'The Mutual Shaping of Social Media, Learning Experiences, and Literacies: The Methods Revisited' as presented in the 4th International Conference on Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries Limerick (Ireland), May 25, 2012

1. 4th International Conference on Qualitative
and Quantitative Methods in Libraries
Limerick (Ireland), May 25, 2012
The Mutual Shaping of Social Media, Learning
Experiences, and Literacies:
The Methods Revisited
By Juan D. Machin-Mastromatteo
@judamasmas
This research was supported by European Social
Fund’s Doctoral Studies and
InternationalisationProgrammeDoRa

2. Core Theories
 Constructivist learning (Piaget/Dewey)
 Critical constructivism (Kincheloe, 2005, 2008)
 Role of social interaction in the development of cognition (Vygotsky,
1978; Ackerman, 1996; Mayer, 2004)
 Dimensions of learning: cognitive, social, emotional (Illeris, 2003)
 Information skills: access, use, evaluation (Lau, 2006)
 Affinity Spaces (Gee, 2009)
 Participatory Action Research in Education (Freire, Fals-Borda,
Whitehead &McNiff, McIntyre, Herr & Anderson)

3. Brief Epistemological Assumptions
 The concepts of learning and knowledge are closely connected
 Knowledge is created through socialization (Vygotsky, 1978;
Nonaka& Takeuchi, 1995) and can be discovered (Whitehead
&McNiff, 2006) as people possess tacit knowledge within (Polanyi,
1958).
 Teachers are capable of generating personal theories by
systematically studying their practice (Whitehead, 1989)

4. Research Questions
What significant issues, challenges and opportunities emerge when social
media are integrated into learning environments in higher education?
a) How do students’ experience learning when they are engaged in a
learning activity that integrates social media?
b) In what ways is students’ engagement dependent upon their literacies?
c) In what way do learning, literacy and social media mutually shape each
other?

5. The Issues of Social Media
Machin-Mastromatteo (2010,2011,2012), built upon Bawden& Robinson (2009)
 Trust
 Loss of identity
Emerging issues Machin-Mastromatteo(2012)
 Crowdsourcing
 Decision making
 Balance of identities/voices/roles
 Quality control
 Fast changing features
 Users’ satisfaction
 Need for marketing SN tools
 Information overload
 Users’ underestimation
 Permanence
 Repackaging
 Privacy
 Negative consequences

6. The Concept(s) of Literacies
 Information Literacy
as in Zurkowski (1974), Virkus (2003),
Tuominen, et al.(2005), Lau (2006)…
 Digital Literacy (computer, ICT…)as in
Shapiro and Hughes (1996), Eshet-Alkalai
(2004)
 New Literacies
as in Lankshear and Knobel (2007)
Literacies New
Literacies

7. Method: Participatory Action
Research (PAR)
 Self and collective reflection on the subject of study
 Researcher is part of and makes interventions on research
 Cyclical process of exploration, knowledge construction and action
through questioning, reflecting, investigating, developing plan
implementing, refining, questioning… (McIntyre, 2008)
PAR is a philosophy of life as much as a method, a sentiment as much as a conviction (Fals-
Borda, 1997)
PAR leads researchers into unfamiliar pathways… think in new ways… generating
provocative new ideas. (Whyte, Greenwood, & Lazes, 1989)

8. Participants
 LIS Master
 Divided in groups
 Pilot Study (2011), Final Study (2012)

9. Collection of Data
 Diagnostic Questionnaire
 Blog
 Social Learners’ Input
 ClassDiscussions
 Blog
 Social Media Sites
 Social Learners’ Reports
 2nd Questionnaire
 Interview

10. Stages of Research / Assignments
1 Introduction
Diagnostic Questionnaire / Action Research / Methods / Literacies / SM
2 Access 3 Use 4 Evaluation
Issues of SM
User practices SM in organizations
Content curation
Information needs SM inlibraries
Creation of SM sites
Location / Selection Evaluation ofSM
Tool integration
Accessibility issues
5 Wrap up
2nd Questionnaire / Interviews
Assignments:
 Individual reflection on own use of SM (2)
 Create social site for an information service (3)
 Evaluate an established social site (4), revisit (3)

11. Thank you!!
machin@tlu.ee
judamasmas@gmail.com
@judamasmas
http://judamasmas.tumblr.com
www.judamasmas.com