(http://janetbarclay.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/925147_linked_hands.jpg)This week we our readings dove further into social connections through the internet. The main focus of the Richardson chapters were on the Social Web & Flickr, two large and important pieces of the puzzle that make up students, educators, and everyday internet user's lives when it comes to networking.
As already stated probably 1,000 times so far this semester, the term 'social web' seems to invoke one main point; collaboration. We have talked about collaborative efforts of parents, teachers, and students when we have discussed C3 education, among other things. As far as collaboration goes I think that it is integral that we understand the positive parts of the internet and networking that we may overlook on a daily basis.
Richardson states in Chapter 6, "The social Web says that we have many friends out there just waiting to be found and connected to, and those friends have other friends (friends of a friend or "FOAF") who can just as easily connect with us and point us to new and interesting information or learning." (Richardson, 85) This FOAF thing might be seem a little shady or creepy at first but if we take a step back and think about it, is not this the way we network in our physical and social lives? I will discuss a personal example of this. I was hired at the Olive Garden a little over five years ago. At the time I was interested in forming a new musical project with one of my best friends that I had already been in a band with for some 5 years. We were looking for a bassist and a guitarist, perhaps even a keyboard player. The first position we decided to look into was the keyboard player, as a FOAF that I had known had talked about jamming around one day together. I found his contact information and he was in. Next, I recalled that some high school kid was pestering me via Myspace about playing bass in our original project. I found his contact information and we met up; he was also in. At this point we had four people ready to jam around. Quickly, we realized that this "kid who was pestering me" was a guitar genius, something that would have been overlooked if we never would have met. Lastly, a guy about my age had just been hired at the Olive Garden a little after me and looked like a musically inclined guy. Turns out he played guitar too. Within a month we were jamming around with each other. Four years later, the guitarists are two of my best friends, I haven't seen the keyboard player in close to two years, and my original best friend and I see each other every so often.
(http://www.loti.com/band2t.gif)
So back to the social web being a collaborative effort. An abundance of people my age, as well as our parents, have found a home on Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and more. Some only play game applications such as 'Farmville' or 'Words With Friends' but some exchange information. We cannot slight people for just playing games or entertaining themselves via the social web. All of the parties involved are essentially collaborating for the greater good. Some may use wiki tools on Facebook without even realizing it to set up a Book Club or coordinate an event without even physically picking up the telephone or meeting in person. As far as schools are concerned we employ the use of a wiki for our class discussions and overall information hub for LIS 568 (and thank God, because UBlearns is a downer). I know that personally I have discovered just how much a person can learn from an experience like the one that we all share in using our wiki in particular. At this point, Richardson seems like the guru of all these utilities. One quote will resound over and Over and OVER in my head:
"Learning is a continuous conversation among many participants." (Richardson, 86)
The amazing part is that people seem to forget about that little tidbit of information; THEY ARE LEARNING.
Ruth Reynard spoke of common mistakes that educators make while utilizing blogs with students (and how to avoid them) within another one of our readings this week. Under her heading that stated Unclear Learning Outcomes she referred to the beneficial parts of blogs such as being able to invoke analytical behavior among students, foster a synthesis of ideas, and of course apply these pieces to a greater assignment that several people will be able to see. Who doesn't want there good work on display every so often? Blogs make this happen. As long as the class and assignment expectations are clearly stated everyone has the opportunity to stay ahead of the 8-ball and be in a prime position to collaborate effectively.
I am posting a link to a website that describes over one hundred different positive aspects of using social media in business.
http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/branding/how-to-use-social-media-in-business
In sum, what we should embrace, as our predecessors like Richardson have done and urge us to do, is to collaborative learn, as the experience might be something that we do not expect. The grandeur of it all is overshadowed by what we do not know already. The social web is here to stay and will inevitably change the way that we go about our lives, including how we teach, learn, communicate, and most certainly coexist.
(I also suggest this link to a 2009 article about the future of the social web. It may be directed towards businesses but the following seemed fairly interesting and relevant. The article and image are both copyrighted, as they are not my own work obviously.)
http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2009/04/27/future-of-the-social-web/
The Five Eras of the Social Web:
1) Era of Social Relationships: People connect to others and share
2) Era of Social Functionality: Social networks become like operating system
3) Era of Social Colonization: Every experience can now be social
4) Era of Social Context: Personalized and accurate content
5) Era of Social Commerce: Communities define future products and services
Update: CRM Magazine has more about the five eras, focus in on the graphic.
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