Wk 8: Oct 18-24 Async

Email Communication
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2021
Subject: CEP 956: Welcome to Week 8 – Social Writing, Literacies, and Scholarship

Hi Betul, Jeong, Suha, Abdu,

I hope you had a wonderful Fall weekend! Welcome to Week 8 online in Part II: Research on Learning (with/on/through) Social Media – Social Writing, Literacies and Scholarship.  

 

Login to the course site to see the schedule for this week (Oct 18-24) (Oct 18-24) 

BASE GROUP CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUTS: 

Please Check-in with your Base Group at the beginning of the week by answering the Base Group Check-in questions early in the week (e.g., Tues or Wed) and then, Check-out by answering the Check-out questions at the end of the week. 

1) Login to the course website. 
2) Then, go to that week’s schedule page and find the Base Group Check-in (or Check-out) question for the week (e.g., W8 October 18-24 Async Online from the drop-down menu)
3) Email or otherwise contact your Base Group members when you have Checked-in and Checked-out to let them know you have done so. This way the group can help support its members, get to know its members, and build trust over time.
4) To see how your answers and scores compare with your group overall, go to the Base Groups page. Find your Base Group.  Click on your group and find the appropriate tab at the top to see the other member(s) Check-in or Check-out Answers.
**The inspiration for this week’s check-in question is the idea of “literacy”!  

 

READINGS & ONLINE DISCUSSION 

“Social Writing, Literacies and Scholarship” 
Last week we critically reflected on the findings and argument structure of published research on two of the most popular types of social media worldwide – social network sites (e.g., Facebook) and microblogs (e.g., Twitter) – which are also the most studied in education and considered “learning” within these spaces as defined by several different researchers.   

 

This week we will consider “learning” defined as “literacies.”  We can consider “new literacies” or “digital” literacies within particular platforms, such as the twitteracy that Benjamin Gleason and I theorize in our article (see optional readings section). We can also consider the literacies more broadly needed by students, teachers, and scholars today within and across various socio-technical contexts.  

 

Week 8 Questions 

This week’s guided reading questions ask you to critically consider modern ‘literacy’ debates raised in a short news article (Rich) and the ‘digital turn’ in literacies educational research that Mills (2010) discusses in her seminal literature review published in our field’s top journal: Review of Educational Research. Consider how the issues surfaced in these articles, written several years ago, are/are not still relevant today and what new issues you would raise as educational researchers. 

While these articles consider student learning and K-16 teaching with the internet and social media, the Social Scholarship article by Greenhow & Gleason (2014) suggests new forms of scholarship and scholarly communication that we as educational researchers might develop. (If you are interested in our later critique of this 2014 article, check out the Greenhow, Gleason & Staudt Willet (2019) piece within the optional readings section).

What ‘literacies’ do you feel scholar-teachers need to develop to work in modern day work environments? Why do you feel these literacies are important?  

 

Finally, as you reflect on these readings, what important cognitive or social or emotional issues do they raise for educational researchers to consider?  Provide evidence from the readings to support your points, but you may also bring in points from the optional readings or other articles with which you are familiar. Remember to address all parts of each question. 

 

NEW! Scores and feedback on your outlines are on D2L. I have met with several of you, and you are on the right track. I look forward to seeing your first draft. Please let me know if you have questions. (NOTE: I will be away Wed 10/20 – Sun 10/24 so may be slower on email during this time but will try my best to answer your questions within a day or two).  

 

GUEST SPEAKER?! I have invited Sarah Galvin, advanced PhD student and prolific author, to join us in two weeks (11/1) – date and time to be confirmed. I am including her article “Writing on social media: A review of research in the high school classroom,” published in Tech Trends, in the readings for this week so that you can review as your time and interests allow. 

 

REMINDER!  First Draft of Article for Publication due November 1. Please submit to the “First Draft…” Dropbox on D2L.  

VIDEO OPTION! As we consider digital literacies, you have the option of recording your initial post or response to peers as a video and sharing the link with us in the CEP 956 discussion forum for this week.  If you choose to use Flipgrid, here are instructions for creating a Video “Short” after you create an account as an educator on this site. Of course, you do not need to use Flipgrid, feel free to use other digital platforms to create your video posts.  If you would like to express your ideas on these questions in something other than video or text, feel free to email me your idea before Wed 10/20!

UPCOMING ASSIGNMENTS 

• Initial post for wk 8 online due Thursday, October 21 by midnight (Choose text or video post) 
• 2 Responses/question due Saturday, October 23 by midnight (Choose text or video response). 
• Discussion Synthesis Wk 8 – Instructor 
• Draft #1 of Article due November 1 — Submit to “First Draft” Dropbox in D2L 
• Peer review of one paper draft due by 9am on Monday, November 8. Submit to “Peer Review 1” Dropbox folder on D2L. Be sure your peer review includes one document that answers the peer review guidelines questions & one document that is your Tracked Changes version of draft article. We will go over this in class on November 1st and then, I will email you the draft you are to review after class on Monday. 
• Continue Social Media Activity. Share what you’ve done November 1. Reflection on November 15 done in class. 
• No class Oct 25 Fall Break Day 
  
  Any questions for me, please let me know. Thanks, and see you online! 
  
  Chris