ETMC ideas

[Richard Clemens]

What are some of your ideas about the ETMC? Would you like to have a particular resource available in the center? What do you value most about the center? What are ways that we can improve our services? Your comments are welcome.

[Pavel Zemliansky]

Richard and all,

First of all, thank you for starting this. When I learned about the existence of this website, I immediately joined. In response to your question, I'd like to learn more about how other disciplines and fields of study use educational technology. In my field (rhetoric and composition), there are certain ways of using technology to which people are used and many are not willing to go beyond those ways. Yet, I get a sense that colleagues in other fields have other approaches worth studying. It would be very useful to have regular exchanges between members of different disciplines and professions, both here at JMU and from the outside, to share and discuss these issues.

Pavel.

[Richard Clemens]

Pavel,
Thanks for joining this trial ETMC social network. We shall see how this space evolves...

Being relatively new to social networking resources, I do not have a vast amount of knowledge regarding this technology - however I am aware that 90% of our learners (higher ed, K12, etc.) frequent some type of social networking technologies on a daily basis. So, I thought I better know a little about it.

There is another network on Ning dealing with College 2.0 technologies that I have joined that has 138 members so there is more traffic on this site. Check it out to see if this provides additional thoughts regarding the inclusion of web 2.0 technologies for the classroom. I only recently joined so I don't have much experience with the level of participation. I am realizing that there are too many things to keep up with... oh well, it is still fun trying!

[Pavel Zemliansky]

Richard and all:
Thanks for the reply. I will take a look at the College 2.0 network. I have been trying to run my classes here at JMU as social networks, basically, but with varying degrees of success. Interestingly, freshmen without majors seem to be slightly more amenable to this idea. Perhaps as students move into majors and disciplines, with more specialized discourses and modes of learning, and with more at stake, they tend to move away from "networked" learning and prefer a more directed approach. This, of course, is just a speculation on my part, but something that could perhaps be in line with the notion that younger learners are more informal in their learning.
Pavel.