Resources:
http://anitacrawley.net/Articles/DabbaughPLE.pdf
http://ajet.org.au/index.php/AJET/article/viewFile/1100/355
REFLECTIONS
New Insights
As increasingly social media becomes intricately woven into the fabric of society it’s potential to revolutionize not only how we communicate but how we learn has already exceeded expectations. There is increasing amounts of evidence indicating that the ability for students to engage further in their own personalized learning experiences via social media platforms provides a richer environment that facilitates continuous learning and sharing of knowledge. This ability to experience education on such a personal and instantaneous level has proven to be very beneficial especially when it comes to informal learning.
In order for adult educators to capitalize on this enhanced teaching tool it is important to discuss the benefits with students and expose them to the different learning resources available on the internet. Although students are likely to be quick familiar with using the internet, they may not be aware of the all of the industry specific websites available when they are first beginning their education. At this point I believe that the educator has a role in explaining that using social media for education is different than using it for personal use. Not all students have the self management abilities to comprehend the difference between creating personal learning environments and socializing online.
After an introduction to social networking resources adult educators should encourage participation in education based social media, in effect, creating learners who are self regulated and self motivated. By participating in social media, learners will continue to spread knowledge and contribute to communities, ideally increasing self motivation to continue as their profiles grow or as their knowledge base increases from other participants. To facilitate this educators have the ability to assign tasks that require students to create online content that will benefit not only their students, but other online informal learners as well who may be looking for content.
Trends
Hairstyling is a visual craft; therefore, more visual social media platforms have taken precedence in the industry. There are websites, YouTube channels, Facebook pages, and blogs all devoted to teaching and sharing information inspiration. However, Instagram has become the most popular platform for sharing and educating recently. There was a time when it was considered rude to take out a cellphone in a class, but now it is encouraged in order for students to record images, make networking contacts and then share the images online. This culture works to both share information, create contacts which maybe useful at a later date, as well as marketing products and education.
As an educator my goal is to be prepared as possible when it comes to teaching my classes as there will be students who will film my work and probably post it online. I will encourage this behaviour by sharing contact information and having specific hashtags that students will be able to use to show me their work at a later date. Hashtags will also be used to market the school and courses offered. I will also be using blogs and Facebook to keep students engaged. Assignments will involve creating online content to be shared with others, as well as to record progress, which is highly motivating.
To facilitate this technology focussed direction all of our course manuals will be on iPads. This way students will have the ability to participate equally in social networking. I will also be educating on the importance of not including too much personal content mixed in with professional content as it lines can be somewhat blurred for those who have never created an online professional profile before.
Web Conference
Unfortunately I was unable to complete the web conference part due to the fact that my partner withdrew from the class. This experience taught me the difficulty of coordinating via email with those who have completely different schedules and priorities than myself. Also, it is easy to delay responding to emails or ignore them all together which presents another challenge.
