Educational Social Software (ESS) is a relatively new subset of communication tools that have been recognized as offering aspects to the communication landscape that up until recently have not been available. This presentation by Jason Rhode at the 2008 AECT Convention shares the experiences of one institution that has leveraged the open source educational social software Elgg to extend social networking capabilities beyond the limitations of its existing learning management system.
11. Dron’s Theory of Transactional Control Dron, J. (2006). Social software and the emergence of control, The 6th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies. Kerkrade , The Netherlands. Retrieved March 23, 2007, from http://www.cmis.brighton.ac.uk/staff/jd29/papers/icalt2006.doc
35. “ Networked tools that support and encourage individuals to learn together while retaining individual control over their time, space, presence, activity, relationship, and identity” - Anderson, 2006
59. “ the heart of the concept of the PLE is that it is a tool that allows a learner (or anyone) to engage in a distributed environment consisting of a network of people, services and resources. It is not just Web 2.0, but it is certainly Web 2.0 in the sense that it is (in the broadest sense possible) a read-write application.” - Stephen Downes, 2006
85. “ Informally connected groups of learners characterized by an environment in which members are autonomous, divers, and able to control the frequency, substance, and duration of their participation” - Downes, 2006
86.
87. “ The largest form of social granularity in which members participate for individual benefit, but their activities are harvested to generate the ‘wisdom of the crowds’...a kind of cyber-organism, formed from people linked algorithmically...it grows through the aggregation of individual, group, and netwoked activities. The distinctive dynamic is one of aggregation, not networking.” - Anderson & Dron, 2007
92. Purposefully design informal interactions into the learning environment Provide opportunities and incentives for learners to explore the educational social software tools Consider alternative approaches where necessary to best meet learner needs