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This article is interesting in light of Haste's article for class. Gladwell dismisses the "Twitter revolution" in Moldova and explains that real activism--real civic participation--is not seen in low-risk online networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. Perhaps new technology cannot empower individuals enough for real-life civic engagement?

I am not sure that online networks only form weak ties. I am somewhat surprised there was no mention of http://www.meetup.com/ and the soon to be released http://www.jumo.com/ as they both appear to consider themselves to be a means for social change. There is another point raised that we seem to have forgotten activism. This point, if true, may be a good explination as to why social media is not commonly used for social change.

Thanks for posting this Jessica! I've been thinking about this for sometime now and I don't think Gladwell is right in saying that Twitter and FB form weak ties just as the SM folklore claiming that twitter or FB is in the middle of real activism. Social media is a tool for organizing civic participation. Civic engagement is defined by how many participate and only later by the platform/tool they use. Couple of reactions to Gladwell's piece: http://rburnett.ecuad.ca/main/2010/10/1/the-anti-gladwell-small-change-indeed.html http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/tipping_point_author_malcolm_gladwell_says_facebook_twitter_cant_change_world.php

The numbers paint a stark picture: blogging has changed, but the blogging scene is in some ways in better shape than it was three years ago. The big picture is that total engagement with online content is growing, on-site engagement is declining in significance as off-site engagement like link sharing on social networks grows. Surprisingly, this off-site link sharing has also extended the lifespan of content.

"School of One uses technology to develop a unique learning path for each student and to provide a significant portion of the instruction that is both individualized and differentiated." I liked the definitions of individualized (pacing), differentiated (learning preferences/methods), and personalized (pacing, preferences, and content/objectives).

can social media use increase the student's social engagement?

How social networking tools can help engage community college students

A growing number of kids at increasingly younger ages are engaging in online social networking today-a development that is leading to a surge of news stories, media attention, and economic investment. In this paper, produced with the generous support of Cisco Systems and the Digital Media and Learning Hub at the University of California, Irvine, scholars Sara Grimes and Deborah Fields argue that these shifts in usage and public discussion demand a better understanding of the ways that social networking sites mediate kids' socializing and the opportunities and limits they place on kids' participation, particularly for young children.

'Quest to Learn' is a New York City public middle and high school, supporting collaborative student-led learning: "Quest to Learn has used research in game-based learning to create a rigorous and engaging collaborative learning space where students feel safe taking risks and using their successes and failures to create and apply new knowledge." "Nurturing social and emotional learning (SEL) and 21st century skills like inventiveness, risk taking and collaboration."

This article describes a new early detection method that uses eye-tracking technologies to gauge babies' social engagement skills and reliably measure their risk of developing autism.

this paper provides an overview of the potential of the integration of mobile Web 2.0 tools (based around smartphones) to facilitate social constructivist pedagogies and engage students in tertiary education.

Youth at Risk makes the sobering point in its findings that 'ICT driven initiatives targeting YAR are taking place but there is little systematic and in-depth information about them. Knowledge sharing and collaboration among stakeholders involved in YAR is still too limited (p. 29)'. Further, Youth at Risk states, 'There is evidence that ICT-driven initiatives can foster the reengagement of YAR in a variety of dimensions (education, vocational training, job searching, social engagement) by using ICT in their back-office activities and in their interaction with YAR (p. 29)'.

If only educational games were engaging enough for students to want to pay to play...

An interesting product for reading and comprehension. Tim McEwen, chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Archipelago Learning. "Once children learn how to read, it's important to keep them engaged in and enlightened by reading. This product offers teachers a way to do this by leveraging a channel that already appeals to them - social networks and virtual worlds. If we can relate the core principles we're hoping students will learn to the areas that already interest them, then we create a mutually beneficial and relatable teaching environment."

Lubbock School District in Texas are investing $28 million in technology. "SMART Document Camera 330 in all classrooms where core subjects, such as science, math, language arts or social studies, are taught. Additionally, the district is installing 75 SMART Height-Adjustable Wall Mounts in pre-kindergarten classrooms to ensure that younger students have easy access to the interactive whiteboard to engage with digital content."

Founded in 2004, Games for Change facilitates the creation and distribution of social impact games that serve as critical tools in humanitarian and educational efforts. Unlike the commercial gaming industry, we aim to leverage entertainment and engagement for social good. To further grow the field, Games for Change convenes multiple stakeholders, highlights best practices, incubates games, and helps create and direct investment into new projects.

Must see webinar. >>Dr. Glenn Kleiman, Executive Director of the Friday Institute of Educational Innovation in the College of Education at North Carolina State University moderated this discussion with Chris Dede and David Rose held on November 15, 2012. The intersection of mobile computing, social software, and augmented realities enhances and increases opportunities for personalized learning. How do we capitalize on the rich array of technologies to not only engage students, but to provide multiple pathways for expression by all students? David and Chris, both members of the working group that developed the National Education Technology Plan in 2010, discussed future directions for digital learning, including universal design for learning, augmented realities, and social and mobile technologies.

This relates to the ideas in Helen Haste's work

This "Web documentary" provides a unique way to expose an important political and social issue. Focusing on the issues surrounding China's exploitation of its land and people related to coal, the site casts the viewer as an investigating journalist. You can choose to visit the sites and see the conditions for yourself or you can talk to people along the way and gain insight into their lives (as well as the political system). The content is deep, has high replay value, consists of very high-quality media, and represents an innovative approach to sharing experiences about important world issues.

Wow. I have seen web documentaries highlighting human rights issues before, but this one's style and tone really captures the juxtaposition between socioeconomic classes. The map and additional information buttons are great for Social Studies and History teachers willing to bring this into the classroom. As a former middle school World Geography teacher, I would be interested in showing this to my class, but also hesitant. Any former teachers who would show this to their students?

Wow. I've seen similar attempts at making web documentaries trying to raise public awareness about human rights before, but the filmmaker really hit the nail on the head. The juxtaposition between socioeconomic classes and the attempts mine workers make to brighten their world (i.e. engaging in a Christmas song/dance at the temple) is striking. I'm curious if any teachers would be brave enough to discuss these topics in their social studies classes.

Similar to MIT's Scratch, Globaloria positions itself as helping students develop STEM knowledge, digital literacy skills, and college readiness through game design. The program markets itself as a blended learning model.

Interesting examples of how some games are used for more than just entertainment including crowdsourcing for scientific progress, helping support research, and bridging the language gap.

Hi Adrian, thanks for sharing this. I think that the crowdsourcing potential for online games is great for solving real-life problems. Maybe educators could actually use such a platform for engaging students in school too, like crowdsourcing to solve problems in school.