Economics 2.0 Using SlideShare, Twitter Facebook and FriendFeed in Economics teaching Paul Ayres, Economics Editor Intute: Social Sciences intute .ac. uk / socialsciences

What we will cover today A quick introduction to these four services Some suggestions for their possible use in teaching and learning Some actual examples How could you use them in your teaching?

A quick introduction to these four services

Some suggestions for their possible use in teaching and learning

Some actual examples

How could you use them in your teaching?

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Intute: Social Sciences - a guide to the best of the web for education and research

Try intute .ac. uk / socialsciences and click on economics

Over 1000 high quality economics Internet resources

SlideShare - what is it? Upload PowerPoint presentations so they are freely available online Easily embeddable in other services e.g. blogs Add an mp3 soundtrack / narration and sync it with the slides YouTube for PowerPoint Community features such as tags, comments, favourites, related SlideCasts etc. http://www. slideshare .net/

Upload PowerPoint presentations so they are freely available online

Easily embeddable in other services e.g. blogs

Add an mp3 soundtrack / narration and sync it with the slides

YouTube for PowerPoint

Community features such as tags, comments, favourites, related SlideCasts etc.

http://www. slideshare .net/

SlideShare - an example

SlideShare - an example Initially presented to 25 people at the DEE conference in 2007 Now viewed over over 1300 times, downloaded over 50 times, embedded in 5 other websites Adding an audio track makes a SlideShare much more useful http://www. slideshare .net/ cfbloke /the-effective-use-of- blogs -in-economics-education/

Initially presented to 25 people at the DEE conference in 2007

Now viewed over over 1300 times, downloaded over 50 times, embedded in 5 other websites

Adding an audio track makes a SlideShare much more useful

http://www. slideshare .net/ cfbloke /the-effective-use-of- blogs -in-economics-education/

SlideShare - possible uses Disseminating lecture material for revision purposes Discuss lecture material using the comments feature to aid understanding As a student assignment assessing virtual presentation skills Find other presentations on your topic - save reinventing the wheel Building up a body of resources over time on a particular topic Drawing together conference / seminar materials using a common "tag"

Disseminating lecture material for revision purposes

Discuss lecture material using the comments feature to aid understanding

As a student assignment assessing virtual presentation skills

Find other presentations on your topic - save reinventing the wheel

Building up a body of resources over time on a particular topic

Drawing together conference / seminar materials using a common "tag"

Twitter - what is it? Asks what are you up to right now? Limited to just 140 characters Like the status update feature on Facebook - and that's all Follow people you know, those you don't, organisations, publications Part blog, part social networking site, and part IM tool http://twitter.com/

Asks what are you up to right now?

Limited to just 140 characters

Like the status update feature on Facebook - and that's all

Follow people you know, those you don't, organisations, publications

Part blog, part social networking site, and part IM tool

http://twitter.com/

Twitter - an example

Twitter - an example Follow everything published by VoxEU.org an economics research portal set up by the Centre for Economic Policy Research Also follow other organisations such as World Economic Forum, Mises Institute, FT.com, Freakonomics, The Economist 7 things you should know about Twitter by EDUCAUSE http:// educause . edu / ir /library/ pdf /ELI7027. pdf

Follow everything published by VoxEU.org an economics research portal set up by the Centre for Economic Policy Research

Also follow other organisations such as World Economic Forum, Mises Institute, FT.com, Freakonomics, The Economist

7 things you should know about Twitter by EDUCAUSE

http:// educause . edu / ir /library/ pdf /ELI7027. pdf

Twitter - possible uses Pointers to online resources based around a course Student reminders about deadlines Breaking down barriers and getting to know others over this "virtual water cooler" Keeping up to date for you and students Instant lecture feedback - are you twittering about this presentation?

Pointers to online resources based around a course

Student reminders about deadlines

Breaking down barriers and getting to know others over this "virtual water cooler"

Keeping up to date for you and students

Instant lecture feedback - are you twittering about this presentation?

Facebook - what is it? Social networking website of over 100 million registered users Expect 80-90% of your students to be registered on Facebook They may well regard it as "their" space But average age of a Facebook user is mid-late 20's Attractive as an open platform with 1000's of applications users can add to their profiles

Social networking website of over 100 million registered users

Expect 80-90% of your students to be registered on Facebook

They may well regard it as "their" space

But average age of a Facebook user is mid-late 20's

Attractive as an open platform with 1000's of applications users can add to their profiles

Facebook - an example Whose e-learning is it anyway? by Michael Cameron, Jo Fox http://www.alt.ac. uk /altc2007/timetable/abstract. php ?abstract_id=1233 Lecturer invited into an active student study support group on Facebook Backed up by a survey of the Web 2.0 activities of Durham students Compares and contrasts learning activities within VLEs and Facebook

Whose e-learning is it anyway? by Michael Cameron, Jo Fox

http://www.alt.ac. uk /altc2007/timetable/abstract. php ?abstract_id=1233

Lecturer invited into an active student study support group on Facebook

Backed up by a survey of the Web 2.0 activities of Durham students

Compares and contrasts learning activities within VLEs and Facebook

Facebook - an example Students do declare their academic interests as part of their profiles e.g. favourite books Students are supporting each other already - passing on books / references, debating issues, asking for help As it is "their" space communication is easier and less formal Lecturer invited into the student study group on Facebook but did not actively participate Used comments she saw to inform lectures e.g. go over problem issues for students Related lecture topics to stated interests in Facebook profiles Ask students to translate comments from Facebook into the VLE i.e. informal to formal

Students do declare their academic interests as part of their profiles e.g. favourite books

Students are supporting each other already - passing on books / references, debating issues, asking for help

As it is "their" space communication is easier and less formal

Lecturer invited into the student study group on Facebook but did not actively participate

Used comments she saw to inform lectures e.g. go over problem issues for students

Related lecture topics to stated interests in Facebook profiles

Ask students to translate comments from Facebook into the VLE i.e. informal to formal

Facebook - possible uses Course based notifications also surfaced within Facebook Encourage students to set up self-help study groups Great for connecting new students together at the start of term and encouraging feedback from the shy Look at education / course based applications 7 things you should know about Facebook by EDUCAUSE http:// educause . edu / ir /library/ pdf /ELI7025. pdf Consider a separate teacher profile for sharing with students and be aware of security / privacy settings

Course based notifications also surfaced within Facebook

Encourage students to set up self-help study groups

Great for connecting new students together at the start of term and encouraging feedback from the shy

Look at education / course based applications

7 things you should know about Facebook by EDUCAUSE

http:// educause . edu / ir /library/ pdf /ELI7025. pdf

Consider a separate teacher profile for sharing with students and be aware of security / privacy settings

FriendFeed - what is it? Bring your various Web 2.0 accounts together YouTube videos, blog entries, uploaded SlideCasts, bookmarks from Delicious, Twitter updates etc Set-up once and then works automatically Has social networking features, so you can subscribe to your friends collective intelligence Good at uniting users of different services that do similar things http:// friendfeed .com

Bring your various Web 2.0 accounts together

YouTube videos, blog entries, uploaded SlideCasts, bookmarks from Delicious, Twitter updates etc

Set-up once and then works automatically

Has social networking features, so you can subscribe to your friends collective intelligence

Good at uniting users of different services that do similar things

http:// friendfeed .com

FriendFeed - possible uses Set up a "room" around a topic and ask students to collaborate in collecting online references Task students with finding resources that are NOT text based More of a tool for bringing other things together and more on this later

Set up a "room" around a topic and ask students to collaborate in collecting online references

Task students with finding resources that are NOT text based

More of a tool for bringing other things together and more on this later

Thanks for listening Paul Ayres [email_address] Website intute .ac. uk / socialsciences Bookmarks delicious.com/ cfbloke /seen08

Paul Ayres [email_address]

Website intute .ac. uk / socialsciences

Bookmarks delicious.com/ cfbloke /seen08