Students arent prepared for web 2'0 learning, are they

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Students arent prepared for web 2.0 learning,
are they?

• Ruth Whitfield and Neil Currant Learner Support
  Services

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Who we are in this context?

• Communicating in an Information Age Module tutor
  - Ruth Whitfield.
• JISC- funded Enhancing Learner Progression
  Project Officer Neil Currant, www.elp.ac.uk

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Overview

• Aims of what we did
• How the tool were used
• Underpinning skills needed

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What are we going to say?

• The use of web2.0 is not as common as we are
  often led to believe. The underpinning skills
  required for effective educational use of tools
  are often not developed enough. This leads to a
  number of observed phenomenon using such tools in
  education.

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Module aims

• To use tools such as blogs, wikis, e-portfolios
• To develop
• Group working
• ICT skills.
• To enable students to
• Work with others more effectively
• Exploit technology for presenting and sharing
  information within a multi-cultural society.

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Mode of assessment
Group Project 30 WikiBlackboard
Online Group Discussion 30 Blackboard
E-portfolio/Weblog 40 PebblePad
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Myths of Use

• Blog 12 (UK), 7.4 (US)
• Most common creative use sharing photos 28
  (all) / 46 (students).
• Created social network profile 17 (all) / 42
  (students)
• Biggest influence of social networking for
  contact with family or existing friends.
• Oxford Internet Survey (2007) http//www.oii.ox.ac
  .uk/microsites/oxis/
• USC (2007) www.digitalcenter.org

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Proposition from student data

• We cant expect students to be able to use
  online tools and technology for their learning
  without (our?) help even if they use (some of)
  this stuff at school and at home.

I have been a regular and proficient user of IT
(systems and hardware), but I have been astounded
by the fact of how much I didn't know about blogs
and wiki's.
Its rather confusing to learn in other ways.
setting up blogs is the hardest part. it took me
ages to get up and running on myspace.
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Why?

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Underpinning skills
None of us have contributed to a wiki before and
its daunting but we need to get over it.

• IT skills
• Learning skills
• Group working skills
• Personal skills

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Observed Phenomenon wiki

• Wikis not collaborative
• Individuals work on own pages
• Individuals worked on different sections of pages
• Trust and editing others work
• Repeat pages in wiki
• User error
• Deliberate (see above)
• Cut Paste / plagiarism

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Observed Phenomenon other

• Offline meetings to discuss content of blogs and
  wikis (made extra work)
• Confusion / Profusion of tools

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Wikis not collaborative
NB series 1 had 14 potential contributors, the
rest were group work wikis with 4 group members.
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It appears that somebody has deleted my initial
day in the life, so I shall add it again.
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Trust
Please do not mind if i have changed your work on
the Wiki, as i have heard that from other groups
that their members have minded.
I would be OK with this as long as someone told
me first before they wanted to change something
and explained the reasons why
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Group working

• Blog was used in one group to criticise each
  other and carry on offline arguments.

Big problem with personality clashessince then
nobody has left a note on the blogI think it
would have happened anyway
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Repeat pages
User error?
Deliberate
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Cut Paste
Please if you copy pictures or quote things
please put the website in the bibliography using
the harvard referencing.

• Lack of attribution
• Very obvious

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Offline Meetings
We appear to be making little or no progress!!!!
  I believe that face-to-face communication may
be more successful.
May I also add that this module is about taking
the communication tools that have been provided
to us and to use them! 
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Confusion / Profusion of tools
Dont know if you've managed to see the
messages/e-mails left let us know if you can
by posting a message on the blog!

• Not sure which tool to use for which purpose,
  e.g. email should not be needed.

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To Ponder

• Level of support needed
• Skill Development
• Trust group working
• Time (given a 12 week module)
• Plagiarism

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Safe social space
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Questions raised

• Do we (tutors) have the skills necessary to
  support students use of these tools for learning?
• What academic / personal skills do students
  need?

All the students at the focus group agreed that
the support given by the tutor was vital to their
positive experience of the module
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• Blogs Wiki'sWith blogs and wiki'sYou can air
  your viewsAnd pay your dues. HopeThings don't
  get too sticky.They're cropping up
  everywhereDown the hall and up the stairsIf
  you're getting really worriedBetter say your
  prayers.In blogs wikisthey gotta be
  quickies.

• Yeah, it's real cool for to droolOver mantle of
  opinionated foolCause with our blogs wikisWe
  have the necessary toolsTo be elaborate free
  spirited.Well everyone knows that they're
  giftedBut the emphasis has somehow shiftedIn
  expression that is wordy descriptA picturesque
  image may say as muchBut don't worry if it's all
  double dutch.