I’m live writing ths today, on account of not being able to write anything I’m really happy withh yet. I want to explore all these platforms and best practices, but some days you’re just not up to it, and it’s time to go back to first principles. It’s the philosopher in me. But I’m not sorry. (more…)
Last week it was the value of social media for teachers, but this week, students. There’s lots of reasons to be on social media as a student. For one thing, pretty much all your friends are on it. There’s a social cost to not being on Facebook, because it makes you harder to invite to stuff. But that’s just Facebook. What about Twitter, Tumblr, Youtube, blogging, and all the other intriguing social networks floating around this series of tubes? that’s where things get fun. So today, here’s why social media is valuable to students.
Finally. The philosopher in me always wants to work up from first principles, so I felt like I had a lot of work to do before I could write this. I’ve written a bit about some ways to think about social media and online spaces, what engagement means to me, and what I look for in improving communication. Now, and only now (Thanks Kant, you big jerk), do I feel comfortable talking a bit about the value that social media has to higher education for teaching, research, outreach, and mentorship. This is just an overview, there’s a lot to say on the subject, and I hope to do more than scratch the surface, and share what I do every day, when I’m not creating pages, sitting in meetings, and taking care of assorted administrivia.
Something I learned recently is that I need to stop doing things by myself. I’m an extrovert, and I work better with other people. We inspire each other, check each other’s work, and push each other to excel. To be completely fair, I learned that last week, but this week I put my money where my mouth is. Well, not my money, but my creative endeavours.
I’ve spent a few months now talking about how to think about social media and communication, with a mind toward exploring how we can communicate better. But I’ve been remiss. I’ve been missing something important that I wasn’t ready to talk about yet, which is what “Better” actually means to me. Depending on your goals, it’s going to mean different things, but in communication, I think there are some things that are universally desirable, and opportunities that social media creates for everyone. These are some of them. (more…)