After receiving a request from one of the learning groups on campus, we decided to do a Web 2.0 class focusing mostly on Twitter. The discussion, called "To Tweet or Not to Tweet" had a student panel and more than 60 people attended the event (which filled up the room). While almost everyone in the room had a Facebook page, some of the professors that were in attendance seemed apprehensive about using social media in teaching. Some said they didn't have enough time. Others were worried about privacy. Even before we had the class, many faculty and staff members expressed their disapproval of the class and using social media, to the point where people tried to stop publicity for the event.
Web 2.0 and social media is not going away anytime soon. If there is something that could make learning easier for students, it should be used. As academic librarians, we should encourage faculty, staff and students to use all technologies available to us. We should also teach faculty how to use them so they can learn ways how to teach their students.
Our Web. 2.0 group does plan to teach more social media classes, including Wikis and Facebook. We hope that we will help people at our university embrace social media and the benefits it will have for students and themselves.
Maya I think this is a good account of our Appletree session. It's nice to see our efforts chronicled for others to learn from, and for us to reference.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, although I have a Twitter account I don't use it. I tried to make some sense as to why people would want to tweet about something that they could just put on Facebook. If you only have so much character space to write something, what's the point. I guess if I were younger it would be a big deal. Now Facebook is totally different for me. I have to check that everyday. But I think this is a great post, though. I don't think that if I were curious enough to know how to use a piece of technology I'd let an instructor talk me out of learning about it.
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