Social Computing and EDUCAUSE_MARC08

Social learning enhances knowledge when students create learning environments by making connections among their peers and community. Educators struggle to develop innovative teaching strategies to meet the expectations of digital natives who are accustomed to this social environment. This presentation will describe how faculty at Montclair State University foster social learning using mobile technology.

Higher education can benefit from the web 2.0 revolution, from simple tools that allow groups to communicate to combining databases that produce an entirely new product. Social networking, wikis, blogs, RSS feeds, videoblogs, and extensive use of multimedia are changing the way we process and use information.

The phenomenon of social networking software like Facebook has been widely publicized. At UNC-Chapel Hill, over 90 percent of first year students are Facebook users. But is there utility for faculty and staff? Yes! This presentation will describe the uses of Facebook that might benefit many of us.