…important questions arise about the effects of using digital media—questions about identity, relationships, community, collective action, public sphere, social capital. Ordinarily, the way to study these questions would be through a combination of written texts, lectures, essays, and tests. However, social media are not only the subject of study through texts and lectures, which can be evaluated through essays and tests—social media can be used to communicate, investigate, and explore the issues. (http://socialmediaclassroom.com/index.php/using-social-media).
This lab consists of FOUR TASKS (see below).
At this stage of the module I want you to:
Review by considering ‘Where are we?’
Plan for the future by thinking about ‘Where and how are we going forward?’
Digital media give us the opportunity to investigate media culture with the insight of theory, but with access to media as a form of participatory experience. The opportunity is to ‘learn by doing’ with hands-on online communication media.
Is it possible to augment the traditional module learning strategy where the tutor is in control and disseminates knowledge, to create a learning community using social media?
Can all the students on a module contribute to critical collaborative enquiry and build knowledge together?
Are you media literate enough to be able to choose the right tools or services to do this?
1. What is the module’s object of study?
The first part of the module focuses on the study of digital media as new media, and particularly Web 2.0 and social media.
What can we learn about the differences between traditional media and the social media of online communication and Web 2.0?
TASK 1
Review the lectures, labs, tutorials, and module handbook to remind you about the questions, concepts or ideas that I have put forward for you to think about so far. This can be done by looking at ‘The Story of the Module’ page in the Wernicke Wiki on Blackboard.
Make a note of these things and record them using any means you think are appropriate for you and/or to share with others.
TASK 2
Now think about what you would like to find out or investigate about digital, social and new media and Web 2.0.
What questions are you interested in?
What do you want to learn or discover?
What do you think is interesting about the module’s object of study?
Make a note of the answers to these questions and record them using any means you think are appropriate for you and/or to share with others.
2. What is the module’s method of study?
The module has traditional forms of teacher-led reading, lectures, classroom discussion and lab tasks. However, these are enhanced with online communication tools in Blackboard and free-to-use online communication media.
The module asks you to participate in online communication media and use online communication media to provide evidence of learning and achievement.
TASK 3
Think about the knowledge that you need to gain to learn about the things that you are interested in.
How will you obtain that knowledge and understanding?
What information do you need?
What are the most appropriate online communication media that you should use to demonstrate your learning?
Make a note of the answers to these questions and record them using any means you think are appropriate for you and/or to share with others.
TASK 4
The participatory teaching strategy of the module encourages the use of the combination of Blackboard tools and free-to-use online communication media.
a) Consider how to use the Blackboard tools so that you place yourself at the centre of the module learning community and how it might be possible to foster critical collaborative enquiry and build knowledge together.
The Blackboard tools are:
blog
wiki
forums (discussion board)
chat
For instance, how can we use the wiki to build knowledge and work together?
Try to put these considerations into action by working together.
b) Decide which online communication media you will use on an individual basis or in collaboration or sharing with others as part of the communication of your learning during the Web 2.0 project assignment.
Start using these media as soon a you can to build up your coursework portfolio of engagement and support your ‘learning by doing’.
I have found the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies website useful for finding out about and choosing appropriate online communication tools such as for publishing my lectures.
Use the site to help you decide which tools or websites to use separately and in combination with each other as part of a social media or Web 2.0 package of learning capabilities. Examples would include blogs, wikis, social networks, social bookmarking, podcasts, RSS, micro-blogging, and media sharing such as photographs, slideshows and videos.
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