Does the manner of an Obama victory mean anything to HE?

The read/write web is being used increasingly to promote active citizenship and shared political involvement and decision-making. MyBarrackObama.com is a classic example and I think highlights how 20th Century McCain looked by comparison to Obama. In fact the BBC's coverage, both on-line and on-screen looked positively 20th Century compared to Sky, who made a point of highlighting when Obama's text to his supporters thanking them came through. Organisations such as Amnesty International and Oxfam regularly use social networking software like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo to lever individual agency for their current campaigns.

Now this isn't a political blog, but don't you get the feeling, in that well-worn phrase of the moment, "change" is upon us? I have the feeling that the possibilities for extending community-based organisation, and extending the democratic connections between those communities were made concrete in the election of Obama last week. In part they were made so because of the interplay between these organisations, or sub-networks within them, and their favoured web applications. This, in turn, enables disparate groups of individuals to associate voluntarily with each other around themes or interests. In coming together to discuss, make decisions and act, individuals are beginning to acknowledge their own power as part of an organised "crowd", and the hope is that they will be able to respect personal differences.

The wonderfully named Jemima Kiss, writing about "Why everyone's a winner" in the Guardian, noted that "The web has helped to inspire and empower a generation that has rejected political apathy. Obama's team used technology to make issues personal and relevant by giving people ownership of the campaign. It wasn't a complicated strategy." Now I don't know, as yet, the demographics of Obama's vote, so I can't say that all the guff written about his team's ability to get the "kids" to the polls is wholly true, but the focus upon emancipating the young and the politically disconnected through social media frames the types of democratic pedagogies that higher education should be focusing upon (c.f. Friere; Illich). It offers the hope of a pedagogy that empowers individuals to ask meaningful questions using new networked tools. Moreover, it might also offers the chance to emancipate the learner’s role in her/his educational experience (Haggis).

The key may be the design of meaningful, whole programme curricula, rather than atomised modular courses, which start from the learner within her/his social networks. This will then scale personal involvement in decisions about: materials to be analysed and produced; tools to be utilised; educational networks to be developed (possibly from social networks that already exist); and tasks and activities that enable actions to be taken. Within curricula that are managed by the learner with a facilitating tutor the possibilities for empowered autonomy and a strengthened civil society are opened up. Clearly there will be an impact on professional development both for the use of social media and for new, epistemologies and pedagogies, but as US Politics enters the 21st Century maybe now is the time.

Attention Economy: The Game

Attention Economy is a game developed by Ulises Mejias and designed to let students explore the dynamics of building a reputation on-line and to understand how roles impact hubs and newbies in social networks.

Social media and corporate mores

Just found this great blog posting about BT's use of social media. I particularly like the notion that: "The extent to which a company adopts user generated tools is bound to become a barometer of company culture for those looking for suitable employment in the future".

Realtime Generation Report 2008

Some thoughts from Suki on the Logicalis Realtime Generation Report 2008:
"I’m wondering as to whether digital identities established elsewhere pre HE in their social group – they may be less inclination to develop another digital identity at university unless it is part of their course. I do believe that social networking site will remain ‘social’ and will not worked ‘mashed up’ with a system perceived for learning. I think we can learn from the social from the flexibility that it gives for feedback and support and access to other plug-in systems that we use as an institution. Scaling online institution communities targeted at programme levels (peer-to-peer) may have some scope for building networks and engagement.

"It’s obvious that the degree of technology experienced pre HE will affect and determine university choice and we need to keep an eye on trends at secondary schools/colleges. These students are only young!!! I can understand how many are not sure what they expect from a university technology wise as they may not even know what a university may have to offer! There should be should a study done for mature students and international students so that comparisons can be made on the digital experience."

Identity 'at risk' on Facebook

The popular social networking site allows users to add a variety of applications to their profile.

But a malicious program, masquerading as a harmless application, could potentially harvest personal data.

Read More...

Learning what makes Facebook tick

A group of students at Stanford University in the heart of Silicon Valley have turned their attention towards a unique course that blends popular culture with the more time-worn principles of psychology.

Read More...

Suffering From Facebook Fatigue?

[An article on Time magazine by Anita Hamilton]

It started innocently enough: last month a friend sent me a virtual lily plant on Facebook and invited me to create a (Lil) Green Patch, a digital garden that would grow on my profile page, and that any of my friends could help water, weed and plant. Sounds cute, right? Not if you've recently suffered through an overwhelming slew of requests to give a grain of rice, send good karma and rate your friends on everything including their hotness, creativity, fashion sense and intelligence. I wasn't merely skeptical — I was annoyed. But I didn't want to be a killjoy — and I love plants — so I went ahead and clicked "Accept."

Read More...

is it really that wrong to use social networking sites for independent study?

well it would seem so in some parts of Canada according to this Reuters report about "Canadian university faces off with digital generation".

A simple search of student groups for Ryerson University reveals 269 groups - are their owners/admin all to be punished? Staff as well?

I like the following quote from news.yahoo from a Uni of Toronto Media Studies professor:

In an interview, University of Toronto philosophy and media studies professor Megan Boler said that all universities encourage collegiality and discussion and that meeting online is actually very transparent because there are traces and records of everything discussed.

"Of course we want to ensure academic integrity, but I think academic freedom and civil right are equally important, unless we expect students to study in total isolation," she said.

Maybe the real issue is progressive pedagogy and rethinking assessment to chime with post-Fordist working practices.

Social: Learn

Thanks to Alastair Clark at NIACE for this:

'I came across this on "Social:Learn"'. The author notes that "higher education in general) needs to find ways of embracing the whole web 2.0, social networking world, and that the only way to understand this stuff is to do it."

The Ed Techie blog of which the posting was born is sweet - I might even subscribe...

Stars in Your Lap: social networking and online video

There was a nice article in the Guardian magazine, last Saturday, entitled Stars in Your Lap, which focused upon the next generation of web based entrepreneurs. It looked at some of elements in social networking with a big focus on online video. There were two sections that stuck out for me.

1. Social networking: "Those who decry social networking as an exercise in hi-tech isolationism forget that the stereotype of the uncommunicative teen locked in their bedroom is nothing new. They imagine that, if it were not for Facebook and my space, people would be out windsurfing or reading Shakespeare, rather than staring at the TV. For the YouTube generation, the web is not a tool that helps and communicate more quickly - it is their native form of communication." Bingo.
2. Online video: "the video boom is similar to the growth of young British music, where artists such as the Arctic monkeys and Kate Nash are often seen as the products of my space. But these new TV stars are building their support out of the structure of the Internet itself. Things are still in flux, however, and even those who might be the TV stars of tomorrow don't know what tomorrow will look like." I love that phrase about emergent networks facilitated by the Web, rather than forcing networks onto new technologies. The argument is that this is not a mash up between TV and the Web, it does not necessarily take on the modalities of TV all the Web, but it is new and experimental.
   

2 articles on social networking in the Independent

A little help from your virtual friends: Social networking moves on
It could be said that social networking is no real good. Sure, it's fun to post pictures of yourself on Facebook, but aside from the odd meeting of friends who have lost touch, there's little tangible social gain.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/a-little-help-from-your-virtual-friends-social-networking-moves-on-781399.html


Facebook can ruin your life. And so can MySpace, Bebo...
In the judicial backwater of a New Jersey federal court, a case is being heard that nominally affects two families but should also make millions of Britons think twice about something they do every day: put highly personal information on Facebook, MySpace or Bebo.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/facebook-can-ruin-your-life-and-so-can-myspace-bebo-780521.html


Any thoughts??

nick

Shall we Flock?

I was playing Scrabulous and happened to notice an ad for Flock. The ad had a nice look-and-feel - I'm a sucker for representative icons - and it quickly became clear that for those of us who buy-into the pulling power of social networking/sharing sites the Flock browser is a pretty exciting development because it aggregates services like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, blogger, WordPress, del.icio.us and Mag.nolia. Flock's flockers argue that "The more you use these key services that Flock supports, the better your [Flock] experience will be."

The privacy policy and terms of service stack-up in terms of openness and transparency, with some opt-outs. It's also been validated by commentators and Masheable's open web awards.

So I'm looking forward to engaging with this browser, to tie my use of YouTube, Blogger, Facebook and MySpace together into a Personalised Social Environment, and to test out Flock's claims that: "Flock makes sure you don't miss a thing. Be informed when:

• Your friends post photos or videos;
• Your favorite sites update content; and
  
• You have new messages and site notifications"

University of Ulster: Enhancement and Impact

Pam posted some really useful notes from the UU 2008 conference on e-learning to our Pathfinder wiki. I have appended her implications for teaching and learning at DMU herewith...

• If ‘knowledge navigation’ becomes an important ‘new’ skill to be learnt-and taught-will this take precedence over the creating/assimilation/application of of new knowledge.
• What expectations do students come bring to HE regarding mobile learning?
• If we presume that all our students have mobile-phones, how might these be usefully engaged for pedagogic reasons-or should they be?
• It seems to me that we are investigating these tools as a matter of course and that that our Pathfinder Project has helped crystallize debate and opportunities internally.
• We ignore ‘where our students are at’ at our peril.
• To investigate the pedagogical soundness of these tools as we would any other method as regards group, prior experience, context, overall learning aims etc; also as regards resources related to time and environment.
• What tools can support mentoring between international PG students and UK UGs (or PGs if available) for friendship, proof-reading etc.. What role is there for external tools like Facebook? What are thecultural implications of this? (e.g. glaringly in China).

Cool CatTeacher Blog

Follow on from the Economist Education Debate on social networking and recent posts related to Facebook, Vicky Davies, author of the cool cat teacher blog hits the nail squarely and firmly on the head in making the point that for educators it is about educational not 'social' networking.
Educational Networking not Social Networking

Economist Education Debates

Just picked this up off the TK-newswire {man alive, TK is a fount of Web2.0 knowledge and is in the wrong job...}: The Economist Debate Series: Education

The third debate is running now on: "Social Networking: does it bring positive change to education?" There are bits of the propositions that I like, in particular on the Pro side, I like the propositions about Bebo-boomers and what they will think of their kids' educational experiences:

• "It's more about helping learners become more world-aware, more communicative, learning from each other, understanding first hand what makes the world go around"
• "ubiquitous social technologies help us connect to those who can help us learn when we're outside the domain of formal education"
• "The web turned sixteen last year, just as another generation of sixteen year olds left school with more knowledge of the web from outside formal education than from within it... Educational methods could continue on their merry, Victorian way, but that's unlikely to engage today's learners, and it's impossible to envisage tomorrow’s parents, the Bebo Boomers, accepting the 9am-4pm, timetabled, do the exams you're told to when you're told to, inflexibility of the 20th Century school"

On the Con, side there is an interesting line taken that "Technology has made us compliant."

• "Facebook or MySpace are programmed for revenue generation, especially the vending of marketing data and the advertising base that can be established because of that data. To do so, those networks rely on technology developed by military (to surveil) and industry (to sell)"
• "technology altered education in every conceivable facet. I have seen it used as delivery system, then as content in the classroom and finally as classroom, building and campus itself, and in every case, pedagogy changed to accommodate the interface. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Unless we impose that logic on social networks, they will align educational methods with corporate motive"
• "What is the motive programmed in the interface, template or application involving use of social networks, and how can we adjust for that in the classroom, online or in-world? What are the risks—privacy invasion, online harassment, restrictive service terms, etc.—that might trigger controversy or code violations within the academic system?"

This debate, on the whole, drags us, kicking and screaming to face the educational realities of social networking tools and cultures. How do we align the possible (the affordances of connectivity) and the pragmatic (the uptake curve), with the clear, non-educational design and motive?

Critically, as the Cons would have it "How are technologies and pedagogies to be aligned?"

Get the popcorn out!

Lots of articles in the 'news' about social networking sites, and yes I am bored of hearing about Facebook again. Lets not get carried away by the wave and have knee-jerk reactions - some will, some won't and its not there fault, their not experts on this stuff, - but seriously these are real issues and some of these (yes personal data) I think have always been there but not obvious to all, all the time! So as side-liners with our education swim hats on, lets stand at the shore (notepad and all or surfboard!) watch the wave and the manoeuvres that these 'surfers' and 'shakers' make - take stock, reflect, discuss, outline some guidance and above all be 'real' and clear about where we lead with some of this stuff. As a lecturer (well I lecture at home!) I'm not going to wipe anything from my wipeboard - the bottom line , I want to know what my 'options' are and what works for me and my students. These articles are coming left, right and centre - and we can't turn a blind eye to them, the problem for us is, we would like to advise once things 'settle' and may be a bit clearer - but with the current weather conditions we are in with these social networking sites, the tide is constantly changing and won't really settle at this stage. We may just have to get used to it as we are at a time where its peaking in popularity since their launch and now 'they' are worming out all sorts of issues...so, find your seats and munch!

Predictions for Social Network Sites

While 2007 was a year where millions of people signed up to use social network sites, 2008 will be a year when these sites will be subject to cybercrime, predicts security professionals and firms. The news article describes the amount of personal information that is made available on these sites and security problems associated with the websites. More on this news story that would interest data protection and IT staff at institutions can be accessed at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7156541.stm

[Jisc Legal Newsletter 12/07]

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The politics of Web 2.0

In my book, everything is political. No ifs, no buts: the choices that we make; the purchases that we make; the individuals with whom we associate; all have ramifications for people's relationships with each other and indirectly confirm or assure the behaviours, values and cultures of third parties (individuals, corporations, institutions etc.). Like it or not, our choices impact upon social inclusion and social justice.

That's why, whether we agree with him or not, we need to engage withTom Hodgkinson's Guardian article of Monday 14 January, 2008, entitled "With friends like these ..."

Not only does Hodgkinson engage with the politics and values of those who own and manage Facebook, but he also raises issues to do with online privacy. This is a thought-provoking piece, and I was particularly struck by the following:

"Futhermore, have you Facebook users ever actually read the privacy policy? It tells you that you don't have much privacy. Facebook pretends to be about freedom, but isn't it really more like an ideologically motivated virtual totalitarian regime with a population that will very soon exceed the UK's? Thiel and the rest have created their own country, a country of consumers."

With universities beginning to engage in conversations around learning, teaching and assessment using Web 2.0 technologies, perhaps it's time to discuss and analyse issues around privacy a little more seriously.

Reasons to use Ning

A useful article, that outlines some advantages to using a Ning network for teaching and learning. similar advantages are available for organizations who wish to create a 'learning' network.

social-network-instead-of a VLE

Blogs and Social Networks

Further on the current run of posts about Facebook, social networking and privacy, are some issues raised at the UKOLN workshop entitled Exploiting the potential of Blogs and Social Networks , which I attended earlier this week (the workshop wiki is worth a look, especially if you’re interested in the current variety of institutional approaches and attitudes towards these technologies). Whereas there appeared to be general all-round enthusiasm about the benefits of Blogging in learning and teaching - as well as its undoubted usefulness in facilitating staff communications and encouraging prospective research networks - the outward-facing, external use of social networking seemed to pose more questions for discussion, particularly from an institutional perspective. For instance: should we have a set of guidelines for social networking or a university approach..and if so, what should it entail? What is the best way to manage the institutional reputation?

Commercial networking sites seem to be trusted by students (apparently more hands-off than educational sites) but can be challenging to align with typical IT and technology strategies. Even so, it was impressive to hear the ways that colleagues in different universities are embracing their potential in initiatives to widen the variety and reach of their communications. We heard of examples of Facebook and other social networking sites being used to disseminate information and to keep in touch with potential students and alumni.

Different arrangements fit with different lifestyles. If prospective and current students are checking Facebook 3 times a day, it seems sensible to use these channels – at least to consider providing the option. Despite the often real hazards of commercial social networking sites (issues of privacy/ institutional reputation management etc), they clearly have some value, particularly for those who do not have access to our internal networks. One thing that occurred to me was the way in which effective collaborative arrangements are developed across departments working together; for example, promotions, recruitment, Web developers and a central role for student unions. One thing I’m still pondering is whether there are particular departments or roles, student union apart, that may be best suited for facilitating communication along the often blurred boundaries between the social and educational aspects of the typical student’s life – any views?
Brian Kelly (UK Web focus) haswritten a summary of the workshop.