Friending Vygotsky A Social Constructivist Pedagogy of Knowledge Building Through Classroom Social Media Use Kalen M A Churcher Edward Downs and Doug Tewksbury Presentation by Brianna Chen ID: 741744
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Applying Social Constructivism in Education Through Social Media
- “Friending Vygotsky: A Social Constructivist Pedagogy of Knowledge Building Through Classroom Social Media Use” - Kalen M. A. Churcher, Edward Downs and Doug Tewksbury
Presentation by Brianna ChenSlide2
Vygotsky - Social Constructivism Slide3
Adding to that…
Vygotsky believed:
Knowledge was constructed through dialogue and interaction with others
Knowledge is co-constructed in a social environment
In the process of social interaction, people use language as a tool to construct meaning
“Scaffolding” is support given during the process of learning. Giving the student what he/she needs to achieve his/her goalsSlide4
–Wenger, E., White, N., and Smith, J. (2009)
Digital Habitats:Stewarding Technology for Communities.
CP Square Press
“The role of the instructor is not solely to disseminate information, but rather to moderate the trajectory of user-generated content and community knowledge-sharing” Slide5
Why Social Media?
Social Media can: “facilitate collaboration, interaction and exchange of user-generated content”
Cost-effective
Popular
Integrated into society
No extra hardware needed other than computers
Popular sites: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, FourSquare etc. have variety of content and millions of subscribers Slide6
Pew Research Center Study 2010
93% of United States Teens (ages 12 - 17) and young adults (18-29) are online
73% of those online teens have used Social Networking Sites (SNS). (Figure has been climbing steadily since 2006)
72% of the young adults have use SNSSlide7
Are there any other benefits/negatives that you can think of to using social media in the classroom?Slide8
To Incorporate Social Media:
A mediator must be present (Teacher)
Directions must be straightforward
Overall objectives clear
A underlying purpose towards improving education ever-presentSlide9
Case Studies
Case Study #1 - Facebook as a Collaborative, Student-driven Platform
Case Study #2 - Wiki-based Collaborative Knowledge Building Slide10
Case Study #1
Facebook as a facilitator to online discourseSlide11
Case Study # 1
Freshman-Level Communication Studies Course: Media Literacy
36 Students - numerous majors at varying levels
Students learn to critically analyze media and deconstruct media messages
Students typically interested in material but become disengaged when discussions become paused to explain major-specific material or kept at an elementary level
Time constraints only permit a small percentage of students to contribute to course discussions Slide12
Case Study # 1 - Terms
Professor created a Facebook(FB) page. In addition to regular class activities and homework, students were required to:
Respond to specific questions via FB that were posed during the class period
Engage in virtual discussions
Periodically post examples that best represented key topics and termsSlide13
Case Study #1 - Goals
G1. Increased Participation among students
G2. Ownership in not only course content, but also course design and structure
G3. A shared learning experience where students were encouraged to learn from one another and about one another, the latter serving to increase the diversity of view-points
* These goals were not shared with studentsSlide14
Facebook
500 million active users
Approximately half logging in daily
Professor chose this outlet under the assumption most if not all would be familiar with the platform and able to navigate with ease
All students had active Facebook accounts prior to entering the classroomSlide15
Student’s Reactions
Crossing social/educational boundaries?
How will this help my education?
Professor responded by allowing students to create the rules applicable to their work on the Facebook page while he/she acted as the facilitator Slide16
“While abbreviations, emoticons, etc. are OK to use on the Facebook page, they are NOT OK to use in class assignments, papers and exams. In anything other than Facebook, I (the professor) expect good grammar, spelling, word use and punctuation” Slide17
Survey Results
30 out of 36 students completed a survey after the semester was over
14 believed that had learned more from the class because of the participation on FB. 10 were unsure.
27 believed they learned more about other’s opinions. 3 of those did not believe that knowledge increased because of FB.
14 believed they participated more in the class overall. 11 unsure. 5 felt they did not.Slide18
Survey Results
26 admitted to “lurking” on the page. Looking at what others had posted but not posting themselves
When asked how comfortable they were with sharing ideas in the classroom:
20 very comfortable
3 nervous
2 did not feel intelligent enough or felt others would react negatively to them
5 did not participate because they felt others would react angrily to their responsesSlide19
“It was quick and made me think about certain media. I saw how different people interpreted messages”
“It helps me to see other’s opinions…a lot of people in class do not interact with one another (in class)
“Didn’t like it. Seemed like a waste of time”Slide20
“I read some of what people wrote, but I usually became distracted by looking at other things”
“I feel it was a good way to gain participation for those students that find it difficult to participate in class. I like to express myself in writing better than verbally, so I felt more confident in my Facebook responses ” Slide21
What Was Achieved
A shared learning environment - Not only as a discursive space, but as a mechanism to allow students to operate within their own zones of proximal development
Applied understandings
Deeper conversation then the initial text
Incorrect statements/examples were able to be corrected by more advance studentsSlide22
Would you feel comfortable using a Facebook page as a participation requirement to your course?Slide23
Case Study #2
Wiki-based Collaborative Knowledge BuildingSlide24
Case Study #2
Course: Communicating for Social Justice.
Required Introductory course for Communication majors at a small, liberal arts school
Mostly first and second year students
Evaluative Strategies: synchronous and asynchronous testing, writing activities, journaling, etc.Slide25
Case Study #2
Wiki - a simplified, web-based architecture that creates a networked discursive community
Students controlled the information posted on the site, with an open-format of management guideline set forth by the instructorSlide26
Case Study #2
A variety of applications and course direction can be derived by a Wiki-based platform
Professor experimented with many types of applications
This case study focuses on the application of user-generated content to the creation of course examsSlide27
Case Study #2 - Terms
Students will develop a bank of questions (multiple choice) for an exam
A percentage of those will be evaluated and chosen by the professor for the exam
Students received detailed instructions on the creation of the questions and answersSlide28
Case Study #2 - Terms
Students are able to post to discussions on posted questions: addressing ambiguity, errors, wording, etc.
It was the STUDENTS RESPONSIBILITY to fact-check and asses peer’s submissions.
For the final selection of questions for the test, the professor would not choose any with wrong answers, ambiguity, etc.Slide29
Case Study #2 - Terms
Students came up with the number of questions for test: 40. So were required to come up with 80 questions for the bank
If question was selected, student received extra-credit
Several days before exam, the bank would be closed and the discussions and correct answers removed from the wiki
Professor reserved the right to add additional questions to fill in blanks in curriculum Slide30
Case Study #2 - Results
Anonymous, voluntary post-test evaluation surveys were administered
24 respondents
22 responded their experience with the wiki-based, user-generated exam was positive
2 did not respondSlide31
Case Study #2 - Results
20 presented comments that this form of developing tests helped them in learning and retaining material better than traditional testing (4 did not mention)
11 of the students comments indicated their test performance was better or they were more prepared for the exam than a traditional (13 not mentioning)
8 mentioned they better internalized comments or just didn’t memorize answers
4 mentioned this approach facilitated collaboration
8 mentioned it was challenging to create the questions and answersSlide32
“The more we were involved, the more we want to read and learn, especially for people who need a more hands-on approach”
“I was able to aptly study and be prepared…Creating and studying for this exam definitely helped reinforce concepts because we were constantly looking up the answers to these questions” Slide33
“I felt that no one babied the questions, which was beneficial because the subject matter was challenging. I was forced to go back and study the materials that we were assigned…in writing and studying the questions”
“Posting the questions prior to the exam gave us more motivation to study because it feels more like the exam was primarily in our handsSlide34
Case Study #2 Results - From the Professors Perspective
*Keep in mind he was the author and mastermind behind this study
Advantageous and offered a different approach to meeting classroom objectives than traditional testing methods
The method encouraged student collaboration and discussion, as well as incentivized active learning throughout the semester
Students investment in the course seemed to go beyond the typical dynamicSlide35
Keep in mind…
An instructor must be specific on the requirements of the SNS portion of the class: IE specific assignments, a written rubric etc.
A social networking component of the class must be a known platform to all students, or taught
Providing acceptable and non-acceptable examples of class discussions/behaviors on these sites would be useful
Should not be the only basis for a grade/learning environment in the classroomSlide36
Discussion
As a student, would you be nervous about how your discussion on a Facebook page would be evaluated?
As a teacher, are you comfortable reaching out to students on SNS, such as Facebook?
Other questions or thoughts?