Collaborative presentation at the Digital Media and Learning conference (2012) with Denise Nacu, Kiley Larson, and Ruth Schmidt

1. Remixing iRemix:
Data Visualizations to Understand
Learning and Development in Online
Social Learning Networks
Denise Nacu! Nichole Pinkard! Ruth Schmidt! Kiley Larson!
Urban Education Institute! Digital Youth Network! Institute of Design, IIT! Digital Media and Learning Hub!
University of Chicago! DePaul University! Doblin | Monitor Group! Humanities Research Institute!
dcnacu@uchicago.edu! npinkard@digitalyouthnetwork.org! ruth_schmidt@doblin.com
! University of California!
Klarson@hri.uci.edu!
2012 Digital Media and Learning Conference | March 1, 2012 | San Francisco, CA

2. Visualizations of Social Learning
Network (SLN) Data
• Gather, analyze, and use data about activity
in social learning networks!
• Uses of SLN visualizations for stakeholders:!
– Program Leaders: Program evaluation and
professional development!
– Teachers: Reflection on practice to adapt and
improve!
– Student: Reflection on own learning !
– Researchers and Designers: Understanding
learning and building SLNs!

3. Driving Questions
• How are youth participating and interacting
with others, and how do we know that their
interactions are producing learning and
development?!
• How are teachers/mentors/experts
facilitating learning? !

4. SLNs: New ways of learning,
New kinds of data
Examples:!
SLN
features
Kinds
of
data
Structures
to
support
informal
and
Social
2es
formal
interac2on
among
users
Access
to
teachers/mentors/expert
Interac2on
pa9erns
among
peers/
teachers/mentors/experts
Asynchronous,
online
communica2on
Access
and
par2cipa2on
pa9erns
Crea2ng,
sharing,
and
discussing
Engagement
with
content
mul2media
content
Connec2ng
use
pa9erns
with
pa9erns
of
learning
and
development
Ability
to
structure
learning
ac2vi2es
and
Engagement
and
impact
of
specific
projects
learning
resources

5. The need for shared frameworks
and tools for this kind of data
• Lack of SLN models!
• Need for models of practice in SLNs!
What should learning look like in social learning networks?!
What does effective teacher practice look like in social
learning networks?!

6. Goals for this Session
• Launch a working group!
• Describe our R & D context!
• Share our working analytical framework
and visualization examples!
• Start a discussion about key questions,
data elements, and data visualization!

7. iRemix Platform
• Closed social learning network!
• Profile pages!
• Groups!
• Access to mentors!
• Ability to share and comment on projects and have
discussions!
• Self-paced student curriculum!
• Learning badges!
• Assessment rubric!
• Embedded flash-based design tools to enable
students to do projects on their own time!

10. Use Context: C21
Curriculum!
Writing!
Consists of units built around key writing
artifacts that enable students to write
across genres for authentic audiences.
Students learn that the structures used
to tell a textual story extend to other
modes of communication.!
Digital Storytelling!
Students will tell stories—stories
important to them, about them, about
their world. Students will tell these
stories through different media types: !
! • Photography!
• Video!
• Graphic Design !
• Podcasting !

11. Performance Spaces
Final Collaborative
Anchored “Texts”! Deliverable!

12. Implementation Context
• Writing/Digital Storytelling curriculum!
• 81 sixth graders!
Class
A
Class
B
Class
C
• 3 Classes!
• 2 Writing teachers! take
home
iPads
to
take
during
class
Laptops
to
home
Laptops
but
not
to
• 2 Media mentors! take
home
• 2 Writing mentors!

13. Our Working Framework:
Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Social
Learning Networks
Par2cipa2on
Consump2on
Contribu2on
Produc2on
Access
and
Views
of
specific
Content
posted
to
Pos2ng
original
membership
items
the
network
media
Impact
Rela2onships
Exper2se
Interests
Evidence
of
impact
Social
2es,
Evidence
of
skill
Emergence
and
by
individuals
interac2ons,
and
development
development
of
group
affilia2ons
interests

14. Data Table: Sample SLN Log Data
Summary of activity across classes, sorted by class and number of logins (one month of activity)!
Sample Data Handout!

15. Bar Graphs: Comparing Technology Access
Consumption and Contribution activity across Participation activity by time of day/day of week
classes (one month of activity)! across classes (one month of activity)!
100
80
72
Average
of
Consump2on
Average
of
Morning
90
86
70
Average
of
During
Average
of
Original
Posts
Average
of
AVerschool
80
Average
of
Night
71
Average
of
Average
views
of
60
56
Average
of
Weekend
original
posts
70
Average
of
Comments
on
Original
Posts
50
60
Average
of
Contribu2on
39
50
40
31
40
30
28
27
26
26
30
21
20
20
17
14
14
12
10
9
9
8
8
9
10
8
10
7
7
6
5
1
2
1
0
0
Class
A
Class
B
Class
C
Class
A
Class
B
Class
C
Laptops
iPads
in-­‐class
only
Laptops
iPads
in-­‐class
only

16. Social Network Map: Social Connections
Commenting activity for one month, among students and teachers in Classes A, B, and C.!

17. Social Network Map: Social Connections
Same data, arranged differently!
Naya

18. Social Network Map: Social Connections
Showing two or more comments between individuals!
Naya

19. Social Network Map: Social Connections
Showing three or more comments between individuals!
Naya

20. Radar Graph: Individual Profiles
Showing (1) time of day user participated, (2) breakdown of activities by type, and (3) activity relative to others in the network!
1
3
2

21. Radar Graph: Individual Profiles
Naya
(Female),
Class
C
Taylor
(Female),
Class
A
Ryan
(Male),
Class
C

22. Layered Timeline: Events and Multiple
Variables Over Time

23. Breakout Groups
• Questions: What research areas
do you want to explore?!
• Unit of Analysis: Who/what is
the focus of your interest?!
• User Activities: What user
behaviors can help us address
this question?!
• Data Elements: What trackable
social network data can indicate
these user activities?!
• Visualizations: What
mechanisms best express the
relationships we are interested
in?!
• Supports: What additional data
or information may be important?!
Discussion Card Deck!

24. Thank you.
We are looking forward to connecting with you in the future!!
Denise Nacu! Nichole Pinkard! Ruth Schmidt! Kiley Larson!
Urban Education Institute! Digital Youth Network! Institute of Design, IIT! Digital Media and Learning Hub!
University of Chicago! DePaul University! Doblin | Monitor Group! Humanities Research Institute!
dcnacu@uchicago.edu! npinkard@digitalyouthnetwork.org! ruth_schmidt@doblin.com
! University of California!
Klarson@hri.uci.edu!