Critical Conversations: Web 2.0, Hype or Hidden Opportunity? What school leaders should know about social networking, Conversation Thought Leader: Cole Camplese, Information Technology Manager, The Pennsylvania State University, Moderated by Anytime, Anywhere Learning Foundation

In light of the constant stream of media reports around the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of web 2.0, and associated social networking technologies, it is critical that all school leaders fully understand the relevance or otherwise of them. So much is now impacting on the lives of students, and as leaders we must be well informed about their potential to support or intrude on learning. Too much is written by inexperienced or overtly biased journalists, and if we are to ensure relevance, we must keep an open mind to these new ideas until proven otherwise.

Here is a blog entry recapping the session from the University of Washington.

Download the PDF of the presentation.

Our session description as submitted to Educause:

Given the increased acceptance of digital media as a form of academic evidence, Penn State University's Education Technology Services group has invested in the creation of what we call the platform for digital expression. We have worked to create a scalable University-wide infrastructure that supports faculty, staff, and students in the design, development, delivery, and management of digital media. Building on Penn State's strong information technology underpinnings, we have worked to create a suite of services that provide all members of the University community with opportunities to integrate digital media into the teaching and learning landscape.

Within the last 18 months we have launched University wide blogging and podcasting services, moved elements of our support services to a Community Hub model where members of the University community support each other, begun the implementation of 21 Digital Commons facilities across the Commonwealth of PA, reinvented our faculty Engagement Process, forged new relationships with our public broadcasting station, and opened the walls of our own organization through the use of technology and physical events to create new ways to learn about what we do. This investment is leading to new ways for faculty to provide opportunities for students to utilize digital media throughout their learning.

In this session we will share the PSU Platform for Digital Expression and take the opportunity to discuss how disruptive technologies can be integrated into the teaching and learning with technology landscape by leveraging existing University infrastructure. Furthermore we will discuss how we have worked to blend physical infrastructure, human resources, and social environments to create new ways for our audience to
engage with us.

This new digital media eco-system has allowed faculty to feel comfortable integrating digital media in their teaching and learning. In addition, students are now supported in the creation of digital media at every step -- from initial planning, through creation, and ultimately through sharing.

Our approach will illustrate a digital media value chain that leads faculty from awareness, through design of curricular components, to student outcomes via the University wide initiatives described above. Much of this work is based on faculty, staff, and student academic computing data Information Technology Services at Penn State has been collecting for the last 20 years. Approximately three years ago we saw a shift in faculty and student interest in digital media and recognized that we need to make changes to the ways our physical spaces are designed, how our faculty are supported in their curricular design, and the types of services we need to offer to encourage the use of digital media for teaching and learning. In addition, the work of bodies such as Educause and the Pew Internet and American Life Projects have helped shape our understanding of our students and have pushed us to think critically about where we invest. Based on what we have learned in the last three years it has become evident that it is incumbent upon us as central information technology providers to create a new landscape for faculty and student use of digital creation and publishing tools.

During this talk we will discuss strategies for realistically achieving innovation in teaching and learning by understanding your environment, leveraging existing infrastructure, and tapping the power of your community. We’ll explore how Penn State University has worked to utilize existing tools to create new opportunities and achieve an IT culture based on agility and with an eye towards innovation. One of the other things we will look at is the ETS Engagement Process and our Hot Teams approach. I've included a PDF of the Engagement Process here as well.

During this talk we will investigate three key trends impacting educators in their overall design of learning. Focusing on the emergence of user-created content, social spaces, and mobile devices we will take an integrated look at how we can better utilize technology within these areas to meet the needs of the net-generation. We will also explore how these technologies have, and continue to, impact both faculty and learners and review some active examples within each area. During this talk, we will focus attention on how educators can leverage technology to shape learning outcomes in new ways.

When we first became enamored with Really Simple Syndication we thought of it as a time saver for acquiring new and fresh content. When it was introduced to us we were often told something like, “with RSS you can read 100 websites in 15 minutes.” Now that our understanding and use of RSS has matured the ability to create content in simple environments and reuse it across the static web. RSS is no longer simply about consuming other people’s content quickly – it is now about finding innovative ways to embed content from multiple sources into your work. We will discuss how by using a personal content management tool – a blog – you can discover ways to syndicate news into your course website, a department page, or create new ways to engage students through fresh news sources.

In our sessions we will discuss the basics of RSS for content consumption, but will also look at several new ways to reuse existing material, reduce redundant content creation, and recycle things you create for new uses.

PDF of my slides are available here.

Download the presentation as a PDF.

I spent the better part of an hour discussing emerging trends related to mobility, social tools, and user generated content. We talked quite a bit about FaceBook and how the students see the environment. Lots of good questions and a great conversation.