Elements (Functions) of learning in an Social Network Site

*** This is a working post. It's not complete.***

This is an attempt to list the elements/functions/factors found in an SNS and relate it to some known principal of learning. (Perhaps I should just settle with either NETS-S or the 21st Framework and evaluate each tool/SNS against it? Operationalizing a rubric is proving to be too multidimensional.)

Maybe this is the way to think about it...

Dalsgaard, C., & Sorensen, E. K. (2008). A Typology for Web 2.0. In 7th European Conference on e-Learning (p. 272). Academic Conferences Limited. Retrieved July 9, 2009, from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=pC_WmUCwUtAC&oi=fnd&pg=PA272&dq=%22A+Typology+for+Web+2.0%22&ots=jHUAWdoZO5&sig=1hJFy71yIK4p9X2-bmfhwbsVxuU.

Function/Element	Category (construction, presentation, reflection, collaboration)	Notes
Profile page	several	profiles may contain many elements and may be too large of a category for useful inclusion here
Blogging	collaboration	blogs may not be inherently collaborative but if comments and RSS following are included, they foster communication
Micro-blogging	x	x
Social bookmarking	collaboration	x
Wikis	collaboration	x
ePortfolios	x	x
Media gallery	x	x
Message Boards	x	x
Podcasting	construction	x
Tagging	x	x
Real-time collaboration (Skype)	x	x
RSS Reader	x	x

It was a good day...

I finally nailed down my 1st scholarly project description. I'll be evaluating the potential educational value of social networking sites at the elementary school level by developing a rubric of educational elements based on a survey of applicable high-quality learning principals. Each site will be judged against that rubric in determining to what degree a site exhibits those principals or has those elements. I should then be able to not only rank the sites, but make suggestions for increasing the educational value of each.

I understand that general-use sites like Facebook would generally not be allowed in an elementary, if any, classroom. However, Facebook and other popular SNSs will be included with school-safe versions like eChalk and SayWire, in order to determine their theoretical value and consider the full-set of possible features of such sites.

The first step in this process is a brief survey of the literature on the general social and personal value of SNSs, a value which is broader than simply being "educational," hence the review of the Ellison article. This also makes it clear to me that I'm going to have to define "educational" fairly narrowly. If you have any suggestions, I'm more than open to them.

Cheers...

The newest question...

In my last research question, I ran up against a roadblock of not having time to get IRB approval so I've redirected my thinking. My overall interest is still EdTech use in elementary public schools, but for now (ie, for the first scholarly activity), instead of focusing on safety factors of EdTech integration, I'm narrowing my interest to an examination of social networking sites' possible educational value. I'll be attempting to create a rubric outlining pedagogical elements necessary to learning and using that rubric to evaluate the extent to which current SNSs possess them.

I. Lit. Review of current work in the area

Terms: SNS "social networking" web2.0 facebook education "positive outcomes" "formal learning environment"

People:

• Christine Greenhow
• danah boyd
• Clay Shirky
• Henry Jenkins
• Nicole B. Ellison
• Neil Selwyn (skeptic re: social web in formal learning)
• Christian Dalsgaard
  
  

Journals:

• Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
• Journal of Educational Computing Research
• interactions
  

II. Lit. Review of factors of educational efficacy
- the ones that make sense for online tools, like these, and for elementary students (audience matters)


III. Develop rubric based on factors
- x-axis=tool; y-axis the degree to which or 1/0
- the structure of the rubric will emerge as I learn about the factors through reading. (or so I thought... ugh) They may come from what kids want/like, teachers, etc. I need to document where each factor came from.
- It will probably be under 10-12 of them both for practicality and completeness.
- Some will be binary, others will be scaled.

IV. Survey top 2 most popular SNSs from both "school safe" and "general use" categories according to Alexa
- be able to articulate why I chose the tools I chose (might be popularity, might be something else)

V. Report Findings

VI. Develop recommendations for future SNSs
Make sure to include conclusions for all potential audiences. Each will have a different perspective. Some will care about the method & the rubric and others will care about the outcome.
- for tools developers
- customers of these tools (school districts, ed leaders)
- EdTech researchers


* I'd like to thank Dr. Cathy Cavanaugh and Dr. Chris Sessums for contributing to these ideas.

Refined Question

What would it take to unblock Web2.0 tools in school?
Balancing value with safety.

How to annotate

• Summarize: Some annotations merely summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is.

  For more help, see our handout on paraphrasing sources.

• Assess: After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?

  For more help, see our handouts on evaluating resources.

• Reflect: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?

  Your annotated bibliography may include some of these, all of these, or even others. If you're doing this for a class, you should get specific guidelines from your instructor.

from "Annotated Bibliographies" on The OWL at Purdue

First Attempt

"How child-protection policies can inhibit (or improve) the integration of educational technology into the elementary school setting?"

Related terms/concepts:
- safety
- privacy
- acceptable use policies
- liability
- site blocking
- social networking
- educational networking

Related tools:

Website review site:

• Common Sense Media
  

Must be at least 16 years of age:
Friendster PR 4 Online community connecting friends
Must be at least 14 years of age:
MySpace PR 8 A Place For Friends
Must be at least 13 years of age & in high school:
Facebook PR 8 Social Utility that connect people with those around them
Must be at least 13 years of age:

• Hi 5 PR 6 Who’s in?
• Xanga PR 7 A weblog community
• IMVU PR 6 Chat with friends in 3D
• There PR 6 Online virtual world
• Chamber of Chat PR 6 Harry Potter online role playing game
• Second Life PR 8 3D Virtual World
• Runescape PR 6 Online adventure community
• Jaiku PR 6 Share your activities
• 43 Things PR 7 Microblogging site to share with community
• Bebo PR 7 Social network for sharing and entertainment
• Gaia Online PR 6 Virtual community with games, message boards & economy
• vSide PR 6 Virtual music community
• Windows Live Spaces PR 7 Community of friends for sharing and blogging

No Age minimum but must have parents approval:

• uSchoolnet.com - must be UNDER 13. Best example of a purely educational SNS for kids.
  
• elgg *not sure about age req. but built specifically for edu
  
• Yoursphere - home oriented SNS
  
• Saywire - school oriented SNS
• ConnectYard - school oriented SNS
• ePals - started as school collaborative project tool, becoming a school oriented SNS
• eChalk - school oriented SNS
  
• YoMod -
  
• NetTrekker - school-safe search engine with community features
  
• Imbee (closed after $130K fine from FTC over COPPA and data-collection practices) Social Networking designed for kids 8-12
• Active Worlds PR 6 3D virtual world chat
• Boom Bang PR 4 Chat, make friends and explore a virtual world
• Dofus PR 6 Mulit player online role playing game
• DxD Disney's gamer site
  
• Sanriotown PR 6 Hello Kitty games, community, blogs and forums
• Webkinz PR 6 Virtual pet community for plush pets
• Club Penguin PR 6 Virtual world for kids
• Marapets PR 3 Virtual pet site with games and chat community
• Shining Stars PR 5 Chatting, naming stars and virtual star worlds
• Neopets PR 6 Virtual world for pets
• Endless Online PR 4 Community role playing games
• Eternal Lands PR 5 Community role playing games
• Furcadia PR 5 Community role playing game
• Graal Online PR 5 Community role playing games
• Guild Wars PR 6 Community role playing games
• Hero Online PR 4 Community warfare games
• Millsberry PR 4 Home building community

Legal issues:
CIPA -
COPPA -
E-Rate discounts -
DOPA (and state versions) -

Authors/Researchers:
- Zheng Yan
- Julie Evans - Project Tomorrow
- Amanda Lenhart - Pew Internet & American Life Project
- Danah Boyd - Microsoft Research New England
- Henry Jenkins - MIT Comparative Media Studies Program
- Mizuko Ito - Digital Youth Project
- Jay Sivin-Kachala - Interactive Educational Systems Design, Inc. (edu mrkt research)

Organizations:
- Project Tomorrow
- Pew Internet & American Life Project
- CoSN
-

Related inhibitors:
- Liability

I. Discuss value of EdTech (social/educational networking) to students
a) discuss possible value to elementary students
II Summarize child-protection policies (CIPA, COPPA.. mention COPA, DOPA), AUPs
III Summarize few data on access to these tools from school
IV Suggest survey to sample actual access to these tools from various elementary settings
V Report on findings

EdTech Impediment Outline

1. Policy Factors

a. Safety/Privacy Concerns

b. Acceptable Use Policies

c. Pedagogical Expectations

2. Cultural Factors

a. Organizational Psychology

i. Organizational Structure

ii. Innovational Propensity

b. Pedagogical Preferences

3. Resources

a. Physical Space

b. Time/Schedule

c. Tools

i. Hardware

ii. Software

d. Professional Development & Support

4. Pedagogical Factors

a. Curricular Alignment

b. Pedagogical Practices

5. Human Factors

a. Educator Demographics

b. Educator Tech Skills

c. Student Demographics

d. Student Tech Skills

e. Level of Individualization