Learning together online

Learning Together Online: student social support through group blogging
Steve Wheeler
University of Plymouth, UK
ALTConference, Leeds, England: September 7, 2011
jupiterimages.com

Teacher educator, learning technologist
and researcher (1976-present)

Blogging
In the act
of writing... ...we are written.
- Daniel Chandler
Steve Wheeler, University of Plymouth, 2011
http://www.volusion.com/

Blogging
In the act
of writing... ...we are written.
- Daniel Chandler
Any teacher can now become a global educator
http://www.volusion.com/

“Blogging ... Is the most important form of unchoreographed public discourse that we have.”
- Lawrence Lessig
“Never have so many people written so much to be read by so few...”
- Katie Hafner
http://news.oreilly.com

The kinds of learner support
These are often provided by peers
Social
support
Technical
support
Academic
support
Traditionally the domain of the teacher/tutor
Reference: (Carnwell, 2000)

Image source: http://businessinnovationfactory.com
“We are seeing peer-based learning networks where students are learning as much from each other as they are from their mentors and tutors.”
– John Seely-Brown

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luc/
Paragogy

Personal Web Tools
Generating Content
Sharing Content
Organising Content

Personal Web Tools
Generating Content
Blog
Mashup
Tagging
Sharing Content
Organising Content

What my students said about group blogging...
The majority of support I received [for my project] was through the blog, and it was beneficial to get comments from peers about ideas and thoughts.
Image credit: Lisa M Lane (2010)

I was able to contact all of the other members of the group through one method, and I was also able to monitor the rate at which they were progressing with their research to make sure I wasn't behind!
Because it was a group blog I felt it was more group support. I was helped by a number of people which made the support feel more reliable.

Honestly I found it quite helpful as I re-read what I had written and it helped clarify my thoughts into what I actually wanted to say.
I didn't use it extensively but when I did […] it helped clear my thought processes.

It allowed me to really look at the different areas of my project and to focus on the steps I needed to complete the project, looking at it in small chunks instead of one large piece of work.
I could use it and access it from anywhere, it was like an online memory map!

Personaltechnologies...
...broadcasting from one to many.
Hidden audience effects
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/117/291379959_594fa8ef70.jpg

Social media are now an important part of the culture of many young people.
Teachers need to exploit the power and potential of these new tools to engage learners and enhance learning.
http://learningputty.com

Thank you
W: http://steve-wheeler.net
E: swheeler@plymouth.ac.uk
B: http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com
jupiterimages.com

Steve Wheeler swheeler@plymouth.ac.uk
University of Plymouth, United Kingdom
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK: International Licence.
http://steve-wheeler.net

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Learning together online

by Steve Wheeler

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