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<\/a>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1716\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"747\"]<\/a>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1716\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"747\"]![\"Figure](\"http:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/teachinginadigitalage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2015\/01\/MER-wiki-2.jpg\")
<\/a> Figure 8.8.1 UBC's Math Exam Wiki (click on image to go to web page)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n![\"Print\"](\"http:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/teachinginadigitalage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2015\/01\/Wei-2.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\nThis is a change from earlier versions of the SECTIONS model, where ‘N’ stood for novelty. However, the issues that I previously raised under novelty have been included in Section 8.3, ‘Ease of Use’. This has allowed me to replace ‘Novelty’ with ‘Networking’, to take account of more recent developments in social media.<\/p>\n In essence, an increasingly important\u00a0question that needs to be asked when selecting media is:<\/p>\n If the answer to this is an affirmative, then this will affect what media to use, and in particular will suggest the use of social media such as blogs, wikis, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google Hangout.<\/p>\n There are at least five different ways social media are influencing the application\u00a0of networking in course design:<\/p>\n Some instructors are combining social media for external networking with ‘standard’ institutional technologies such as a learning management system. The LMS, which is password protected and available only to the instructor and other enrolled students, allows for ‘safe’ communication within the course. The use of social media allows for connections with the external world (contributions can still be screened by the course blog or wiki administrator by\u00a0monitoring and approving\u00a0contributions.)<\/p>\n For instance, a course on Middle Eastern politics could have an internal discussion forum focused on relating current events directly to the themes and issues that are the focus of the course, but students may manage their own, public wiki that encourages contributions from Middle East scholars and students, and\u00a0indeed anyone from the general public. Comments may end up being moved into and out of the more closed class discussion forum as a result.<\/p>\n Other instructors are\u00a0moving altogether away from ‘standard’ institutional technology such as learning management systems and lecture capture into the use of social media\u00a0for managing the whole course. For instance, UBC’s course ETEC 522<\/a> uses WordPress,\u00a0YouTube videos and podcasts for instructor and student contributions to the course. Indeed the choice of social media on this course changes every year, depending on the focus of the course, and new developments in social media. Jon Beasley-Murray at the University of British Columbia\u00a0built a whole course around students creating a high level (featured-article) Wikipedia entry\u00a0on Latin American literature (Latin American literature WikiProject<\/a>\u00a0– see Beasley-Murray, 2008<\/a>).<\/p>\n This is a particularly interesting development where students themselves use social media to create resources to help other students. For instance, graduate math students at UBC have created the\u00a0Math Exam\/Education Resources wiki<\/a>, which provides ‘past exams with fully worked-out and reviewed\u00a0<\/em>solutions, video lectures & pencasts by topic<\/em>‘. Such sites are open to anyone needing help in their studying, not just UBC students.<\/span><\/p>\n cMOOCs are an obvious example of self-managed learning groups using social media such as webinars, blogs and wikis.<\/p>\n YouTube in particular is becoming increasingly popular for instructors to use their knowledge to create resources available to anyone. The best example is still the Khan Academy<\/a>, but there are many other examples. xMOOCs are another example.<\/p>\n Once again, the decision to ‘open up’ teaching is as much a philosophical or value decision as a technology decision, but the technology is now there to encourage and enable this philosophy.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n8.8.1 The impact of networking on course design<\/h2>\n
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8.8.2 Supplementing ‘standard’ learning technologies<\/h2>\n
8.8.3 Exclusive use of\u00a0social media for credit courses<\/h2>\n
8.8.4 Student generated learning resources<\/h2>\n
8.8.5 Self-managed learning groups<\/h2>\n
8.8.6 Instructor-led open educational resources<\/h2>\n
8.8.7 Questions for consideration<\/h2>\n
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References<\/h2>\n