Social networks and networking to support eTwinning teachers Riina Vuorikari European Schoolnet [email_address]

Riina Vuorikari

European Schoolnet

[email_address]

Topics Social networks Participation - digital traces What are social networks? How do social networks look in eTwinning? What do social networks tell us? Social networks and eTwinning Ambassadors

Social networks

Participation - digital traces

What are social networks?

How do social networks look in eTwinning?

What do social networks tell us?

Social networks and eTwinning Ambassadors

by Stiphy “ Social” makes trails visible..

and shows where to do go

Social media CREATE : Easy creation of content by everyone not only the ones who have the technical knowledge many tools available on the Web for anyone to use for free SHARE : Sharing of content is made MUCH easier, thanks to handy ways of aggregating content USE and REMIX of content is made easier thanks to easy and freely available software and licensing like Creative Commons

CREATE : Easy creation of content by everyone

not only the ones who have the technical knowledge

many tools available on the Web for anyone to use for free

SHARE : Sharing of content is made MUCH easier, thanks to handy ways of aggregating content

USE and REMIX of content is made easier thanks to easy and freely available software and licensing like Creative Commons

Video: Social media http://dotsub.com/view/f810c5b5-b8dc-4946-a58f-5f7ce7ce4d44

Digital traces Making your profile available on eTwinning Creating links to other people, projects, tellinig that you like it, etc Creating links to what happen outside of eTwinning platform: your pictures on Flickr, your blog posts, your website, etc

Making your profile available on eTwinning

Creating links to other people, projects, tellinig that you like it, etc

Creating links to what happen outside of eTwinning platform:

your pictures on Flickr, your blog posts, your website, etc

Participation inequality J.Nilsen (2006) Participation inequality: Encouraging More Users to contribute

J.Nilsen (2006) Participation inequality: Encouraging More Users to contribute

Power law of participation in digital communities

Power law of participation for eTwinning? signing up in the portal project participation and sharing experiences

eTwinning as a social network? What are the nodes and what are the ties? For example: schools or teachers can be the nodes projects done together can be the ties

What are the nodes and what are the ties?

For example:

schools or teachers can be the nodes

projects done together can be the ties

nodes

ties, something I declare explicitly

Social network ..is a social structure made of nodes and ties Nodes are actors in the network, e.g. teachers, schools, countries Ties are relationships between actors, e.g. friendship, professional tie, eTwinning projects Can be presented as a chart that shows the structure of relations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network

..is a social structure made of nodes and ties

Nodes are actors in the network, e.g. teachers, schools, countries

Ties are relationships between actors, e.g. friendship, professional tie, eTwinning projects

Can be presented as a chart that shows the structure of relations

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network

nodes

ties

Visualising social ties and networks makes the ties between eTwinning members, projects and schools visible helps finding interesting groups of like-minded people and projects but, also helps making the social network better connected!

makes the ties between eTwinning members, projects and schools visible

helps finding interesting groups of like-minded people and projects

but, also helps making the social network better connected!

eTwinning as a social network Visualisation includes data from Summer 2008 Number of teachers: 45 212 Number of projects: 8 035 o Number of countries: 30

Visualisation includes data from Summer 2008

Number of teachers: 45 212

Number of projects: 8 035 o

Number of countries: 30

What type of information do social networks reveal?

tightly connected nodes in the central

isolated groups interacting mostly amongst themselves

“ singletons” with no connection, least central

What more?

Reach: the degree any member of a network can reach other members of the network

Betweenness: Degree an individual lies between other individuals in the network: an intermediary; liaisons; bridges

closeness : the shortest distances between each individual and every other person in the network

Social networks - be aware! a digital representation of a social network can hardly ever accurately show all the connections of a rich real life situation, like here today Yet, it can be useful!

a digital representation of a social network can hardly ever accurately show all the connections of a rich real life situation, like here today

Yet, it can be useful!

eTwinning Ambassadors What can the eTwinning network do for you? What can you do for the eTwinning network?

What can the eTwinning network do for you?

What can you do for the eTwinning network?

eTwinning Ambassadors The growth on the local level is important!

The growth on the local level is important!

eTwinning Ambassadors Your relationships and ties with other eTwinning members are important! Actions : Greet all the new comers and be in contact personally (e.g. write on the wall, friend them..) Create loose groups on the local level so that a new teacher can contact someone in a school nearby easily. . . .

Your relationships and ties with other eTwinning members are important!

Actions :

Greet all the new comers and be in contact personally (e.g. write on the wall, friend them..)

Create loose groups on the local level so that a new teacher can contact someone in a school nearby easily.

. . .

eTwinning Ambassadors Your “power” within the network comes from the degree to which your are at the center of many relationships

Your “power” within the network comes from the degree to which your are at the center of many relationships

“ Power” places for Ambassadors

eTwinning Ambassadors The "the strength of weak ties” - open networks, with many weak ties and social connections, are more likely to introduce new ideas and opportunities to members !

The "the strength of weak ties” - open networks, with many weak ties and social connections, are more likely to introduce new ideas and opportunities to members !

eTwinning Ambassadors Be aware of “cliques” where each member knows more or less what the other members knew

Be aware of “cliques” where each member knows more or less what the other members knew

Are these cliques or Communities of Practice ? Ambassadors are in the key position to find out, you know your local communities :)

Everyone in the world is connection through 7 people Can we make a European school network where each school is connected to another school through 2 teachers?

Can we make a European school network where each school is connected to another school through 2 teachers?

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

thanks ! for your attention social networks user communities discover people and projects questions ?