chance to take courses in person vs online, in person wins hands down every time. The whole belief that online courses are creating good feelings and communities, well sorry but I don't buy that at all. It seems like from all the online courses I have taken (a lot) both undergrad and graduate, the amount of interaction that took place is minimal. There is also a huge factor, the time delay factor. Trying to get answers to questions online is sometimes like pulling teeth, painful and slow.
On a positive note though, one of the social mediums I do enjoy is blogging. I like blogging because it's fun to write and share what I have written. I like blogging because it is less formal than research writing but still can include many informative and useful resources. I especially like blogging because it appeals to my sense of artistry. With blogging one has the opportunity to insert some type of artistic creativity. The creativity and collaboration aspects of social media are attractive to me.
I really got a kick out of the videos posted this past week. One on YouTube Web 2.0 was touting the benefits of incorporating Web 2.0 in education all the way down to younger children. The other a documentary on PBS was basically giving the opposite view, that those people (very high IQ students from Stanford and MIT believed themselves to be effective multi-taskers, but the research proved other wise. In my opinion, the use of technology can be a blessing and be used as a tool BUT I would think it common sense that giving 2, 3, 4, 5 or up to six things one's attention (basically at the same time) renders ones focus less than effective. Students in the PBS documentary said they believed they were effective multi-taskers and believed they were staying connected. The connections that are taking place might as suggested by the the professors and scientists "dumbing us down" for real intellectual thinking/reasoning.
Thoughts? I can't help but ask the question, Where is all this going? Are computers taking over? They certainly seem to be in MLIS programs. The concept that one is able to earn a masters degree completely online, in my thinking is absurd...So, how are those professors building relationships with their students, and vice versa...I don't think they are...online education, in my opinion, is a poor substitute for teacher student interaction... The 'privilige' of being able to work whenever or wherever sells/markets educational programs. But is this privilege really equipping students for real life work experiences? Real life practical interactions (especially library students) with working with patrons? Most all courses for USF MLIS, except the field work experience were theory courses. I am grateful that I have had some hands on experience in this course with exploration of different popular interactive social sites.
So, what is the big pull for going 'on-line' with educational programs? Could it be related to money?? Do professors who teach online students earn less/more pay than teaching in person? Who is benefiting from all this on-line education? The universities?
I wonder what Rudolf Steiner would say about learning via technology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Steiner Steiner was the initiator behind Waldorf Education. He believed that children should learn by doing and was interested in development of the whole person. His approach to education was holistic as our cultures approach to education is fragmented and instant..But is our method lasting? We won't know the effects of all the 'net' involvement for some time. Will it be too late by then? Remember when smoking was hyped and we didn't know how harmful cigarettes were? I wonder what research will reveal about the effects of technology on the human brain and what about the human spirit? View a video about the Waldorf way of teaching and learning for children: http://www.edutopia.org/waldorf-public-school-morse-video.
This past week I also had the oppotrtunity to try using foursquare and yelp. I liked using both apps and learned that yesterday if I check in 4 more times at Geckos in S'sota, I will get a $5 discount. That might just be the incentive I need to motivate me to use the app. Generally, speaking, I find there is a disconnect from the people I am with to engage in a phone app and I like to be fully present with where I am at and with who I am with. I suppose I am still stuck in the dark ages when it comes to the issue of human interaction.
References
Brown, S. A. (2012). Seeing Web 2.0 in context: A study of academic perceptions. The Internet in Higher Education, 15 (1), 50-57. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/science/article/pii/S109675161100025X
Mazer, J. P., Murphy, R. E., Simonds, C. J. (2007). I'll see you on "Facebook": The effects of computer-mediated teacher self-disclosure on student motivation, active learning, and classroom climate. Communication Education, 57 (1), 1-17.
Videos:
Web 2.0 in education. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVr5pokOVG0
Digital nation. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/view/
Videos:
Web 2.0 in education. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVr5pokOVG0
Digital nation. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/view/
Waldorf-Inspired Curriculum Materials, http://www.edutopia.org/waldorf-public-school-morse-resources
