And the End is Almost Here

In this course I was able to explore different tools used to create effective online learning communities. We mainly focused on how social media could be integrated into an online learning community.  I didn't really see social media as a big part of online learning. I just thought of it as a distraction. Prior to this class, I found myself working for 5 minutes and then rewarding myself with 10 minutes of Facebook time. However, this semester we used Facebook to turn in assignments. It worked well. We were able to post a reply directly to the original post of the assignment. Our class focused a lot on Twitter and how it could be integrated into a learning community. It was also used to reflect on the TCCfx conference as well. I have not been a big Twitter user. However, when we did an assignment using Twitter I noticed many people were Twitter Users. I really like the "list" feature on Twitter I didn't know it existed before. The hashtags make it one hundred times easier to search for specific topics/information.


In this class we were given many opportunities to collaborate. The following are projects we have completed:

• Collaborative video project
• The multi-tasking discussion
• Storify
• Create a Pinterest board 

We were required to meet on Blackboard Collaborate every other Monday. This provided us with other opportunities to collaborate. One discussion I enjoyed in particular was the discussion on digital identity and privacy. I found the suggestions from my group members as well as those from the other groups to be beneficial. I think the information is important for everyone to review. I enjoyed the other discussions as well.

Upon exploring different tools used to create effective online learning communities, we learned about different learning theories. There are 4 basic ones, behaviorism, constructivism, connectivism, and humanism.

We were also required to create a blog. We were to add at least one post per week. This helped us to reflect on what we learned for the week, how we felt about the course, the content, and our opinion on whether or not we feel social media can be used effectively in an online learning environment.

Our final project was to create a personal learning network and share it in a form of a mind map. I haven't started a PLN prior to this assignment. I found a lot of information on reading comprehension on various sites, such as Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube. I also looked up and subscribe to a few blogs that was filled with information, strategies, worksheets, and videos. I think it would be beneficial to create a blog as well and begin to contribute information. As for right now I have started a Pinterest board.


I would like to thank Dr. Bert, each and everyone one of the T.As (how does Dr. Bert always get the good T.As?), and everyone in the class for a great semester. Special thank yous to Desi, Kaulana H., and James :) 

No Experience Like This

Through the collaborative video project, I learned how to communicate and collaborate with those whose first language is not English. We worked with students from Japan that attend Kansai University. I enjoyed the experience. We decided to create a video on the different fashion trends in Hawaii and Japan. We looked at fashion trends of University students, night life, and kids. There is a major difference in fashion trends between Hawaii and Japan. Japan. Japan has 4 major seasons and dress accordingly to those seasons.In Hawaii we only have one major season and our fashion reflects that. i also learned that Japan doesn't really use Pinterest, but they have apps that offers fashion ideas.

The successes is that we were able to communicate enough to complete the video. On the Japan side, Tomo took charge of their side. He was very confident and the other's relied on him to communicate for them. To be honest I felt that the Japanese students spoke better English than they thought. I could understand each one of them. As time went on, everyone else began to get comfortable as well. They were very eager to make the video part of our project. We used Line to communicate with each other and used Google Hangouts to meet once a week. We used Google Docs to keep all of our ideas in one place. 

It was difficult to get everyone to meet on Google Hangouts. We would set a day and time, everyone would agree to it, but then people wouldn't show up because of other commitments, such as class. When we did meet, we would leave thinking everyone understood and were on the same page but as the week progressed that wasn't always the case. 

I would suggest getting the video done earlier. An idea might be to just work on it all at once on Google Hangouts. This will give us time to make changes and leave extra time in case something doesn't work or unforeseen circumstances occur. It would be ideal if all students participating could meet on Blackboard collaborate during a class time to go over project requirements as one class. 

I have only completed this assignment once. I have not had other opportunities like this. As mentioned before this was a great experience. I would do it all over again. The experience, I felt, was the most valuable. 

Facets

 The acronym F.A.C.E.T.S stands for:

• Find content
• Assess
• Choose
• Explain
• Tailor
• Share

The FACETS process is a process used to help with the curation of online content. I find the FACETS process to be simple and easy to follow. I think many of us use a process like this one, without knowing it, when curating online content. However, I do believe people more often than not tend to find the content and then share. The steps in between that are the most important are often skipped.

The first step in the process is find content. It isn't difficult to "find" content. However, how valuable, relevant, and credible is your source. Which brings us to the next steps in the process, assess and choose, selecting to use only good information. I am sure we all know this is important, but how do I know if it is good? Is there a rubric or criteria? After we have assessed and we choose, it is time to explain. Is the content useful, valuable, credible, and relevant? How often to people really think about the way the Tailor information? Does everything just fit perfectly together? If you have made it this far, I am assuming you are ready to share the information.

As in any process, if all steps are not carefully followed the results will be flawed. The time spent on the first half of the process will be wasted as well. It is important to follow all steps of the process in order to have a good outcome. I did find it hard to locate information on the author, Mr. Roo, of this process.  There was some information on Facebook and Twitter.

Social Capital

Wow! Did I just read all of that? The Benefits of Facebook ‘‘Friends:’’ Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites was filled with tons of information. Some were useful and the other parts weren’t too valuable. Social capitals can have both a positive and negative influence in society. Social capital broadly refers to the resources accumulated through the relationships among people (Coleman, 1988). Social capital has been linked to a variety of positive social outcomes, such as better public health, lower crime rates, and more efficient financial markets (Adler & Kwon, 2002).

For individuals, social capital allows a person to draw on resources from other members of the networks to which he or she belongs. These resources can take the form of useful information, personal relationships, or the capacity to organize groups (Paxton, 1999). Personally, I use Facebook to keep in touch with family, friends, and keep up to date with businesses, especially current sales going on. For example, I read a lot about people’s perspectives about Maui election candidates. I also found posts of articles about the Maui GMO Initiative Bill. 80% of what I do is read articles and people’s posts to gain knowledge and ideas. As for sharing/ re-sharing, I think that would make up 15% of what I do and the last 5% would be creating. I share/ re-share most things using Facebook. I find that a lot of the things on my Facebook are more personal things, such as my opinions, thoughts, and ideas about something. I also use Pinterest to find ideas on things I can do in my classroom. I find Pinterest to be the most valuable site on classroom ideas along with Teachers Pay Teachers. I find these sites to be valuable.


References: 

Steinfield, C., Ellison, N., Lampe, C. & Vitak, J. (2012). Online social network sites and the concept of social capital. Frontiers in New Media Research, New York: Routledge, pp. 115-131. Retrieved from https://www.msu.edu/~steinfie/steinfield_Internetat40.pdf