ERIC Number: EJ1060440
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1935-7869
EISSN: N/A
"Friending" Vygotsky: A Social Constructivist Pedagogy of Knowledge Building through Classroom Social Media Use
Churcher, Kalen M. A.; Downs, Edward; Tewksbury, Doug
Journal of Effective Teaching, v14 n1 p33-50 2014
Social media and web 2.0 technologies are an attractive supplement to the higher education experience and are embraced as a way to foster intra-and extracurricular knowledge generation among a class community. However, these collaborative media require a rethinking of the theoretical framework through which we engage student communities of practice. This paper offers a social media-age rethinking of Vygotsky's (1978) conceptualization of social constructivism within learning communities by presenting two case studies of instructor uses of social media platforms through a Facebook community of practice and a wiki-based, student-generated exam. Each examines the pedagogical advantages and disadvantages of incorporating social media in course curricula through the development of social constructivist-based best practices in Web 2.0 course environments.
Descriptors: Constructivism (Learning), Mass Media Use, Classroom Techniques, Web 2.0 Technologies, Higher Education, Communities of Practice, Case Studies, Social Networks, Learning Strategies, Educational Environment, Teaching Methods, Media Literacy, Student Participation, Cooperative Learning, Program Implementation, Student Surveys, Technology Uses in Education, Instructional Effectiveness
Journal of Effective Teaching. Center for Teaching Excellence, 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403. Tel: 910-962-3034; Fax: 910-962-3427; e-mail: jet@uncw.edu; Web site: http://www.uncw.edu/cte/et
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A