Social Software for Empowerment

Cutting-edge Tools and Techniques for Alternative Learning

What is social software?

• Social software enables people to rendezvous, connect or collaborate through computer-mediated communication and to form online communities. (Wikipedia)

Some quick facts (Philippines)

• 7,820,000 Internet users as of March/05, 9.1% of the population (Computer Industry Almanac)

• Internet usage will grow 23 percent annually and reach 21.5 million by 2008 (International Data Corporation)

• The number of online gamers will reach 6.3 million by 2008

Driving force

• The communities of friends or families forming "clans" when playing (working) online is a major factor

• The ability to network/share/collaborate with peers reflects a social factor in the emerging skillset of the new generation of learners

Run a search on Friendster

Run a search on Flickr

Run a search on Youtube

We are now in the Web 2.0 era

• a.k.a. Read/Write Web • A time when “[trainers] are starting to

explore the potential of blogs, media-sharing services and other social software--which, although not designed specifically for e-learning [or alternative learning], can be used to empower [learners] and create exciting new learning opportunities” and building capacity

Case studies (in the academic setting)

• Web 2.0 as a Toolset for Teaching Creativity and Innovation - http://joelogs.tripod.com/JoelYuvienco1.htm

• Ped Xing (Philippine Literature Class Blog)- http://phillit-dlsc0506.blogspot.com/

• Quando Omni Flunkus Moritatus (Business Simulation Class Blog) – http://bizgaming.blogspot.com

10 years ago, October 18, 1996

Now are we still part of that majority?

Elements of Module

• Activity – Discovery• Abstraction – Self-reflection on discovery

by “friending” and blogs • Analysis – Identifying Group/Community

“Desire Lines” e.g. What drives them? What is their center of excellence? Multiple Intelligence?

• Application – Build a Social Networking Space (with blogs and wikis)

Discovery (What are my interests?)

Abstraction (Who are my Friends?)

Abstraction (What am I passionate about?)

Analysis

Desire lines: "those well-worn ribbons of dirt that you see cutting across a patch of grass, often with nearby sidewalks ignored—particularly those that offer a less direct route."

Photo Source: http://thinkingmachine.blogsome.com

Application (I can do it, you can do it, we can do it!)

Some useful Social Software

• http://www.flickr.com• http://blogger.com• http://ning.com• http://www.bix.com• http://stu.dicio.us/ • http://flocked.com • http://elgg.net

Some useful Websites

• http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2006/01/making_presenta.html

• http://www.shambles.net/web2/ • http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/

2006/01/17/web-20-education-philosophy/• http://www.shambles.net/pages/learning/

EnglishP/eslpodcast/