Tales from the Tech Trenches

1. Tales from the Tech Trenches A Strategic Approach to Integrating Social Media into the Service Learning Classroom Jean P. Kelly, Assistant Professor of Communication Shirine Mafi, Professor of Management Otterbein University, Westerville, Ohio

2. …But Why? • No longer have the luxury of thinking social media as “more” or “add on” to existing communication methods • Even digital natives need guidance to leverage these tools for social good • Community leaders need help to “catch up” with tech changes and use these tools in a sustainable way. • Tools offer great potential for increasing deeper learning and collaboration between students and the community

3. Agenda

4. Strategy from the trenches • Success implementing social media in service learning classroom depends on clear connection between • Learning objectivesand • Relative advantage of a technology tool over other tools. • Finding the right balance between “real” and “virtual” experiential learning

5. Pair and Share “Trench Tales” • How have you used blogs, wikis, other social media tools in service learning projects/classes? • What objectives did you hope to achieve? • What challenges did you encounter?

6. Our Use of Blogs to WIKIs

7. “Citizen Journalism” web site using blog software Students created prototypes hosted on Wetpaintcentral.comand Wordpress.com; tested in community

8. Anatomy class discussion of scientific terms and process on Blogger.

9. Our use of Wikis Some disadvantages

10. Business students report about agencies on wiki Document, review, and comment on local non-profits as candidates to win $4,500 grant.

11. FAQ Knowledge Bank Students post questions and/or answers. All Q and A’s stay archived across terms.

12. PR students manage project on wiki • Managed group work flow, communication, and written work independently on PBworks.com site.

13. Peer and instructor editing viewable in wiki page history

14. Disadvantages

16. Scholarship of Teaching Research • Applied wikis and blogs in 6 different classes (nursing, business, communication), over 3 quarter terms. • Conducted a survey of student attitudes: 83 students. • Also operationalized critical thinking (CT) and assessed students self-reported CT disposition compared to evidence of CT in writing samples on wiki.

17. Attitude Survey:Amount of interaction 44% and 39% felt blogs/wikis increased interaction with other students and instructor.

18. Attitude Survey:Quality of Interaction Split (50%) about improvement to quality of interaction.

19. Attitude Survey: Quality of Learning • Majority thought wikis/blogs easy to learn (72%) • Split opinion that use enhancing learning (52% thought so).

20. Critical Thinking on Wiki • Two small SL classes, PR and journalism, posted and revised writing assignments on wiki • Overall, self-assessment of CT disposition toward “not at all likely of me” • Yet writing assignments on wiki showed evidence of CT, esp. after revision. • Most likely to edit in order to present original ideas, supported by evidence (hyperlinks) • More likely to revise substantially, perhaps because “easy.”

21. Now What?Future Directions • Push potential for decentering classroom, balancing real and virtual engagement • Further involve community partners in discussion and assessment • Develop standards together • Train partners to use the technology • Set parameters for the use and accessibility of the site

22. Brainstorm New Ideas • Pick one relative advantage of a wiki or blog discussed here • Brainstorm how to meet a SL objective using technology in a new way for a particular class. • Think, pair, share.

23. Remember • Success implementing social media in classroom depends on clear connection between • Learning objectivesand • A tool’s relative advantage

24. Resources • Nonprofits and technology: training and resource development (hardware/software discounts) • Techsoup.org • NTen.org • Links in this presentation on delicious.com: http://www.delicious.com/jean3girls/soche