Conference: Online Educa Berlin, 2008
By: Eky Fioole
Presentation as a part of the Learning Design Symposium with Gilly Salmon
Finding the best combination of social software remains a challenge to most educators and institutions. Usually, students are far better skilled in IT and they generally do not equate applications such as blogs, wikis and Facebook with educational activities; in fact it is considered quite the opposite.
The objective of Avans is to prepare our students for their professional future and to encourage them on self-development, knowledge exchange and mutual cooperation. In order to be prepared to facilitate the ‘net-generation’, Avans formulated explicit goals to obtain a higher level of eLearning. In 2010 students and staff members are effectively supported in their learning processes by a rich set of eLearning facilities in such a way that:
- students and staff members experience no difference in the availability of IT-facilities on or off campus
- eLearning facilities are part of the default set of IT-facilities
- the social function of campus is getting more and more important (school as a meeting place)
- the expertise of staff members is used in an effective and efficient way to support the learning of students
How to facilitate student learning with social software, and more...
1. How to facilitate student learning
with social software, and more …
Eky Fioole
Avans University of Applied Sciences
The Netherlands
2. Our view on Learning and teaching
Our main drivers are:
To produce excellent professionals who will continue to further develop
themselves and their profession.
For selected businesses and organizations we are their partner for
knowledge development and knowledge sharing.
In learning and teaching we opt for people (students, lecturers and
professionals) to connect, cooperate and collaborate in acquiring
knowledge and becoming competent.
Our main drivers are:
To produce excellent professionals who will continue to further develop
themselves and their profession.
For selected businesses and organizations we are their partner for
knowledge development and knowledge sharing.
In learning and teaching we opt for people (students, lecturers and
professionals) to connect, cooperate and collaborate in acquiring
knowledge and becoming competent.
3. Trend 1: From VLO’s towards PLE’s
ePortfolios
• PLE’s … within an institutional framework (context,
validation)
• Shift from courses/communities to ePortfolios and a
Content System
• Students are becoming more and more prosumers (co-
makership, collaboration, connect, communication, co-creation….)
5. Trend 2: Social Software and Learning
• Students use Social Software … but mostly not for learning
• Staff know about learning and learning processes … but not a lot on Social
Software
Creating awareness on how Social Software can be used for Learning,
By: - making the connection to learning, labelling them (knowledge,
reflection, connecting with ….) and investing in e-Compentencyskills.
- using ePortfolios as linking pins.
Further integration of Social Software and VLE’s/PLE’s.
7. Trend 3: Integration with the world outside
• Use of wikis to create digital content (co-creation, knowledge sharing,
prosumers…)
• Use of blogs as a recruitment tool, to gain a better insight in learning
processes and its translation to the curriculum (updating).
• Use of Facebook to connect with Alumni but also the professional field
• Integration of the educational institute, the learners but also (future)
employers employability / LLL
9. Our Lessons Learned
• ePortfolios are fast becoming the heart and soul of PLE’s,
however they are not limited to …..
- systems
- time
- roles
• It’s important to link your view on learning and teaching to
innovative projects and the use of ICT (Walk the talk)
• Define your (learning) goals and pace yourself accordingly.
• Take your students very serious as prosumers and as
guides.
• Invest in programs on e-Literacy and e-Competency.