“Encouraging students to create content with a social media tool is an effective way to assess learning, create relevant learning experiences more likely to foster deep learning, and develop critical-thinking skills.”⁵

Learning Intention

Have students use OER and other social media technologies to create a more participatory classroom culture, both virtually and in person. “OER in itself does not guarantee the development of what I regard as a participatory culture, one where people are connected through social networked media to share their ideas, knowledge, and resources. More specifically, it is the media used to create OER that are important, as well as how content is shared, and the technologies used to promote participation.”³

Overview

Technology tools like social media can “facilitate the formation of a participatory culture by making the cultural, intellectual, and creative work of its community visible.”² Accessing information that is openly available and collaboratively created fosters a climate of participation in the application and development of knowledge, not just the acquisition of it.

Participatory Activities

• Professional Networking: Students write and post blogs to their LinkedIn to engage in peer-to-peer interaction while also building an online public portfolio of their writing/thinking that could be useful in applying for future internships or jobs.⁶

• Social Engagement: Students use Twitter or Instagram as a way to generate course participation in larger classes to encourage discussion prior to class.^4,5 Create a course-specific hashtag, and encourage outside experts (like industry professionals, textbook authors, and public figures) to engage in conversation with students by tagging them in tweets. The conversations can link in open resources and become their own version of OER.

• Blogging: Students write reflective blog entries to stimulate questions. Encourage peer-to-peer learning by having students ask their own questions in blog posts to which other students can respond.

Considerations

• Privacy: FERPA guidelines aim to protect student identity, and faculty are legally obligated to follow them. When possible, use tools that remain behind the institutional firewall (such as Canvas). Third-party tools are allowed, but students should be allowed to use a pseudonym on any work that is publicly accessible to protect their identity.

• Permanent Fingerprint: Public-facing work can be powerful for networking, and this can either be beneficial or detrimental. As young students are experimenting with their opinions and identities, it may not be to their benefit to have those ideas publicly accessible as part of their permanent online identity. Consider encouraging students to use pseudonyms or restrictive privacy settings on work that could be controversial or experimental.

References

1. Biech, E. (2015). 101 Ways to Make Learning Active Beyond the Classroom. Retrieved from: https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/lib/wwu/reader.action?docID=1895175

2. Cocciolo, A.P. (2009). Using information and communications technologies to advance a participatory culture: A study from a higher education context. Doctor of Education thesis. University of Michigan.

3. Hegarty, B. (2015). Attributes of Open Pedagogy: A Model for Using Open Educational Resources. Educational Technology,55(4), 3-13. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/44430383

4. Rankin, M. Some general comments on the “Twitter Experiment.” Available at: http://www.utdallas.edu/~mar046000/usweb/twitterconclusions.htm

5. Pacansky-Brock, M. (2017). Best Practices for Teaching with Emerging Technologies. New York, NY: Routledge.

6. Staton, M. (2019). Innovative Teaching Showcase. Published online by the Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment, Western Washington University.