Finding the sweet spot between web 2 and education Martin Weller

Overview Web 2.0 HE The sweet spot Facebook apps SocialLearn Edupunk and the gift culture Twitter networks Conclusions

Web 2.0

HE

The sweet spot

Facebook apps

SocialLearn

Edupunk and the gift culture

Twitter networks

Conclusions

Web 2.0 characteristics Technology User generated content Informal learning Democracy Bottom-up Socially oriented Web as platform Harness collective intelligence Perpetual beta

Higher education characteristics Controlled technology Us generated content Accredited learning We know best Top down Individual achievement Review before release Filtered intelligence Aim for perfection

Finding the sweet spot Personal Professional Informal Formal Fun Work Content Social This is the future of work/learning/recreation

OU Facebook apps Tony Hirst, Liam Green-Hughes, Stuart Brown

What we learnt About facilitating dialogue NOT controlling learner path Viral spread Support issues Official endorsement? Letting go of some control Sweet spot: study-social, fun-work, institution-individual

About facilitating dialogue

NOT controlling learner path

Viral spread

Support issues

Official endorsement?

Letting go of some control

Sweet spot: study-social, fun-work, institution-individual

SocialLearn: A new OU?

What principles should it embody? Openness Flexibility Disruptive Perpetual beta Democracy Pedagogy <dnwallace http://www.flickr.com/photos/dnwallace/848001061/>

Openness

Flexibility

Disruptive

Perpetual beta

Democracy

Pedagogy

A reversal Student adapts to educational system

System adapts to the learner

Microlearner 2Learner Cloudworks Profile Writes to and imports goals, resources, stream Create goals, tasks Pull in and publish relevant content Pull in and publish relevant courses/designs Publicise study and learning story Making connections

What we are learning Existing business models quickly unravel Existing boundaries soon blur Different competitors Different audience Sweet spot: informal-formal, content-social

Existing business models quickly unravel

Existing boundaries soon blur

Different competitors

Different audience

Sweet spot: informal-formal, content-social

Edupunk

What I learnt Prepared to do more when it’s fun What you give away is what counts EdTech is at a threshold now It’s about how we use existing tools, not tools we create Sweet spot: Fun-work, learning-creating, legal-illegal?

Prepared to do more when it’s fun

What you give away is what counts

EdTech is at a threshold now

It’s about how we use existing tools, not tools we create

Sweet spot: Fun-work, learning-creating, legal-illegal?

Twitter networks

What management can learn Informal groupings based on interest Way of fostering belonging Physical location less relevant Institutional boundaries blurred How do organisational structures adapt? Sweet spot: Personal-Professional, Fun-Work, Informal-Formal

Informal groupings based on interest

Way of fostering belonging

Physical location less relevant

Institutional boundaries blurred

How do organisational structures adapt?

Sweet spot: Personal-Professional, Fun-Work, Informal-Formal

Conclusions Make learning a gift economy Embrace the social Experiment (and create room for this) Accept there will be mistakes Think of technology as the metaphor for understanding new social processes

Make learning a gift economy

Embrace the social

Experiment (and create room for this)

Accept there will be mistakes

Think of technology as the metaphor for understanding new social processes

Links Course Profiles http://apps.facebook.com/courseprofiles/index.php My OU Story http://apps.facebook.com/myoustory/index.php Me: Edtechie.net Twitter.com/mweller Ouseful.info Liams blog- http://www.greenhughes.com/ Stuart’s blog - http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/SocialCommunications/index.php SocialLearn - http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/socialearn/

Course Profiles

http://apps.facebook.com/courseprofiles/index.php

My OU Story

http://apps.facebook.com/myoustory/index.php

Me: Edtechie.net

Twitter.com/mweller

Ouseful.info

Liams blog- http://www.greenhughes.com/

Stuart’s blog - http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/SocialCommunications/index.php

SocialLearn - http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/socialearn/