Globalization in Education and Classrooms in Social Networking Programs

In week four of EDU 651 at Ashford I have learned about the impact of technology on education and of the pros of the globalization in education as well as the risks that present themselves as a result of the globalization. With all of the advances in technology we find much progress in education that is perceived as positive such as social networking and collaboration, online curriculum that is free of charge, access to expensive high tech equipment. All of this available globally gives students access to a top-notch education with a wealth of information and opportunity. According to Knowledge Works Foundation “The creation and exchange of learning resources, environments, and experiences will form a global learning ecosystem, with families developing personal learning ecologies that span national boundaries. The globalization of open learning systems characterized by cooperative resource creation, evaluation, and sharing will change how educational institutions view their roles and will offer new forms of value in the global learning ecosystem. Education institutions will no longer be exclusive agents of coordination, service provision, quality assurance, performance assessment, or support. In fact, other players might be more equipped to provide these functions in the distributed ecosystem” (2020 Forecast: Creating the Future of Learning, a Global Learning Economy section).

Education is not to be excluded as business. Adversely, an implication of a global education environment may be that education institutions lose sight of education and they become more concerned with business. As education becomes a bigger industry in business there is the risk of focus more on individual advancement and the need to satisfy investors and influential consumers and less on the quality of education and the success of the learner. The many technological advances enhance education and the “business of education” yet, education businesses must continue to observe the inherent mission of measuring success of education by gauging satisfaction and competency of the student, not a profit. Success should be measured by achievements of students. Definitely, education should not make a profit at the expense of the education of the student.

Additionally, I have learned to setup a classroom in NING, Facebook and PBWorks. The investigation into these social networking programs and the experience of setting up a classroom has allowed me to evaluate and compose a brief overview of the pros and cons of each of the programs:

References

Baker, D. (2005). Distance learning: no fading fad. Education Supplement, 6. Retrieved November 14, 2005, from EBSCO database of University of Phoenix Online Library.

Brown, J. S., & Adler, R. P. (2008). MINDS ON FIRE. Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0, 18-32. Retrieved January 18, 2010.

Eberts, R. (2000). Design of education and training in the 21st century. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society... Annual Meeting, 2, 774-776. Retrieved January 23, 2010, from ProQuest database of Ashford University Online Library.

Gardner, D. (2007). InformationWeek, MIT To Put Its Entire Curriculum Online Free Of Charge, Retrieved January 23, 2010, from http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198000568

Knowledge Works Foundation. (2010). 2020 Forecast: Creating the Future of Learning. Opportunities for Creating the Future of Learning Retrieved January 23, 2010 from http://www.futureofed.org/about/themes/index.aspx#globalLearningEconomy

Social Networking and Safety Precautions

In week three of EDU 651 at Ashford I have learned about Facebook, Ning, and PBWorks Wiki. I have known that Facebook was a social networking tool which allows users to collaborate, to share thoughts, respond to others and post pictures. I did not know that Facebook had supplemental applications and this week in EDU 651 I learned of the existing applications available on Facebook. Facebook has business, education, entertainment, friends & Family, games, just for fun, lifestyle and utilities applications to enhance and promote production in Facebook. These applications might be harnessed for learning as well as creating a close-knit online community.

“Ning is the social platform for the world’s interests and passions online. Millions of people every day are coming together across Ning to explore and express their interests, discover new passions, and meet new people around shared pursuits” (http://about.ning.com, 2009). Ning is a social networking site that allows users to create networks (or sites) based on a specific interest. Ning can be harnessed for education and for business because it is a tool that can foster discussion and also be used to submit work. In Ning students and/or business people can generate questions and answer each other’s questions therefore generating discussion. Students and business people can also use Ning to submit assignments or business projects such as writings, reflections, videos, pictures and presentations and review of experiences. A general lesson can be presented in Ning in addition to the social networking that happens.

PBWorks provides PBWiki. A wiki is a group working on content and all participants are able to read and write and edit the content and design a single cohesive piece collaboratively. A blog is a group contributing to a discussion. All participants read and write respective of the topic and there is not a final project that results, but an ongoing discussion about a topic.

In addition to learning about these social networking tools, I have also learned that it is important to have an acceptable internet and electronic information resources use policy and agreement in place to guide activity and interaction while on the internet and to protect institutions and individuals from harmful dissemination.

Reference
http://about.ning.com (2009). Ning About. Retrieved 1-11-10, from http://about.ning.com

Avoiding Wiki Pitfalls and Three types of Wikis

In week two of EDU 651 at Ashford I have learned of the Pitfalls of Wikis and how they might be avoided. I have also learned of the three primary types of wikis.

A wiki is a collaborative construction of a written piece. It is a “website where anyone can edit anything anytime they want (Richardson, 2009, p. 55). Since everyone has the freedom to add and edit the collaborative piece there is the risk of inaccurate information being posted to the content. Instructors can encourage students to be sure to do their research and verify the validity of authors and accuracy of content. Instructors and students must make an effort to find and know what sources to trust.

Another concern when students use a wiki to explore, learn and contribute is safety. Richardson points out that instructors have an obligation to teach what is acceptable and safe practice on the read/write web and they must provide students with the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe. Safety is responsible, appropriate, common sense etiquette while on the web. Students must not seek out inappropriate sites or publish inappropriate content. Students are reminded to refrain from sharing personal and private information because it might possibly be used in a harmful manner or criminally. Students must not share or publish information that may identify them to potential predators. Instructors must teach what should and should not be published online and they must be ready to discuss what should and should not be published online."

A wiki project provides the tools and the collaborative work space that enable contextual teaching and learning" (West and West, 2009, p.29). The three primary types of wikis are knowledge construction, critical thinking and contextual application. Wiki projects that are for knowledge construction enable organization of factual information and the ability to understand meaning. Knowledge construction wikis can range from a simple document to a more complex encyclopedia type structure. West and West teach us that "Critical Thinking wiki projects promote critical evaluation judgment and making choices based on research and reasoned argument. Learning teams can use the wiki frame to brainstorm, gather research, analyze and solve problems, and create actions plans" (2009, p. 34). Critical thinking wikis might be case studies or debates. The third type of wiki is the Contextual Application wiki project. In this type of wiki students pull together information, concepts, and theories and apply them to new situations or problems. These projects are much more reliant upon group collaboration a, and are generally constructive in nature. This type of wiki might be a process map or team challenge.

References

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcast, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (2nd ed.). United States of America: Corwin Press.

West, J. and West, M. (2009). Using Wikis for Online Collaboration. The Power of the Read-Write Web. Jossey-Bass.