Network Education Research Articles

Twitter na educação: pesquisando nas e com as redes sociais digitais

Este artigo é parte integrante da pesquisa sobre Redes Sociais Digitais na Educação realizada pelo GPDOC – Grupo de Pesquisa Docência e Cibercultura, do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação (PROPED) da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro – UERJ. O objetivo deste texto é apresentar uma contribuição para a temática Redes Sociais na Educação, tendo como objeto de estudo o Twitter, um software de microblog que vem estruturando redes sociais e de aprendizagem na internet. Neste trabalho, apresentamos o Twitter não só como um software social, mas também como um campo fecundo de pesquisa e formação. Para tal, optamos pela abordagem multirreferencial (ARDOINO, 1998) com imersão na interface, tendo como dados os tweets publicados por alguns dos mais importantes pesquisadores da área da Cibercultura, nos meses de outubro/novembro de 2010. Para analisá-los, as pesquisadoras realizaram uma leitura interpretativa das mensagens, a fim de perceber significados e recorrências, que constituíram as noções subsunçoras, apresentadas aqui como categorias representativas desses usos (MACEDO, 2008). São elas: o uso do Twitter para a comunicação entre sujeitos geograficamente dispersos, o uso para tornar público os relatos do cotidiano, o uso como filtro de informação e o uso para discussão sobre temas específicos. A partir destes usos, entendemos que o Twitter pode estruturar processos de construção colaborativa do conhecimento por meio de algumas potencialidades comunicacionais da interface, dentre as quais podemos citar: a comunicação multidirecional, o compartilhamento de informação e a constituição de comunidades.

SOCIAL NETWORKS AS A COMPONENT OF EDUCATIONAL AREA OF THE HIGH SCHOOL

Currently, there is an active process of expanding the educational space, including the higher education of the Russian Federation, at the expense of informatization. Informatization of educational area of higher education is impossible without using web-technologies and, such as social networks. The authors of the article suggest social networks to be understood as a working version of an “interactive multi-user website that implements a network social structure consisting of a group of nodes — social objects (groups of people, communities) and links between them (social relationships), on the basis of which participants can establish relationship with each other. Currently, there are several main functions of social networks: educational; adaptive (acts as a resource of adaptation); compensatory (replacing institutional mechanisms of adaptation); informational (supports communication between authors of social interaction); transit (allows an individual to make the transition along the social ladder); coordination; social support functions (strengthen communication within and outside the network) and the function of a sociocultural marker. Social networks, speaking as a special social space of the Internet, have become the sphere in which traditional forms of socialization and social relations are transformed, and communication as a type of leisure activity becomes possible not in the traditional form of direct live communication, but acquires the features of simple communication. The authors state that at present using social networks in the educational area of the higher school of the Russian Federation is minimal. The network educational community on the basis of a social network - a virtual educational environment - is necessary, first of all, for students who have difficulties in communicating directly or need additional knowledge and skills that an educational institution cannot provide. From the point of view of education, social networks can be: freely available (non-specialized networks for which professional communities are not paramount and purely professional communities of practice) and in a corporate format (free-access networks; not specialized (“general profile” network)). The advent of Web 2.0 has expanded the possibilities of using social networks in education, has changed the attitude to the Internet as a whole, and teachers have begun to more actively use the Internet services for educational and educational purposes, in extracurricular activities and creative activities. It has already been experimentally proven that network communities can serve as pedagogical practices for development: co-thinking, tolerance, mastering decentralized models, critical thinking.

Getting to know the potential of social media in forest education

Abstract The development of social network sites not only facilitates the acquisition and deepening of knowledge but also provides the possibility of easily contacting foresters, specialists in natural sciences and nature enthusiasts. In addition, for some years already, Internet users have been able to make use of websites operated by institutions and participate in nature-related social network groups. The purpose of our survey was to evaluate the possibility of using the main fanpage of the State Forests and virtual nature groups in Poland and Great Britain to propagate knowledge about nature and forestry. The aim was to verify the recipient groups and explore the benefits derived by users from informal forest education as well as to determine how they assess the work of foresters or the reliability of the provided content posted on the portals. The research found that the majority of respondents use portals to gain knowledge and communicate with specialists whilst social networks are a motivating factor encouraging people to take advantage of recreation in forest areas by collecting mushrooms and herbs. Our results clearly point out the advantages and disadvantages of the State Forests’ fanpage and other nature-related social groups. The importance of social networks in education and communicating with the public is steadily increasing. Therefore, social networking websites should be refined and accommodate the constantly-changing needs of society as well as allow members of virtual groups to converse with foresters. The State Forests should support nature-related groups in attracting real enthusiasts. Organisational and substantive support for these groups would allow an increase in ecological awareness and knowledge about forest management directly from the practitioners.

WhatsApp: Creating a virtual teacher community for supporting and monitoring after a professional development programme

The introduction and use of online social media networks in education has provided a variety of unique methodologies in support of teaching, learning, and knowledge gathering. The presence of these networks has created opportunities to hear the voice of the teacher. This study explores how teachers and officials from a rural district in South Africa used the WhatsApp platform as a virtual community of practice to aid in monitoring and support after attending a professional development programme. The data used in this study was collected from the WhatsApp conversations held amongst teachers and officials. This data was analysed within the conceptual framework of social learning and social networking. The findings derived from this study show that the effective use of an online social media network to support a virtual community of practice is dependent on the participants’ awareness of the context within which the community exists and the willingness of the participants to accept differing views and opinions. Keywords: community of practice; Millennium Development Goals; social learning; social media; social networking; teacher professional development; virtual community of practice; WhatsApp

Clustering ensembles of social networks

AbstractRecently there has been significant work in the social sciences involving ensembles of social networks, that is, multiple, independent, social networks such as students within schools or employees within organizations. There remains, however, very little methodological work on exploring these types of data structures. We present methods for clustering social networks with observed nodal class labels, based on statistics of walk counts between the nodal classes. We extend this method to consider only non-backtracking walks, and introduce a method for normalizing the counts of long walk sequences using those of shorter ones. We then present a method for clustering networks based on these statistics to explore similarities among networks. We demonstrate the utility of this method on simulated network data, as well as on advice-seeking networks in education.

Experiences of students and faculty members about using virtual social networks in education: A qualitative content analysis

Introduction: Virtual social networks are increasingly being used by academics and students in health sciences. It is necessary to examine opportunities and challenges of these networks based on the views of faculty and students to describe the existing situation and planning for proper use. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of students and faculty members about opportunities and challenges of using virtual social networks in education. Methods:In this qualitative content analysis study, twenty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 faculty members and 14 students at Jahrom Universities of Medical Sciences. Participants were selected by purposive sampling. To analyze the data, an inductive content analysis method was used. The rigor of qualitative data was checked, using Guba and Lincoln’s criteria. Results:Five main categories were extracted from the data as opportunities for using virtual networks in education including improving communication skills; promoting learning; strengthening and facilitating learning of clinical procedures; creating research questions; and educating patients. Four main categories were also derived as challenges of using virtual networks in education including accuracy and validity of information; security and privacy; proper contextualization and culture-building; and control and monitor on virtual networks. Conclusion: According to the results, unique opportunities and challenges were explored regarding using virtual networks in education. These opportunities and challenges and finding ways to obviate challenges and converting it to the opportunities can lead to effective virtual learning, particularly in students who mainly use this method of education, and consequently increase the quality of learning.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS ON THE BASIS OF THE ANALYSIS OF TEST TASKS BY USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Introduction. The use of information and communication technologies allows the teacher to update the content of training. The success of the educational process is largely determined by the ICT competence and ICT literacy of the teacher. Data mining based on artificial neural networks can be used as one of the elements of information and communication technologies. The main direction of application of tests is to measure the level of knowledge of students. A large amount of accumulated test results with proper processing can provide the teacher with additional (hidden) data. The use of an artificial neural network for the analysis of test results makes it possible to expand the direction of the tests. Methods. The theoretical basis of the study is based on a complex of scientific statements of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of education and artificial intelligence. Practical research methods are based on an experiment in creating a test in computer science, testing students and accumulating data, as well as their processing simulated artificial neural network. Results. The article describes the process of analyzing the results of research using the SPSS STATISTICA 20 programs. The search for hidden patterns of the test was carried out, the reliability of the results obtained was verified. Discussion. There was suggested the possibility of further application of the results obtained in the educational process. The results obtained can be used to search for and correct difficult or easy test items, and to replace failed test tasks. The teacher has the opportunity to redistribute the time resource for the study of difficult digestible topics, due to easily digestible. The idea of an integrated approach to the use of artificial neural networks in education is proposed.

A FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION OF “TEACHING PRESENCE” IN THE SUNY LEARNING NETWORK

This paper is a follow-up study to a preliminary investigation of teaching presence in the State University of New York Learning Network (SLN). In the present studywe review ongoing issues of pedagogy and faculty development, and their relationship to student satisfaction, and reported learning in SLN. We provide an overview of the SLN program,and summarize a conceptual framework for our current research on higher education, online learning environments. This framework integrates research on how people learn, with principles of good practice in higher education and recent research on learning in asynchronous learning networks (ALNs) in higher education. We also present resultsof a follow-up study on one aspect of the model, “Teaching Presence”.The SUNY Learning Network is a proud recipient of two Sloan-C Awards, the 2001 Award for Excellence in ALN Faculty Development and the 2002 Award for Excellence in ALN Programming. We believe that it is no coincidence that SLN was recognized in this order; that is to say, we feel our efforts to create a systematic faculty development program has allowed us to create an outstanding program of online courses and degrees. A clear vision regarding the prerequisites for a high quality online learning environment, especially prerequisites related to faculty development, is essential to building effective ALN programs. As this special edition of JALN is dedicated to such efforts we would like to focus on our model for learning environments design and share results of research on specific aspects of the model. In past studies we have argued that student-faculty and student-student interaction are among the variables most strongly correlated with student satisfaction and reported learning. In the present study, we focus on one aspect of our model for online learning environments and examine interaction more deeply. Building upon the work of Anderson and colleagues we examine the kinds of activities that comprise and sustain productive interaction. These researchers have categorized interactions that occur in asynchronous learning environments that encourage knowledge creation and identify online behaviors and processes that approximate (and may improve upon) those that occur in face-to-face settings. We look at a key element of their work, “teaching presence,” and present results of a follow-upstudy examining students’ perceptions of this constellation of online faculty behaviors. We also identify the components of teaching presence that correlate most highly with student satisfaction and reported learning.

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ СОЦІАЛЬНИХ МЕРЕЖ ДЛЯ НАВЧАННЯ СТУДЕНТІВ У ЗАКЛАДАХ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ

Сьогодні, зі стрімким розвитком мережі Інтернет, вже не можливо уявити сучасну людину, яка б не користувалась он-лайн комунікаціями. Одним із пріоритетних напрямів розвитку освіти України є впровадження сучасних технологій, які забезпечують удосконалення навчально-виховного процесу, доступність та ефективність освіти, підготовку молодого покоління до життєдіяльності в інформаційному суспільстві, що визначає актуальність дослідження. Інформаційно-комунікаційні технології в освіті допомагають викладачам реалізувати ефективне викладання матеріалу, використовуючи новітні засоби, які сприяють досягненню позитивних результатів. Технології змінюються, що в свою чергу потребує від студентів та викладачів вдосконалення своїх вмінь і постійного розвитку. З розвитком соціальних мереж також виникає нагальна потреба використовувати їх у процесі навчання. Стаття присвячена проблемі застосування соціальних мереж у навчальному процесі закладів вищої освіти. Метою статті є дослідження та виявлення можливостей використання навчальних додатків соціальних мереж та пошук зручних засобів для навчання студентів у закладах вищої освіти. Для досягнення мети використано загальнонаукові методи теоретичного рівня: аналіз, синтез і систематизація праць авторів із проблеми дослідження соціальних мереж; логіко-системний, проблемно-цільовий, порівняльний аналіз з метою теоретичного обґрунтування особливостей навчальних додатків соціальних мереж. Результати дослідження полягають у низці напрацювань. У роботі зроблений аналіз історії виникнення соціальних мереж та розглянуті етапи їх розвитку. Представлена світова статистика використання соціальних мереж. Описані основні характеристики та потенційні можливості найбільшої соціальної мережі Facebook. Завдяки зазначеній мережі та навчальним додаткам шлях до навчального матеріалу стає більш доступним, а сама надана інформація стає більш цікавою та різноманітною. Особлива увага у роботі приділена організації навчання студентів у соціальних мережах, що осучаснює комунікацію між викладачем і студентом. Розглянуті та описані найбільш затребувані соціальні мережі та додатки для навчання. Визначені переваги та недоліки використання соціальних мереж в освітньому процесі. Виділені основні характеристики функціонування віртуальних соціальних мереж для навчання студентів.

Infusing functionality of social media as a transformative higher education teaching and learning process into social learning system

In Web 2.0 era, social media are increasingly receiving attention in many sectors, including higher education institutions. It provides extensive learning support in line with social learning concept. A large volume of content is generated and diffused by online users. In social learning environment, there is an urgent requirement to infuse functionality of social media into teaching and learning activity in the higher education institutions. The objective of this study is to identify the adoption of the functionality of social networks in higher education to increase learning performance. The methodology used in this study is conjoint analysis to map social media features into social media functionality based on student preferences. The result obtained in this study is the mapping of the functionality of social media for higher education to build social learning systems, so it can build intimacy and immediacy to increase learning process.

SN‐Learning: An exploratory study beyond e‐learning and evaluation of its applications using EV‐SNL framework

AbstractSocial networks have intruded in human life by providing new technological innovations in a range of fields, including the education. The use of social networks in education has the potential to extend e‐learning and to introduce new forms of tutoring, communication, and collaboration between students and instructors. Thus, e‐learning is the threshold of Social Networking‐based Learning (SN‐Learning). SN‐Learning consists of a new term, introduced in this paper, and involves e‐learning systems with social networking characteristics or learning through social networking platforms. To this direction, the main objective of this paper is to present this new technological advancement emerged nowadays and to evaluate relevant applications of the last decade using our adjusted evaluation framework, EV‐SNL, in order to highlight their strengths and weaknesses regarding digital learning. The major finding is that SN‐Learning systems focus mainly on the incorporation of social features and do not provide yet personalized and adaptive tutoring. This research provides guidelines to computer science researchers on the design and implementation of SN‐Learning platforms using artificial intelligence and modelling techniques. Moreover, it can support teachers of different fields so that they can enhance their instruction with new technologies. There is scope for a lot of improvement.

Social Media Use in Higher Education: A Review

Nowadays, social networks incessantly influence the lives of young people. Apart from entertainment and informational purposes, social networks have penetrated many fields of educational practices and processes. This review tries to highlight the use of social networks in higher education, as well as points out some factors involved. Moreover, through a literature review of related articles, we aim at providing insights into social network influences with regard to (a) the learning processes (support, educational processes, communication and collaboration enhancement, academic performance) from the side of students and educators; (b) the users’ personality profile and learning style; (c) the social networks as online learning platforms (LMS—learning management system); and (d) their use in higher education. The conclusions reveal positive impacts in all of the above dimensions, thus indicating that the wider future use of online social networks (OSNs) in higher education is quite promising. However, teachers and higher education institutions have not yet been highly activated towards faster online social networks’ (OSN) exploitation in their activities.

From fluctuation and fragility to innovation and sustainability: The role of a member network in UK enterprise education

Enterprise education has been identified as suffering from fluctuating policy, inconsistent funding and faddish practice, thereby limiting the development of a sustainable community of scholar-practitioners. In view of these constraints, this article considers the position of often-isolated enterprise educators and focuses on the role networks play in supporting their sustainable professional development and hence the domain itself. A case-based analysis draws on social-constructivist concepts of networks and communities of practice (CoPs) to analyse a UK network, Enterprise Educators UK (EEUK). It is argued that the member-driven nature of EEUK is unique and important for providing a sustainable forum through which enterprise educators can engage, share practice, find identity, develop ownership of and deliver sustained innovation in enterprise education. Generating a rich picture of the enterprise educator’s ecosystem, the article makes a methodological contribution to network research by undertaking a longitudinal analysis of a decade of ‘Best Practice’ events. It extends the CoP theory of peripheral participation and identity in professional associations and derives practical implications for enterprise educator networks. Recommendations are made for future research and dissemination of enterprise educator practice at, between and beyond events to further the development of the international enterprise education domain.

شیوههای بهرهگیری دبیران کاردانش از شبکههای اجتماعی مجازی در آموزش

شیوههای بهرهگیری دبیران کاردانش از شبکههای اجتماعی مجازی در آموزش

DIDACTIC POSSIBILITIES OF SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR HIGHER AGRICULTURAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

The article deals with the problem of modern education in higher agricultural educational institutions as the necessity and expediency of using social networks in the educational process. The relevance of the study is due to the need to resolve the contradiction between the fact that social networks are widely used by young people and that they are almost not used in the educational process in higher agricultural institutions of Ukraine. The purpose of this article is to consider, analyze and substantiate the didactic possibilities of social networks for the educational process in higher educational agrarian institutions. Research methods used: analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature and Internet resources, interviews and interviews of university lecturers and students generalizing pedagogical experience. The didactic possibilities of social networks should include the fact that the use of social networks can give the educational process more interactivity, positively affect the results of cognitive activity of students, become an effective means to increase the motivation and quality of learning, the organization of teamwork of students, the implementation of joint project activities, individualized virtual learning student's space. Social networks can also be used as a means of distributing educational material. The article proves the necessity of using social networks in the educational process of higher educational establishments; the pedagogical possibilities, advantages and difficulties of using social networks for educational process in agrarian universities are considered; promising directions of the use of social networks in education are proposed and measures to improve and facilitate the implementation of social networking tools in the educational process in higher agricultural educational institutions.

Just plain peers across social networks: Peer-feedback networks nested in personal and academic networks in higher education

Abstract Peer feedback (PF) is often referred to as a socially mediated learning process. Nevertheless, the surrounding social networks, within which PF interactions are nested, are often neglected. This study examines PF, personal, and academic networks in higher education to identify any peer centrality pattern. Additionally, the PF content is examined to identify any content-related pattern across PF networks. Participants were 47 master students in a German university. A subsample of 32 students, who voluntarily participated in two learning communities, so called Communities of Learning Practice (CoLP), was further examined in terms of PF networks and content of provided PF. Data were collected from social network questionnaires (cohort level) and video recordings of community events (CoLP level). Data analysis involved (a) contextual SNA of questionnaire data to identify participants' centrality in personal and academic networks, (b) SNA of video data to identify CoLP members' centrality in PF networks, and (c) content analysis of video data to identify the content of PF provision. Findings indicate a heterogeneous centrality pattern across networks and a homogeneous content-related pattern in the provided PF across CoLPs. This study aims to contribute to the reconceptualization of PF as a web of socially nested and multiplex learning interactions.

Classification of Networks in Higher Education: A Marketing Analysis of the Club of Ten (Russia)

Classification of Networks in Higher Education: A Marketing Analysis of the Club of Ten (Russia)

واقع توظيف شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي (الفيسبوك والتويتر) في التعليم من وجهة نظر معلمات المرحلتين الثانوية والمتوسطة في مدينة الرياض

هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى التعرف على اتجاهات المعلمات نحو استخدام شبکات التواصل الاجتماعي وأهميتها في التعليم ومعوقات استخدامها من وجهة نظرهن، وکذلک التعرف على الفروق بين متوسطات استجابات أفراد عينة الدراسة حول واقع توظيف شبکات التواصل الاجتماعي في التعليم باختلاف متغيري (التخصص ، المرحلة الدراسية)، ومن أجل تحقيق هذه الأهداف تم استخدام المنهج الوصفي وإعداد استبانه وتطبيقها على عينة مکونة من (140) معلمة، وأظهرت النتائج أن هناک اتجاهات إيجابية للمعلمات نحو شبکات التواصل الاجتماعي، کذلک استخدامها في التعليم، کما أسفرت النتائج عن وجود بعض المعوقات من أهمها: عدم توفر الوقت الکافي لاستخدام شبکات التواصل الاجتماعي في التعليم ، وقلة الخبرة ونقص الکفاءة العالية في التعامل معها، وفي ضوء النتائج خرجت الدراسة بمجموعة من التوصيات، من أهمها: توعية المعلمات والطالبات بأهمية استخدام شبکات التواصل الاجتماعي في التعليم، وإلحاقهن بدورات تدريبية في کيفية التعامل معها واستخدامها في العملية التعليمية، والقيام بإجراء المزيد من الدراسات المتخصصة في استخدام شبکات التواصل الاجتماعي من قبل المعلمات والطالبات في التعليم. This study aimed to identify the teachers' views on the use of social networks in education from their own point of view and to identify the differences between the average responses of the study sample individuals on the effect of implementing social networks in education according to the variables (major, grade). To achieve these objectives, the descriptive method was used, and a questionnaire was prepared and applied to (140) teachers to identify this effect. The results showed that there are positive attitudes and agreements towards the importance of social networks and their use in education. They also revealed obstacles to the use of social networks in education, most importantly: the negative attitudes towards social networks, lack of time, lack of Internet, lack of experience and the lack of efficiency in dealing with social networks. The study came out with many recommendations which include: Educating teachers and students about the importance of using social networks in education, attaching them to training courses in how to deal with them and their uses in the educational process, and conducting more specialized studies in the use of social networks by teachers and students in the educational process.

Breaking Barriers Through Edmodo: A Qualitative Approach on the Perceptions of University of Malaya Undergraduates

As technology advances forward, we find software and applications are overwhelmingly available for teachers and students perusal. Digital designs for teaching and learning are highly encouraged and anticipated as it prepares students of today for the demands in future workforce. Many educators use available social networks for their classrooms. Despite the use of social networks in education, it does present disadvantages as its invention is geared towards social networking purposes. Therefore, does Edmodo (social learning platform) provide a better alternative? The research aims to elucidate strategies and advantages of executing Edmodo in education. The research employed purposive sampling which led to a total of four undergraduates from a prestigious Malaysian university. The research frameworks were on the theories of constructivism, hermeneutics, symbolic interactionism and interpretivism which are focusing on the process of meaning-making and one’s interpretation of a phenomenon. It aimed to generate insights and sharing through in depth interviews using interview protocol, photographs and concept maps. The study executed open coding to identify the emerging themes, axial coding which focused on finding the themes’ consistency and selective coding whereby core categories were selected in order to illuminate Edmodo’s phenomenon. The findings were presented in a narrative manner. The pedagogical implications are pertaining to how Edmodo breaks barriers in a four walls classroom by enabling students to access learning resources beyond classroom and empowering student-centred learning through; novelty of tasks, suitable learning environment and mobility.

A Blended Learning Method Applied in Data Communication and Computer Networks Subject

In this paper, we describe the challenges faced in the implementation of active learning methods in the subject of Data Communication & Computer Network in vocational education at the Federal Institute of Brasilia. The experiences resulted in a blended methodology which combines collaborative and problem-based learning and flipped classroom with a learning management system. Popular apps and social networks were used to enhance the communication between students and teachers. A comparative study shows that the students' performance and the quality of the developed activities in the subject were improved under active learning in comparison to Traditional Lectures, and transversal skills could be developed, such as teamwork, leadership, self-confidence and autonomy in decision-making. The research was carried out from 2011 to 2016 and 160 students were enrolled. Such features demonstrate the learning methodology must be fit for the course and the educational level in order to become effective.