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

CEP 956 Week 6 Announcement
Subject: CEP 956: Looking Ahead to Week 6 Online (Oct 4-10)
Emailed: Friday 10/1/21

Hi everyone, 

Welcome to CEP 956 Week 6 as we begin our course’s Part II: Research on Learning (with/on/through) Social Media – Cognitive and Social Issues. This email contains tips on reading and writing and information for this async online week. Thank you for reading it carefully! 

Login to the course site to see the schedule for this week (Oct 4-10): 

http://greenhow.educ.msu.edu/cep956fs21/w6-oct-11-synchronous-class/

NEW! COVER LETTER FEEDBACK ON D2L.  

Great start on those cover letter emails! I am suggesting that each of you revise your cover email based on my feedback before sending it to your journal editor.  Outlining your paper will likely help you refine your article’s abstract. I am happy to take a look at your revised cover letter email before you send it out.  The goal, though, is to send your cover email out by 10/15 or so, and then, let us know if you got a response from the editor before our class meeting on 10/25. 

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., W6 October 4-10 Asynch 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 was our beautiful fall colors!  

READINGS & ONLINE DISCUSSION 

“Social Networks, Microblogs and Learning” 
Last week we considered how to define “social media” and “learning” generally and within the field of Educational Technology. We attended to defining these terms in context with a particular underlying learning theory.   

This week you’ll dive deeper to consider 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 (Greenhow, Galvin, Brandon & Askari, 2020). You will consider “learning” within these spaces as defined by several different researchers.   

UPCOMING ASSIGNMENTS 

• Initial post for wk 6 online due Thursday, October 7 by midnight. 
• Responses to 2 peers/question due Saturday, October 9 by midnight. 

• IMPORTANT: The W6 Question 1 and W6 Question 2 in the discussion forum have multiple parts – just like your Comps Questions will. For Question 1, you are asked to “Argue your position (for or against) use of social network sites or microblogs for learning and/or educational purposes using these readings. Ground your claims in evidence from the readings, with citations and page numbers. Anticipate others’ counter-arguments in your response.” 
  • You will want to quote directly or paraphrase excerpts from the readings that support your key points.  
  • In your initial post, you must also anticipate and respond to what critics of your argument might say. 
  • If Twitter is your chosen social media activity, you might want to focus your reading for this question on the microblogging articles.  
  •  
• IMPORTANT: For Question 2, remember to address at least 2 aspects: “What technique(s) does the author use to persuade you of the importance and/or reliability and/or truthfulness and/or accuracy and/or practical impact of his or her findings? You don’t have to address all of these points in your answer but pick at least 2.” 
  • A good way to structure your response (here and in Comps) is to repeat part of the question in your topic sentence (e.g., “Ellison et al. uses several techniques to persuade readers of the importance and reliability of her findings. For instance, …”) 
  • For W6 Q2, I picked two articles that are well-cited. Ellison’s article, for instance, has over 14,000 citations on Google Scholar. Wow!  

• Article for Publication: Outline Due before class on Mon, October 11.  Submit to Dropbox in D2L 
  • There is no one right way to do this. We talked about looking at sample articles from the target journal that look like the article you want to write (e.g., a review article or a qualitative research article or conceptual article). 
  • You have my feedback on your cover letter. Try to use that and your sample articles to work on your outline. Email me with any questions.  
  •  

NEW! I’ve added several articles to the Supplemental Readings list and am working on assembling short articles related to your chosen social media activities.  

For those of you on Twitter, I’m @chrisgreenhow. Follow your classmates below: 

Any questions for me, please let me know. Thanks, and see you online! 

Chris 

CEP 956 Week 4 Announcement
Email Communication
Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2021

Subject: CEP 956: Assignment Feedback & Reminders for Week 4

Hi Abdu, Betul, Jeong, Suha,  

Thank you for a great asynchronous and synchronous discussion last week. I enjoyed learning more about each of you, your ideas, and your article interests! 

This email contains important information as we look forward to CEP 956 Week 4 online (September 20-26).  Thank you for reading this email carefully. Note the assignments for this coming week, which we went over when we met on Monday.

Login to the course site to see the schedule for this week (Sept 20-26): 

http://greenhow.educ.msu.edu/cep956fs21/wk-4-sept-27-synchronous-class/

BASE GROUP CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUTS: 

Betul, Jeong, Suha, please Check-in with your Base Group (#1) 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., W4 Sept 20-26 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. 

Abdu, I was unable to assign you to a base group because your username is not showing up in my list of “Users” for the course website, and I’m not sure why, so I am looking into what the issue might be.

NEW!  Interest Statement Feedback now in D2L 
If you submitted your Interest Statement to the D2L Assignment Dropbox, you will now find my feedback to you.  Please let me know if you have any questions.   Also, you will need to choose a topic, have an abstract for your article, and have chosen a journal to do your cover letter assignment. I’m happy to talk with you if a short chat would be helpful as you work on your cover letters.

READINGS & ONLINE DISCUSSION 

“Defining Social Media and Learning in Society” 
Last week we discussed Clark and Kozma’s debate on do/can/will/how do media influence learning? We touched on the importance of underlying epistemologies (e.g., Clark’s positivist versus interpretivist orientations to research), the importance of theoretical framing and assumptions (e.g., behaviorism, constructivism), conceptions of learning and media, and the intellectual history upon which even asking such questions is based. 

This week you are asked to read several papers on (social) media and learning and consider how we ought to define these terms in a particular context with a particular underlying learning theory.   See the readings by Manca & Ranieri, Greenhow et al., and Cormode & Krishnamurphy on this week’s schedule page.

UPCOMING ASSIGNMENTS 

• Social media activity – Choose a social media to explore as a learner, teacher, and scholar
• If you haven’t already set up a profile and start using the social media during this next asynchronous week
• Exampleof Social Media Activity Reflection questions
• Be ready to share what you’ve done & link to your site on Monday, Sept 27
• Defining Social Media & LearningReadings  
• Post initial responses to discussion forum questions by Thursday, September 23 at midnight EST.
• Post responses to at least 2 peers (per question) by Saturday, September 25 at midnight EST.
• Base Group 1 Discussion Synthesis of Week 4 online discussion due in the forum by noonon Monday, September 27. See directions here
• Cover letter for publishable article due before classon Monday, September 27 — Submit to Dropbox in D2L

• • See the examples we went over in class on the Article for Publication page –> sample cover letters.
  • As we went over in class, see criteria for this Assignment and Sample Cover Letters on the Article for Publication page – check out the “Sample Cover letters” especially the first 3 pages of the Sample document to see two emailed cover letters which ended in successfully published articles by two of our EPET doc students.
  • (*Note: the first page of the sample shows you how I will score your cover letter/email inquiry to the editor).
  • Be ready to share your Cover Letter when we meet synchronously on 9/27. 
• Outline for publishable article due before class on Monday, October 11
  • We will talk about this on 9/27 but, as I mentioned in class, one way to overcome the scary blank page is to do a table of contents search in the journal you are targeting and find a few examples of articles that look like the one you want to write. Break it down: how is their article organized, roughly how many words per section? See the journal’s guidelines for authors to help you know what they require in their articles and guide your outline. Skim the journal’s most recent editorials to help you know what editors are looking for and use this info to help inform your outline. 

Any questions for me, please let me know. 

Thanks, and see you online! 

Chris

P.S. If you lose track of this email, no problem. I post weekly emailed reminders in the upper right-hand corner of the class website. 🙂