Digital Pedagogy Poster Presentation

s

Hey, @students! #LetsChat:Using Social Media to Provide Feedback

and Digital Engagement in the Classroom

Graduate Students, Written Communication

• Shanna Gilkeson Jessie Miller Lisa Pignotti

Introduction

S. Gilkeson, J. Miller, L.Pignotti: Graduate Students in Written Communication

Research Questions Plan

1. How can we incorporate social media in low-tech classrooms?

2. How can we give educational goals a presence in social media?

3. How can we overcome potential student resistance?

Use Twitter to enhance academic development

Extend classroom conversations through Facebook

Create multimodal compositions using Social Media platforms

Preliminary Survey: Students and Social Media


Facebook Twitter Tumblr Google+ YouTube Instagram Linkdin Pinterest None0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.875.76%

59.09%

19.70%24.24%

50.00%

60.61%

1.52%

19.70%

0.00%

Social Media Sites Used



I can't make it through class without check-ing! 15%

Several times per day 67%

Once a day 11%

2%5%

2%Chart Title

I can't make it through class without checking

Several times per day

Once a day

Once a week

Once a month

Never

Frequency of Social Media Use



Student Reactions To Social Media in the Classroom

Positive

Neutral

Negative

"I believe that it will be a new and exciting thing to me being that i never used social media in a classroom."

"I usually do anyway so it is nothing new."

"I hate it. I only have a Facebook account because I lost a bet and I'm just not into it; it overwhelms and distracts me and makes too many accounts to

keep track of. I feel like I waste time."

s

Hey, @students! #LetsChat:Using Social Media to Provide Feedback

and Digital Engagement in the Classroom

Graduate Student, Written Communication

• Shanna Gilkeson

Twitter as a Mode of Research and Inquiry

Shanna Gilkeson, Graduate Student in Written Communication

Students read “How Social Media Profile Settings Could Affect Your Future” by Amanda Augustine. After completing an assignment in which they Google searched themselves and wrote about what they found, students then tweeted about their experiences, what they learned from the article, or any questions that still remained. The hashtag #ENGL121G was used for tracking, and students included the author's Twitter handle, @JobSearchAmanda, by way of inviting her to join our dialogue.

Twitter as a Mode of Research and Inquiry


Students have also been using their Twitter accounts to let me know how their research projects are going and to share their initial reactions to developments.

How Would You Like to Use Social Media in Your Education?


I posed this question to students near mid-semester, once they'd had some exposure to some of the different ways social media can be used. Some of them are beginning to think beyond the assignment reminder service or group-work tool that came to mind when we first asked the question at the beginning of the semester.

Some have had the “a-ha moment” - Twitter doesn't have to be for telling the world you just had a peanut butter sandwich!

The Next Step


After students complete their research papers on a way in which technology touches our daily lives, the next step will be to convert that research into a different genre for a different audience. As our theme is “Life in the Digital Age,” students will be transferring what they've learned onto a web-based platform of their choice. This could take the shape of a Facebook group, a Tumblr or Twitter account, a blog, or any number of platforms available.

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Extending Classroom Composition: Using Social Media

platforms to create multimodal compositions


Jessie Miller

Part One: Using Technology in Class

Using Google Drive for student peer review

Jessie Miller, Graduate Student in Written Communication

Research essay assignment components:

Part One: OverviewPart Two: Privacy

Settings

Part Two: Discussing and Writing about Social Media

Part Three: Societal Impact

• Research the history of the site• Explain its purpose and how it’s changed over time• Describe the users and their actions

• Explain the site’s privacy settings• Describe the effects such “privacy” can have on its users

• Pick one impact the site has had on society• Explain the impact •Argue how the site has changed our lives


Multimodal transformations of students’ research essay

Part One: Revise Essay

Part Two: Remodify work on Social Media

Part Three: Creating Multimodal Work on Social Media Platforms

Part Three: Add Content

• Condense content• Retain main point• Tailor revisions to match selected social media’s conventions

• Incorporate videos• Get reactions• Connect with researchers• Add links to relevant information


Student reactions to the class’s focus on technology and its incorporation in the classroom:

Positive Feedback Neutral Feedback

Overall: Student Reactions to Focus on Technology and Social Media

Negative Feedback

“I did not like the theme of technology and amount of online work.”

“I appreciate the online feedback. Most teachers don’t seem to care enough anymore to do stuff like that.”

“I like the class but I don’t like research in general.”

80 percent 15 percent 5 percent


s


Lisa Pignotti

Extending Classroom Conversations: Using Facebook in

First-Year Writing

Creating a Class Facebook Group

Lisa Pignotti, Graduate Student in Written Communication

Advantages

Benefits

Students can post:Questions about assignmentsDiscussion Questions Articles/Videos related to research topics

Instructor can post:AnnouncementsDocumentsSurveys QuestionsQuestions/Articles/Video related to research and topics

Privacy settings allow open, closed, or secret groupsAbility to invite students to join via university emailPurpose of group can be clearly stated and remain visible for students

Instructor can see who’s seen various postsAbility to comment and like posts by both students and instructorRegular notification about comments, posts, and likes

Encouraging Student Participation

A “posting” schedule divided students into six groups of four. Each group was assigned a week to post, and each group member was responsible to post an article or discussion question relevant to class. The remaining class members would then post one comment to a post of their choosing.

Students earned participation and assignment points based on a one-time-minimum per week post or comment to the group.

Students, Facebook, and the Classroom


Other 37% Facebook

63%

Social Media Use Convenience of Access

Frequency of Access

Once a Day

37.5%

A Few Times Per Week

45.83%

Once a Week

8.33%

Never

4.17%

Once Every Couple Weeks

4.17%

Other

No. I don't have convenient internet access.

No. I only log on to Facebook for this class.

Yes. I don't go on Facebook a lot, but it is easy enough to check out the group page.

Yes. I'm already on Facebook doing other things, so I just click on the group page.

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

4%

0%

29%

42%

25%Yes. I’m already on Facebook doing other things

Yes. I don’t go on Facebook often, but it’s easy enough to check

No. I only log on for this class

No. I don’t have convenient internet access.

Other

Students, Facebook, and the Classroom


Student Reactions

“[I like that] people show interest and different insight to what we're

learning in class, almost like an online class

discussion.”

“What I like most about the Facebook group page is

that I can interact with my classmates outside of class whenever I have a question

about an assignment.”

“Facebook use to be something I did if I had time. Don't like to be

required to get on FB.”

0%

15%

30%

45%

16.67%8.33% 8.33%

41.67%

4.17%12.50% 8.33%

I like it. It is helpful for

assignment clarification and announcements

I like it. The articles posted

have been interesting and relevant to my

research topic

I like it. It has helped me connect

and communicate with other students outside of

the classroom

I’m indifferent. I’ve found it helpful

and interesting at times

I dislike it.I don’t know why we have this group page. It is not helpful at all.

I dislike it. I like using social media for personal time only,

not for school

Other

Student Initiated Discussions and Posts


Posts Related to Research Topics Working Through Assignments Together

Lessons Learned


More effective than email to communicate to the class as a whole

Students will answer each other’s questions about assignments

Engaging students in high-order discussions is more difficult than in the classroom

Students do not like the requirement, but most find some benefit in it

Future Plans for Our Project


Social Media as Digital Pedagogy

Rework projects for next year’s classes

Create “videograms” and podcasts in response to student inquiries

Design class research Wikis where students can publish and link their research projects

Use Tumblr as a space for students to develop research journals