What does it mean to be an educational institution?

This was one of the questions that this week's readings left me to ponder.

A recent Wall Street Journal article offers one possible scenario for the future of public school education: the virtual school.

For an interesting look at one of our futures, read My Teacher is an App.

Musings on Education and Technology

Some random and unrelated thoughts on education and technology:

• I do think that social software and technology can and should be used differently in elementary schools, high schools, and higher education. I think it is possible to use the same technology in very different ways, to meet the needs of the different student populations. For example, the iPad is currently being used in some K-12 settings with targeted lesson plans using a variety of educational apps. See www.apptivities.org for some examples. I am currently using the same technology to read all the PDFs for all of my grad school classes.
• The SWOT article by Schroeder, Minocha and Schneidert addressed some of the strengths of using social technology, and it specifically addressed the benefits of class blogs. “The use of blogs helped students to provide each other with social support” ( p. 164). I have found that the blogs for both this class, and one of my other classes, have really added an extra layer of depth to our weekly readings, and I have enjoyed that as a class we have been able to communicate with each other, and support each other through that medium, more so than we tend to do during our weekly class times.
• Social software and technology is not just limited to classroom use. It also has a place in educator professional development. I recently read a case study about a series of live, online short-courses which were designed for teacher professional development. A majority of the educators indicated that the opportunity to interact and collaborate with each other was one of the most positive aspects of that format. Teachers were able to share best practices with colleagues from across the country, which provided a richer experience than if they had simply attended a PD workshop at their own school. This ties in to something Facer and Sandford mentioned in The next 25 years: “People are likely to become more familiar with, and more used to, working together at a distance” (p.84).
• That same article left a lasting impression on me with this phrase: Over the coming 20 years, the monopoly of the “school” or the “university” as the sole sites of education may be profoundly challenged, leading to an examination of what it means to be an educational institution” (p. 86). I would love to discuss this topic in class. What would be potential future alternatives to school, and university? I can’t think of anything now, but maybe I’ll come up with something by Thursday.

Netville Returns!

While discussing the benefits of Facebook "friends", Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe make a reference to "the wired Toronto neighborhood studied by Hampton and Wellman" (p. 1144). It's Netville! The authors explain that Hampton and Wellman suggest "that information technology may enhance place-based community and facilitate the generation of social capital" (p. 1144). The Netville study shows that "wired" neighbors were more involved with the community and engaged more with each other.

In a similar study out of UC Irvine (that I first mentioned a few weeks ago), Venkatesh, Chen and Gonzales also conclude that the wired community of Ladera Ranch, CA allows the residents to feel "more empowered" by allowing them more ways to maintain relationships, whether they be strong or weak, because the residents can use a form of communication that offers high or low intimacy levels.

I think it is interesting that Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe write that "the internet has been linked both to increases and decreases in social capital" (p. 1146). In the early years of the internet, I think there was a fear that online communities would lead to a decrease in social capital because people were spending less time in their "real" worlds and more time in their virtual ones. However, I do think that SNSs, in their current form, are supplementing our "real" world relationships and so, it would seem, they could be helping us increase our social capital.

"Social networks change over time as relationships are formed or abandoned" (p. 1148). Before SNSs, it required more time and effort to stay connected to people outside of our immediate geographic area. Today, I think it is possible to maintain a larger, and stronger social network because SNSs offer a platform for us to engage with them with little effort. We can still show we care, but it doesn't take that long. How many of you post happy birthday messages on your friend's Facebook wall? And how many still send a card? I do both. Recently, I had a friend tell me that I was the only one who sent her a birthday card this year, and it meant a lot to her.

Once again, I am reminded that a new technology doesn't have to replace an old one. Using both offers the potential to strengthen our ability to maintain social capital.