Tech Enhanced Learning and Social Networking as a Degree

Interesting discussion over on Will’s site.  University of Michigan is offering a M.A. specialization in Social Computing.

Here’s the list of courses you have to take:

• SI 508: Networks: Theory and Application (3 credits)
• SI 532 Digital Government I: Information Technology and Democratic Politics (1.5 credits)
• SI 583: Recommender Systems (1.5 credits)
• SI 631: Content Management Systems (3 credits)
• SI 679: Aggregation and Prediction Markets (1.5 credits)
• SI 683: Reputation Systems (1.5 credits)
• SI 684: eCommunities: Analysis and Design of Online Interaction Environments (3cr)
• SI 689: Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (3 credits)

Amusing for Sure
I responded in his comments.

The part I find amusing is the content to be covered is an
established set of courses-very linear. It kind of defeats the purpose of
social networking which emerges out of an organic mix of "wisdom of the
crowds" and "just in time" learning.

I have had a blast this semester with a course I am teaching
at The College of William and Mary. I came with a general syllabus of concepts
and then a suggested tentative schedule.

From day one I told them this would be a constructivist course
modeling social networking and connectivism that would be built from student
passion and interest. I contacted a few practicing teachers from the
international blogosphere– as I feel the content of teacher prep courses
should be developed and often taught by those who are in the field–asking them
if they would like to help teach the course. I showed them the course outline
and said either pick a topic from there (topics are described in general ways
so lots of room for redesign) or suggest one you think should be included.

I created a wiki and as a class we began to create. I model
daily how to build a network and gain access to the content you need through
access to experts around the world. We do not use a text, rather we use resources
we are collectively building.

Virtual Mondays
Each Monday’s class is virtual and the various teachers in
the blogosphere present. Each Wednesday’s class is spent creating content and
unpacking the things we are learning together through this experience and in
their other content courses in terms of how it all translates to 21st Century
teaching and learning.

Mark Wagner and Aimee Smith
The two most recent speakers were Aimee Smith, who spoke on email and asynchronous discussions and Mark Wagner, who spoke on educational gaming and constructivist theory. Aimee’s archive can be seen here and Mark’s can be seen here.

Electronic Mentoring

In addition, we all engage in an electronic virtual learning
community that consists of student teachers (another class I have) highly
accomplished tech savvy teachers from around the globe and this class of
students.

 All the students have started to blog and
have created their own wiki space. Several projects have developed from the
students collaborating together on their own and with others in their growing
personal networks.

It isnt a degree in social computing but very much an
example of how you can use a higher education course to help students
(preservice teachers) make sense of all they are learning (both in and out of
class) through a school of the future lens. Much like in the day of Socrates –
it helps to have a critical friend there modeling and asking hard questions for
self- reflection.

Giving Back

The important thing to note– as in any good learning
ecology I am learning as much as I hope they are. I am also very grateful to
those in the blogoshere (especially Anne Davis and Lani Ritter-Hall) for taking
time to nurture these future teachers through their unsolicited comments on their blogs.

Feedback Wanted
If you would like to check it all out I would be interested
in your feedback-
http://techenhancedlearning.wikispaces.com/

Photo credit:http://diskurs.hum.aau.dk/english/dexus3/images/collaboration.jpg