#SocialMedia & #HigherEd – Policy vs. Guidance

Last week, I attended the free @EDUCAUSE #EDUlive Developing Social Media Guidance in higher education with respect to #Privacy and #Security concerns. The presenters, from the University of Pennsylvania, shared ideas for how to promote safe usage of social media and detailed how to  draft guidance for addressing issues in teaching, research, administrative, and other functions.

Click here for the Twitter Cloud interactive image =>  http://www.infomous.com/node/15059

If you missed the #EDUlive event, you can check out the webinar recording and archives posted on the EDUCAUSE website, Developing Social Media Guidance, and you can also read through the Storify of #EDUlive tweets I collected.

During the webinar, I shared the Social Media: Sharing Strategies, Policies &  Privacy Concerns in Higher Education open & shared Google Doc that was 1st created for a @BreakDrink Campus Tech Connection (CTCX) Show in September 2010. This document has been circulated around and curated for a while by myself and high ed professionals and faculty. Since there were a number of social media guidelines/policy examples shared during the webcast, I added  them to this doc. For others interested in developing guidelines, I think there are a few solid examples I like in here, and I know that @EricStoller shared some of his favourite #SM guidelines from the list on InsideHigherEd recently as well.

Before diving into creating rules, guidelines or policies for social media, it is important to consider how this emerging technology is being used on your campus. In Chapter 6 of Social Media for Educators, Tanya Joosten (2012) shares her thoughts around institutional considerations for social media policy and practice [which we chatted with Tanya about on #CTCX Episode No. 61 as well]. There are often concerns about the use of social media at educational institutions, since these social and  connected resources impact student behavior, online interactions, privacy concerns, and communication practices. When developing a social media policy, Joosten (2012) offers a few helpful suggestions for educators:

• review current technology use at your institution
• do not link policies to specific tools
• revise current student conduct and institutional policies
• use policy to address behaviors and activities, rather than focus on the technology
• learn about FERPA (or FIPPA in Canada) issues and privacy of student information at your campus
• develop best practices on campus for use by students, faculty, and support units

When thinking about the language of policy vs. guidelines, I am partial to establishing guidelines. There are probably already policies that address the actions and outcomes of student, staff, and/or faculty behavior on your campus. I think that it is important to review your home institutional policies and/or guidelines to best understand what is already being “regulated” on campus. It is also helpful to chat with your institutional office who deals with policy development, legal concerns, and/or questions you might have around privacy legislation.

Have you searched the terms “social media+policy” or “social media+guidelines” on your institutional website? Go on. See what shows up. If you find something, then start connecting and collaborating with that unit. If there is nothing to be found, then gather your peers and start the conversation.

References:
Joosten, T. (2012). Social media for educators. San Francisco, CA: Wiley/Jossey-Bass.

The Productive & Disruptive Innovation of EDU

Image c/o <http://www.intechprinting.com/PHOTOS/innovation.jpg>

The Innovator’s DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators, identifies key behaviors to find innovative solutions to impact organizations, products, and services. Christensen and Gregersen (2011) share five skills that leaders need to innovate their way out of problems and into opportunities:

1. Question – ask challenging questions that take on common wisdom to create new directions
2. Observe – watch the behavior of customers, suppliers and competitors the way an anthropologist would identify new ways of doing things
3. Network – talk to people with different life experiences and perspectives to spark new ideas
4. Experiment – construct interactive experiences and build prototypes to provide unorthodox responses and gain new insights
5. Associate – draw unexpected connections between questions, problems or ideas from unrelated fields

In education, both K-12 and higher ed, we need to spend a more time mastering these disruptive skills and improving our productivity. By adding these tools, educators will be able to consider different possibilities to support our learners and find new solutions to educational issues. This new approach to education requires innovation, organizational collaboration, and teamwork on the fly. It’s great to see that there are innovative ideas brewing, such as #change11,  BigIdeas and #EmergentEDU.

How are YOU using these 5 disruptive skills for education?

Social Media Strategies in Student Affairs

Last night, the Break Drink Campus Tech podcasting crew decided to tackle the hot topic of Social Media Strategies in Student Affairs. During the Campus Tech #14 show, the three of us shared some thoughts and ideas that are currently being put into practice for many higher education institutions, and discussed how social media is impacting our university and college campuses.

Photo c/o http://www.policytool.net/

The hot topic included the following discussion points:

• digital citizenship
• education and awareness of Student Affair practitioners and students
• the evolution of social media on campus
• questions & concerns for best practices of social media in higher ed
• examples of current social media policies & guidelines
• resources for developing social media strategy for your campus

Image c/o The Advanced Human Technologies Group

Here are a few great resources to check out if you are designing your own social media strategy on campus:

• ELI 7 Things You Should Know – 64 Resources http://www.educause.edu/Resources/Browse/ELI%207%20Things%20You%20Should%20Know/33438
• Nonprofit Social Media Tips http://www.convio.com/signup/guides/social-media-tip-sheets/Nonprofit-Social-Media-Tips.html
• Policy Tool for Social Media: http://socialmedia.policytool.net/
• 21 Rules for Social Media Engagement http://mashable.com/2010/05/18/rules-social-media-engagment/
• 10 Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy http://mashable.com/2009/06/02/social-media-policy-musts/
• 4 Tips for Integrating Social Media Into the Classroom http://mashable.com/2010/05/11/social-media-school/
• Social Networking Security – Internet2 Wiki https://wiki.internet2.edu/confluence/display/itsg2/Social+Networking+Security
• Social Media Policy Generator http://socialmedia.policytool.net

In thinking about this grand topic, the Campus Tech posse realized that it was a daunting issue to tackle in a 60 minute podcast. The discussion about emerging technology and social media in higher education will not be over soon. To help continue the conversation and support best practices using social media, I initiated a digital archive of resources we hope other Student Affairs practitioners will contribute to:

Social Media Strategies in Student Affairs Google Doc

If your campus has a social media strategy or you have further resources for best practices, please share them in the above document. The Campus Tech show would love to know what you think about social media on campus, and we will be sure to talk about updates or comments we receive.

NEXT WEEK on the Campus Tech Podcast:  Speaking of Social Media in Higher Education….

Stay tuned for the show next Monday (8/4/10) at 7 pm CDT as we connect to the LIVE happenings of the 2010 NACADA Annual Conference for Academic Advising professionals. This year is the first year @NACADA has recruited a team to support social media and a backchannel for participants near & far.  Here’s the NACADA Social Media Guide & be sure to follow the hashtag #nacada10.

Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World

The Higher Education Academy and JISC have recently (May 12, 2009) published a new Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World report (also available as a PDF), which examines the projected future trends in the use of technology in higher education.

The group was created in February 2008 to conduct independent research and review policy implications for higher education, specifically around the experience and expectations of learners and the increase of emerging technologies.

Flickr photo by jrodgers

The HE in a Web 2.0 World report analyzes the use of web 2.0 technologies at colleges & universities in the UK, with regards to the digital divide and information literacy. It is clear that various institutions are utilizing online resources in various ways to support learning and engagement.

Issues that will continue to prompt change in higher ed include:

• Tradition
  
• Environmental factors
• Diversity in the learner population
• A richer educational experience
• Practice in schools
• Open source materials and online universities
• Skills development

A Vision of Students Today.

Here is an archived clip I was reminded of today about the current state of our learners.  Although this video past posted back in 2007, I think that the “vision” or purpose of the message still holds true as we support technology & learning.

This video is brought to you by Kansas State University, who has a working group led by Dr. Michael Wesch.  This group is dedicated to exploring and extending the possibilities of digital ethnography.  You can follow along at Media Cultures or @mwesch.

Teaching with Twitter

Some college students may be introduced to instructors & courses that ENCOURAGE microblogging with Twitter.

Twitter is becoming a fast buzz in both media and celebrity circles, however I think that more teachers are beginning to realize the power this social media tool for learning.

Here are a few benefits for professors who experiment with Twitter as a teaching tool:

• source of news
• opinions of peers
• gain knowledge from experts
• live & archived tweeting in class
• capture lecture content
• add depth to lecture material
• build a learning community inside & beyond the classroom

For those faculty/instructors who might consider tweeting in class, I might recommend that you start up your own Twitter account and play with it. Also, be sure to read up about strategies &tools that to optimize learning with Twitter.

I personally like TweetDeck (an Adobe Air-based app) to organize & categorize my tweets. I can clearly see my messages, replies and content areas I am interested in at a quick glance.  Some categories I use for tweets include:  Higher Ed, Web Tools, Career Research, T.O., Students, etc.

Here’s a quick tutorial to learn more about TweetDeck:

Are YOU twittering with your students? If so, please share!

10 High(er Ed) Fliers on Twitter

Check out 10 frequent fliers that are active on Twitter in Higher Ed c/o the Chronicle article from late last week. (Sorry for the delay.)

Most of these micro-bloggers study new media & the impact of Twitter on higher education.  Follow on, friends.

@PRSAjobcenter

@jayrosen_nyu

@hrheingold

@amandafrench

@academicdave

@dancohen

@paullev

@mcleod

@mwesch

@presidentgee

TIDE is Coming In for Developmental Educators

The Technical Institute for Developmental Educators (TIDE) will be held at Texas State San Marcos from July 26-31, 2009.  This is an interesting, hand-on technology workshop sponsored by Texas State University, CRLA and NADE fo higher ed folks interested in utilizing technology in their work.

Those who should attend include:

• Developmental educators in higher education who want to learn more about how to use technology
• All expertise are welcome; workshops beginners to advance
• Both PC and Macintosh platforms will be available
• Project support for initiatives at respective institutions
• Opportunity to receive 3 hours of graduate credit or continuing education credit.

There will be at least 6 mini-course sessions (3 hours each) throughout the week, to introduce various learning opportunities with technology and enhance skills.  There will also be daily mentoring group meetings to debrief and support project development.

Professional Development Options for “Tough Times”

Financial crisis has hit the US, and this has impacted many fiscal decisions in higher education.  One of first areas to be cut in college & university budgets is professional development.  

Although it is critical to engage our faculty & staff in personal and professional growth, it will be our challenge to be more “creative” with how we go about it.  Instead of attending conferences, workshops & seminars far away we are suggested to look towards internal development or online cost-effective alternatives.

Since I am interested in further education & support in the higher education field I thought it would great to share some online professional development resources.  Some of these are free or a cheaper alternative if you connect with your department staff:

• Knowledge Media Design Institute, University of Toronto: ePresence Presentation Portal & Lecture Series
• NACADA: Webinar Events
• Educause Live! free monthly events
• ACPA Higher Education: Webinar Series
• NASPA: New Professionals Online Series & members only E-Books
• InsideHigherEd.com: podcasts
• StudentAffairs.com: Online Courses, Listservs & Blogs 
• POD Network Resources
• Diverse Issues in Higher Education: Events
• Academic Impressions Events (some online)
• Articles & resources in The Chronicle
• Impact Alumni: podcasts
• Alumni Futures: blog

Feel free to add your 2 cents as to where to get free/inexpensive professional development.

Web 2.0 Goes to Work (for Education, Too!)

The McKinsey Quarterly presented a great business model of 6 ways that web 2.0 technologies can go to work for managers:

1. The transformation to a bottom-up culture needs help from the top.

2. The best uses come from users—but they require help to scale.

3. What’s in the workflow is what gets used.

4. Appeal to the participants’ egos and needs—not just their wallets.

5. The right solution comes from the right participants.

6. Balance the top-down and self-management of risk.
I would argue that these business practices can also support best practices in higher education. If we think about our students, faculty & staff in our “business model” this might be a few things to consider on how to get web 2.0 to work for education:

1. Students need to part of the development & process of education.

2. Go to where students are – use the technologies are being used.

3. Incorporate web 2.0 tools into current resources & services

4. Interact & provide feedback to activity online.

5. Target tech-savvy students & staff to help facilitate online learning initiatives among peer groups.

6. Encourage online contributions from students with some moderation.