Jennifer Dick shared this on the TIE2012 Facebook page. Looks like a great forum to check out on topics relevant to T-561. Topical groups included "Badges for LifeLong Learning," "Pedagogy", and "Semantic Web." check it out.
James- I had a really interesting conversation about badges for lifelong learning yesterday, and as I'm sure you know it's a controversial topic, especially among academics who resent the premise that people need extrinsic motivators like badges as incentives to be lifelong learners. One major advantage to badges, according the the people I was talking with, is that they can be used as a kind of shorthand validation of somebody's credentials. So, for example, if you wanted to hire a freelancer to build you a website, write you some content, or re-tile your kitchen, you would be able to get a quick idea of how good they were by seeing what kinds of badges they had earned. I found this to be an interesting application to the badge system, whereas I was quite against the idea before of incentivizing lifelong learning. What does everyone think of HASTAC badges?
That potential for instant feedback adds a new edge and depth to the class
Hotseat probably helps most in large classes, where he says it "can give voice to the silent student body and help stimulate discussion.
And because Hotseat allows anonymous posts, says senior Tim Cummings, 21, students are more likely to ask questions they wouldn't if they had to speak out in person.
Interesting article about Hotseat, a web-based tool that can be accessed by students through facebook, twitter, or cellphones, which allows them to ask questions and make comments during class.
A recent study looking at Facebook use and student grades found some evidence that students who share links and participate in "lurking" had higher grades while students who posted status updates had a higher likelihood of lower grades.
Kate, Intesting post. Does this take into account of personality or social desirability bias? Sharing links and chatting may not be considered same type of activity.Since it relies on self reporting, there is also margin for error.
Last year, Iceland began updating the national constitution. Rather than start writing the document immediately, they solicited comments and text from citizens via Facebook and Twitter. They received over 3500 comments - from a country of 230,000 voters. Yesterday, a national referendum approved the final draft, which now goes to Parliament for final approval. Now THAT'S affecting change with social media.
Paper suggests that "the "revolution" of social media merely parallels other cultural reversals, all of which seek to return humans to the center of the universe." Interesting social perspective...
A new social network for colleges and universities called "GoingOn." Maybe the new Edmodo for higher ed? This article is a Q&A with the designer. Something interesting to keep your eyes on...
A fascinating approach to internet privacy for children. In addition to a "no post" policy for content related to their daughter, these parents have created a "digital trust" of pre-registered accounts and domain names for her to access when she's mature enough.
Check out this site which is like getting the info of a facebook profile and more. Imagine what kind of info search engines like this could generate for a teacher about an entire class. Or what students can find out about each other and their teachers. . .
I'm a cynic, so I can't decide how much of this is a PR move by Zuckerberg. Regardless of his motive, it's a lot of money for Newark. Will it solve anything?
Interesting look at a few sites and technologies targeted toward college students to "assist" them in learning and studying. The question is...are these actual beneficial to students or is the focus simply on making money for the companies producing these sites?