Using Web 2.0 and Social Media to Encourage Deeper Learning

Welcome to Using Web 2.0 and Social Media to Encourage Deeper Learning! We’re really excited to be facilitating this course and journeying through the materials with you. This course has been designed around P2PU’s core values: openness, community and peer learning.

Of these three values we have particularly focused on peer learning in the design of this course. The course is set up as a series of ongoing interactions between participants. Through the course interactions we will explore how we can encourage our students to learn deeply through the use of Web 2.0 and Social Media.  

As a whole class we will record our learning in the form of a practical “Kit” that we will publish and share with teachers around the world under a CC-BY license. The Kit will be a practical guide to using social media to promote deeper learning. Proposed sections* of the Kit include:

1. Core Academic Knowledge
2. Critical Thinking
3. Complex Problem Solving
4. Effective Communication
5. Working in Collaboration
6. Learning how to Learn
7. Global Perspective
8. Other__________

*The sections of the Kit will be finalized by the whole class during the first week of the course.

To view the full course description click here. To sign up for the course click here.

Here’s what you can expect every week (AKA Syllabus):

In general, each week will have three to four “tasks” for you to complete under the following categories:

1. Social Tasks - continue to meet and network with your colleagues via small group synchronous calls and/or via whole class online asynchronous discussions
2. Reflective Tasks - reflect on your personal teaching, leading and learning practice via self assessments, readings and case studies
3. Practical Tasks - implement what you are learning in your classroom / school
4. Project Tasks  - contribute to the whole class project every week (i.e. the Kit).

The tasks for each week will be clearly labeled on our course homepage under “Tasks”. Click “View” next to each task for the week to view and complete the task.  Each set of tasks should take between 3-5 hours/week.

Week 1 - Overview & Introduction to Deeper Learning
This week we will introduce the concept of deeper learning.  Participants will review several readings and go through two self assessments in order to think about the following guiding questions: What is deeper learning? To what extent am I using social media to promote deeper learning within my classroom/school?  We will look at case studies of schools that are using social media effectively. There will also be a brief introduction to the whole class project (Kit).  

Week 2 - Web 2.0 & Social Media
Participants will continue to develop a vision for what it means to use Web 2.0 and Social Media effectively focusing on the following guiding question: What does it mean to learn deeply with Web 2.0 / Social Media in the context of my classroom and school? Participants will build their own vision for what is possible with social media. Using this vision they will modify, enhance or build a lesson plan/project (to be taught during Week 3) that takes their use of social media to the next level. Participant will also form working groups (3-4 people/group) and begin discussing the whole class project (Kit).

Week 3 - School Based Laboratory #1
Participants will execute the lesson/project plan they created during Week 2 and assess the impact it has on teaching, leading and learning. As a whole class we will then share and reflect on our successes and challenges and start to distill a set of best practices that will serve as an initial brainstorm for the whole class project (Kit).  

Week 4 - “Kit” Week
Each working group (chosen in Week 2) will select a section of the Kit to research and dive into (e.g. using social media to promote core academic knowledge, critical thinking, global perspective, etc.). Groups will be responsible for organizing communication and using online collaborative tools to complete their work. Based on this deeper dive, each participant will modify, enhance or build another lesson plan/project (to be taught during Week 5).

Week 5 - School Based Laboratory #2
Participants will execute the lesson/project plan they created during Week 4 and assess the impact it has on teaching, leading and learning.  As a whole class we will then share and reflect on our successes and challenges. Groups will use this week to finish their work on the Kit.   

Week 6 - Presentations and Professional Learning Plans
During the final week participants will synthesize and present their learning to the whole class.  The Kit will be compiled into a final publication by the various working groups.  Individually participants will reflect on how their practice has changed and create a personal development plan for the rest of the school year which incorporates learning from this course.