ERIC Number: EJ904311
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Dec
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1096-7516
EISSN: N/A
Social Software and Academic Practice: Postgraduate Students as Co-Designers of Web 2.0 Tools
Carmichael, Patrick; Burchmore, Helen
Internet and Higher Education, v13 n4 p233-241 Dec 2010
In order to develop potentially transformative Web 2.0 tools in higher education, the complexity of existing academic practices, including current patterns of technology use, must be recognised. This paper describes how a series of participatory design activities allowed postgraduate students in education, social sciences and computer sciences to contribute to the development of new Web 2.0 tools to enhance an existing virtual collaboration environment. In the course of these design activities, students reflected on and articulated the existing and emerging academic practices in which they were involved as they managed their transition from undergraduate courses to postgraduate research. The tools that were developed can therefore be seen as reifications of participants' emerging academic practices and the challenges they face as new researchers. This highlights the need for flexible design approaches and adaptable technological frameworks if Web 2.0 tools are to be successfully integrated into higher education settings. (Contains 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Educational Technology, Graduate Students, Educational Practices, College Environment, Student Research, Computer Assisted Instruction, Electronic Publishing, Computer Mediated Communication, Technology Integration, Internet, Computer Software, Web Sites, Social Networks, College Instruction, College Students, Cooperative Learning, Instructional Design
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A