1. 10/31/12
Social Media, Networks, and
Learning - A Research (and
Practice) Agenda
Vanessa Dennen
Associate Professor
Florida State University
Presentation at AECT 2012
What immediately comes to mind when you think about
SOCIAL MEDIA &
LEARNING
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The Formal – Informal Continuum
Adapted from Dennen & Myers (2012)
School – Formal
— Integration of tools in classrooms
◦ Class wikis
◦ Reflective blogs
— Holding class “outside”
◦ Shifting to social media tools as hosts
— Encouragement to seek resources
◦ Content resources (google it!)
◦ Human resources (contact an expert)
— Publishing online
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Work – Formal
— Dictated
by organizational structure, legal
requirements, workplace learning
objectives
◦ Intranet-based courses
◦ Closed knowledge communities
◦ Webinars
School - Informal
— Encompasses personal choices
— Blends from personal social network
— Building the socio-professional network
◦ Amassing contacts among faculty, peers, and
alumni
◦ Using affiliation to develop broader contacts in
field
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Work - Informal
— May be influenced by school experiences
— Building the socio-professional network
via professional networks
— Performing expertise online
— The tools may (somewhat) change, but
the objectives and methods of learning do
not
Nagging questions
— But is it enough to consider formal/
informal and school/work?
— Where and how else might people be
learning via their personal and
professional social networks and social
media in general?
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Social Media and Personal Learning
Making Learning Personal
— Shift to the personal context
— Look at the person and their transitions
between environments rather than
learning situated in any one environment
— Our social network is bigger than the
classroom or workplace, and it travels
with us
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It’s all learning …
Home
Hobby
School/
Work
Learning
Issues to Consider
— Learning is network-driven
— Networks are bigger than the classroom
or workplace, and they travel with us
— For many, there is a continuum of the
personal to socio-professional network
◦ People don't separate them, although some
people may firmly occupy end-points.
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Big Meta Questions
— What might school and work
environments learn from the personal and
individual approach to social network-
based learning?
— How do school and work environments
influence personal and individual social
network-based learning?
Two Layers of Learning Research
Networks
Pedagogy
Activities and
Tool
Outcomes
Outcome Tool
Knowledge Knowledge
Management Brokering
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A Call to Education Researchers
and Practitioners
— Look through other lenses
— Situate your work in the larger learning
context
— Consider how the class overlaps with
personal and socio-professional networks
— Look to the literature of other fields
Contact info:
vdennen@fsu.edu
Slides at: slideshare.net/vanessadennen
THANK YOU.
QUESTIONS?
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