A Futurist’s View of Higher Education: How Social Media is Pushing Higher Ed into Identity Crisis Sarah “Intellagirl” Robbins-Bell EduComm June 2008

Education is nearing a crisis

What does higher education provide? U

What does social media provide?

Membership in intellectual and social affinity groups U Membership in intellectual and social affinity groups

Membership in intellectual and social affinity groups

Access to resources and experts U Access to resources and experts

Access to resources and experts

Engaging in intellectual discussions U Engaging in intellectual discussions

Engaging in intellectual discussions

Accumulate and develop skills for employment U Accumulate and develop skills for employment

Accumulate and develop skills for employment

Association with professional community U Association with professional community

Association with professional community

Establish social and professional network U Establish social and professional network

Establish social and professional network

Enhance personal and professional reputation U Enhance personal and professional reputation

Enhance personal and professional reputation

Share enthusiasm for common interests U Share enthusiasm for common interests

Share enthusiasm for common interests

Build Skills U Build Skills

Build Skills

Official endorsement of completion via diploma U Evidence of work completed and place in community

Official endorsement of completion via diploma

Guidance through experiences and thought processes U Self-directed exploration of ideas, discussions, and sources

Guidance through experiences and thought processes

$ U 12 6 3 9

$

Priority set by Institution U Priortiy set by Individual

Priority set by Institution

Rigid U Flexible

Rigid

Shirky, Clay. Here Comes Everybody . NY: Penguin. 2008. The Promise The Tool The Bargain

The Promise U

The Tool U

The Bargain U Do the work to OUR standards and we’ll share our credentials/reputation with you

The Promise Everything/everyone you ever wanted to know is available

The Tool (s) dialogic media blogs wikis participatory social networks folksonomy audio video mobile RSS remix API convergence reputation community social hypertextual semantic discovery trust hypermediated augmented identity

The Bargain Participation Return

U

U

U

Monologic communication doesn’t allow for community, exchange of ideas

Dialogic communication remediates the lack of community in old models. Offers new ways to learn without the communities and structures created by institutions.

Education is Communication

Many of the benefits of institutional learning can now be accomplished via social media.

What is the educator’s role in a world where the production and consumption of information has been democratized, amateurized, and distributed? ?

Educators are no longer the GATEKEEPERS of knowledge

The New Role of Educators

Teaching students how to learn in an information economy

Serving as guides as students shape their own paths

Providing students with access to professional networks

Providing students with access to professional networks

Modeling Life-Long learning practices

Modeling Life-Long learning practices

Relating as more experienced community members rather than employers

Relating as more experienced community members rather than employers

Relating as more experienced community members rather than employers

Sarah “Intellagirl” Robbins SL: Intellagirl Tully Email: intellagirl@gmail.com Web: intellagirl.com Skype, Yahoo, AIM, Gchat: Intellagirl