A Framework
Before looking at the uses and utility of some specific social software tools, I want to present a framework for understanding why social software is so important.
I contend that these tools are more than just useful ways to achieve specific educational goals— though they are very useful for that reason alone— but are actually the product of a significant and unique intersection of cultural and technological change that educators ignore at their own peril.
The Nexus
- Accelerated technological change
- Radical changes in students’ lives: technological mediation
- Changes in the nature of the web from access to participation
- Advances in learning theory that take into account “The Network”
Accelerated Technological Change
“They” keep predicting the end, but the acceleration continues exponentially:
- Moore’s Law (see 45nm technology and what is a nanometer?)
- Fiber and Storage Laws
- The Information Ecology Doubles and Doubles Again (and it’s measured in hundreds exabytes)
Our Changing Students
- Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, NetGen. It’s all good.
- We’re in it Together… kind of.
- Participatory Culture
To Web 2.0 … and Beyoooooond
- “Traditional” Social Software (blogs, wikis)
- “Web 2.0″ (del.icio.us, flickr, YouTube, MySpace)
- Immersive Environments (Second Life) and Metaverse
Learning Community
- Learning is a Social Activity (vs training)
- Learning Communities
- Beyond the Confines of the Classroom, CoP and Third Places
