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Social Media, Networks, and Learning - A Research (and Practice) Agenda Vanessa Dennen Associate Professor Florida State University

Presentation at AECT 2012

SOCIAL MEDIA & LEARNING

What immediately comes to mind when you think about

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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 …

Learning

School/Work

Hobby Home

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?

Networks

Tool

Knowledge Brokering

Knowledge Management

Activities and Outcomes

Two Layers of Learning Research

Pedagogy

Tool Outcome

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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

THANK YOU. QUESTIONS?

Contact info: vdennen@fsu.edu Slides at: slideshare.net/vanessadennen