EME 6414 - MJW

  This week there was a deep focus on how social media platforms can and do influence teaching and instruction. It was good to have a set of articles the centred around a specific topic to facilitate deeper understanding. There is no doubt about the transformative capability of social media relative to educational practices. They facilitate a learner-centered focus and support instruction professional development. The tick is what to use and how relative to the context, especially given the broad range of functionality offered by these platforms. I am increasingly forming the view that design needs to provide options for the student to select platforms that work for them relative to the context (i.e., design that supports choice), I acknowledge that it isn’t as straight forward as this as platforms have boundaries and CoPs for example need to meet and interact in a defined space. The how, when and why is something I would like to learn about relative to the applic...

  This article provided an opportunity to dig deeper into the world of SMLAs and their associated considerations, specifically: how to integrate SMLAs into curriculum; types of SMLAs; design considerations; the supported cognitive processes; and types of knowledge engagement. I was interested to learn that the design of SMLAs often reflects traditional LMSs and how the social media aspects are of underutilized, I think this aspect requires a high degree of understanding of these technologies and the context in order to apply them effectively. I agreed with the point about the integration of multiple social media sources within an activity, I think that design should allow for flexibility to allow the student to select the most appropriate platform for the context/activity. It is clear that the integration of multiple forms of social media into activities is beneficial; however, the complexity relates to how this is done to effect.    Source:  Zgheib...

  I took a particular interest in this week’s reading as I am interested in how these technologies (i.e., X/Twitter, Facebook) can be used in a more structured educational context, particularly with regard to their shaping of instruction. The article addressed a number of key topics relative to utilizing interests, how pedagogical change can be facilitated, how inquiry can be promoted and supporting sustainable change. A couple of areas stood out for me in terms of instructor development, such as, support for the development of CoP where the community reflects the contemporary learning environment and the technologies being ulilized and how the platforms can challenge instructors to develop their existing understanding and work together to develop it further. It is clear that social media can be a valuable tool to support professional learning and instruction; however, as always the rubber hits the road when we need to define what that looks it.   Source: Goodyear, V. A., ...

  It is clear that networked knowledge activities are critical to support learning in today’s contemporary learning environment. They offer the following benefits: collaboration promotion; attempt to encourage active learning & engagement; support self-directed learning; develop skills relative to the online context we all have to operate within; broaden the context of learning and platforms across formal & informal contexts; and enhance integration across communities around the globe.   As with any benefits, there are also additional ramifications that need to be considered, some of these include: the level of access individuals have to these platforms, services and technologies; the ability to analyse information and discern fact from fiction; privacy issues; and the largely unregulated nature in which the networks are established, monitored and maintained.

  This week I focused primarily on the two key readings relative to the following: networked knowledge activities (intro to the framework, the types of activities & how they can inform the design of social media learning tasks); & using networked knowledge activities to examine learning on social network sites (the characteristics of engagement such as preference for passive forums, the domination of certain platforms, how the networks are limited by the participants scope of engagement).   I found learning more about networked knowledge activities valuable as the articles defined the framework and the component parts well. It was also good to get an understanding of how participants perceive online environments and how they miss opportunities to engage actively & build networked knowledge skills.

  This is an interesting space, especially given the nature of individualism and the way its shapes of individuals interact with online communities. The individual in my view needs to be responsible for managing their own ethics relative to online community engagement through the following: through their effective management of privacy settings (i.e., security measures to protect an individual’s information); use of the platform to voice their ethical position; and through their autonomy and the choice to continue to engage.

  I thought the article by Caswell, Henson, Jensen, and Wiley was useful as it detailed how OERs can facilitate equitable access to education on a global scale. Open courseware has the potential to make information currently available to the haves and make it available to have nots which is a very powerful concept. The technology exists to connect people with information to that they can improve themselves and their communities.

  I learnt a lot this week about the nature and behaviours associated with online communities. Working on the assignment (concept version) while addressing the week’s readings and activities certainly amplified a few concepts for me. I was interested to consider the intersection between what functionality online platforms offer and the way they shape interaction through their functionality. It was also interesting to consider how individuals respond and engagement with these communication forums online. What is increasingly apparent is the focus on individualism and how much autonomy and power the individual has to direct their own path. I think this goes both ways, the individual should also accept a higher degree of responsibility for how they comprehend and engage with the environment, participants and context.

I learnt a few new things this week relative to digital badges, crowdsourcing and tagging. I think they all have utility relative to online learning environments and they are certainly reflective of Web2.0 technologies. I think both crowdsourcing and tagging can be applied effectively to establish useful links between individuals that can then lead to deeper understanding and a broader context for the application of critical thinking skills.

This week I reviewed the article by Randall & West (2020) relative to the significance of open badges. I was interesting to read about how this concept is perceived by school leaders. A point of note for myself is to investigate the difference between microcredentials and digital badges (perhaps the contexts in which they can be accessed is a point of difference). It is clear that they can clearly signal achievement and capability which is of value. It was no surprise that endorsements from professional organisations supported credibility. I think the point raise about the excessive data was a valid one and has the potential to cloud the decision making process relative to individuals. I think they definitely reflect web2.0 technologies as they are flexible, portable and evidence based.

This week I reviewed the article by Wilson (2018) relative to crowdsourcing and self-instruction. I hadn’t previously considered crowdsourcing from the perspective outlined in the article, the perspective that sees the students as co-creators of learning resources and content (similar to produsage). This approach certainly supports active and self-directed learning methodologies as the students develop materials and integrate them into the curriculum. Crowdsourcing also supports peer-to-peer learning and collaboration between students, particularly relative to the creation of content. I also quite like distributed learning environments as they facilitate deeper research with a focus on the endstate (i.e., content creation that aligns with the learning objectives). The approaches outlined in this article align well constructivism and connectivism. I think these approaches develop critical thinking and research skills which are an imperative in today’s society.