Scootle! (Module 9)

Scootle is an impressive resource. I have had the joy of using it in the past for activities, resources and obtaining information on food and hospitality based learning. It is often difficult to find useful resources when it comes to these topic areas, and I would like to spend some time getting to know the guidelines better for submission so I can contribute some learning and content resources to Scootle.

Social Media

The impact of the online social experience on student learning is something I am particularly interested in, and think there is still significant research that needs to be made into the reality of this experience on students. The rate and depth to which students are involved and immersed in social medias is somewhat disturbing, and often creates many behavioural and engagement issues for teachers. The question for me is, how do we both embrace the technologies and ensure students are getting the best from the use of them?

The social network sites such as Facebook and Second Life (purely from the perspective of Peer-to-Peer interaction and individualised experience) are not conducive to educational use. However, like with YouTube, it is the way and extent to which it is used that makes the tool worthwhile. Often I have waled around rooms to see students engaged in YouTube videos that are not on task, or browsing Google for many articles that are not educationally based, and yet it is advocated that we use these resources (and why not - they are extremely useful!). The way in which they are used and the management of the experience we want the students engaged in is what will determine the potential for the tool. If, in the case of Facebook, we use it to form groups and manage students from that perspective, we take away the individualised aspect. Yet, by then asking students to post a question to their facebook wall about the topic being studied, they are gaining on the learning and experience of others. Suddenly, the tool is no longer a personalised social tool, but an instrument of learning and collaborative thought.

These are just thoughts, and I am yet to prove them to be even remotely possible, but I feel there is a place for this style of learning, and if we use the tools that are already available to us, it might just pave the way for deeper, more social collaborative learning experiences that maximise student learning.