Oct
29
Teaching through blogs and tweeting: possible, or a pipe dream?
- geotweeps, help! trying to write about using social media in undergrad teaching research - ideas?
- And the answers rolled in. Unsurprisingly, undergraduates’ hierarchy of social media usage is different from ours, most notably in their much more heavy use of Facebook.
- @meagenpollock My students use FB instead of e-mail to communicate with each other (including forward info about jobs).
- MT @jeffersonite @meagenpollock FB is by far the more dominant social media for undergrads. People actually show up to “office hours” there.
- And then (ramping up the meta-ness of this conversation) there is Twitter:
- @glacial_till @stressrelated what about undergrads on twitter?
- @meagenpollock @glacial_till @stressrelated Many undergrads tweet. Regular searches on “geology” will turn up their rants about class :-(
- @cbdawson @meagenpollock @glacial_till @stressrelated The undergrads also tweet about geology, it’s nice to chat about geology on twitter
- @meagenpollock Discussing ideas it’s nice on twitter because there are a lot of points of view, also for asking for advice during research
- @meagenpollock My students don’t tweet - think Twitter sounds silly.
- @meagenpollock @nchazarra @cbdawson @stressrelated I like twitter for networking and I blog to practice my science communication skills.
- @meagenpollock @stressrelated I know more undergrads on twitter, but most use it for reasons other than discussion geology and networking.
- In conclusion then, it seems students use Twitter much like the rest of humanity - in a multitude of different ways. Which is, really, why Twitter has become so popular: the only constraint on how you use it is the need for brevity.
- Ron Schott, of course, has experimented with using social media in education more than most, with mixed results.
- @meagenpollock Sadly, my experience was that the vast majority of undergrads didn’t want to mix learning and pleasure on social media…
- @rschott @meagenpollock That’s b/c the vast majority of undergrads are kind of lame. Ex: here they focus on 1st job - not lifelong learning.
- @rschott @meagenpollock Also, though, I think some don’t want to connect w/ professors b/c they don’t want to embarress themselves.
- @helenasrox @meagenpollock I wasn’t trying to be judgmental; just calling it like I experienced it. I gave students lots of opportunities…
- @helenasrox @meagenpollock … to engage me through social media without forcing them to use it. Very few took advantage of the opportunity.
- @meagenpollock One thing I did do that was moderately successful was to use Ustream w/chat to simulcast exam review sessions - that worked.
- @meagenpollock The Ustream setup was somewhat ad hoc - today I’d use Google+ Hangouts for a smoother user experience. Downside w/G+ 10 max.
- But even if students prefer communicating via Facebook or (less often) Twitter, is there a place for blogging?
- @meagenpollock I’ve had two students write pieces for our department blog. (1 of several)
- @meagenpollock I think having students communicate their research to a generalist audience in writing (like in a blog) is valuable.
- @meagenpollock My colleagues don’t think much of blogs, so I don’t have support from other faculty when I try to get students to do it.
- @meagenpollock The other challenge is work load. Classes, GREs, data-crunching, thesis-writing, mtgs, abstract… blogs too?
- @meagenpollock OK, well, we’ve been having students do a lot of blogging down here this semester - seems to be working.
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- Geosciences Blog [Denison University Blogs]The Neoproterozoic era is characterized by a drastic change in the Earth’s major developmental systems. Marked by increased oxygen levels…
- @eruptionsblog why do you ask your students to blog? @stressrelated
- @meagenpollock As an assignment for class - to learn to discuss science to the public.
- @stressrelated @meagenpollock What I’ve done is replaced writing assignments with blog posts. more sense that the work needs to be quality …
- @stressrelated @meagenpollock because it is publicly visible. The writing has improved a lot in my classes.
- @meagenpollock I’ve also had students blog — gave prompts, had discussion about does & don’ts — did it to improve writing skills
- @cbdawson @eruptionsblog @meagenpollock Additional advantage of students writing blogs is it forces them to think about online audience.
- One clear concern with this is in terms of students’ control of their online identity.
- @meagenpollock Until blogs are seen as more reputable, I don’t know if it’s good for students to put their real names on blog posts.
- @stressrelated @meagenpollock The only way blogs will become reputable is to use them in reputable ways - that is what we’re trying to do
- @stressrelated @meagenpollock I don’t know if it’s good for a future employer to find old undergrad homework online, either.
- @cbdawson @stressrelated @meagenpollock But why not? Should all schoolwork be locked behind academic walls - and what if its good?
- @eruptionsblog @stressrelated @meagenpollock @rschott If people are being Googled, at least blog posts will offset the Facebook photos…
- (another thing that I should have added is that with blogs at least, there is the potential for making them private, and giving student the option of deleting their entries at the end of the course).
- @eruptionsblog @stressrelated @meagenpollock No, not locked away; perhaps not use student name. Some companies sensitive to appearances.
- @eruptionsblog @stressrelated @meagenpollock Undergad is an important time for exploring ideas, voices, approaches, even as a scientist.
- @cbdawson @stressrelated @meagenpollock I guess I just think my students don’t blog about anything controversial, so why not use real names?
- @eruptionsblog @meagenpollock Is it ethical to require students to make their class work visible to the general public? Might violate FERPA.
- @stressrelated @meagenpollock Grade isn’t visible - is it against FERPA to have posters/art shows?
- @rschott @eruptionsblog @meagenpollock Every private sector job I’ve worked had trouble finding geos who could write well + efficiently.
- @eruptionsblog @cbdawson @meagenpollock Students don’t have to be controversial to be harassed based on internet work.
- @eruptionsblog @meagenpollock You’d have to ask art dept if they can require students to publicly display their art for a grade.
- @stressrelated @eruptionsblog privacy is a real issue with any online student work. I always give the option of using a pseudonym.
- @meagenpollock @stressrelated No student has ever asked/requested to do such, but I’ve never brought it up. Much to ponder.
- Indeed, there is much to ponder, and clearly it will take some time before the value of using social media to teach or communicate with students, and the most effective ways of doing so, become clear. But let’s end on a positive note.
- @meagenpollock Isn’t this why I’m tweeting? #guineapig
- @Lindsey_Bowman yep. How is it working for you?
- @meagenpollock it’s helped me realize the breadth of geology research that’s out there, I’ve also gotten some great advice
Posted at 9:58 PM
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