Higher Education – Jim Tigwell

University College, Dublin

The Merits of Social Media for Academia

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.

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March 14, 2013

Social Media

Defining Engagement

It may be Valentine’s Day, but that’s not the kind of engagement I’m referring to. No, engagement is a really popular word right now. I thought about being a word snob and inventing my won hipster word for the same phenomenon, like “Ascultonation” (if you know the root of that, you might also be a word snob. Please feel free to use it), but engagement is exactly the right word for what you want. It describes the condition you’re trying to evoke down to a T. Engagement is more than talking at people, and it’s more than getting them to listen.

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February 14, 2013