Networked and Social Learning

This research, conducted by the author when a Senior Researcher at Newcastle University, UK, was funded by a UK governance organisation to help them assess, integrate and improve their understanding of the governed population.

ABSTRACT: Governance organisations have been urged to develop more holistic evidence-based approaches with partners to better deal with issues affecting the governed population. This presupposes an understanding of the population, yet there has been little research work addressing how governance organisations come to understand their governed population, nor how this understanding can be improved upon within such organisations.

This case study examined in-depth how understanding of a governed population was developed within one UK local governance organisation and it explored how such understanding might be developed and improved through more holistic and evidence-based organisational learning within the organisation and its governance partnerships.

The research methodology involved placement within the governance organisation, participant observations on several projects and innovative initiatives, observations within, across, and outside the organisation, and also interviews with varied key stakeholders.

The study examined:

- stakeholder engagement and networks
- current and varied understandings of the population
- mechanisms actually used for developing understandings
- the influence of context on organisational learning

and analysed these to arrive at a recommendations to improve organisational understanding of the governed population.

In the case studied, significant strengths were found: including innovative past learning trials for development, extensive ongoing networking activities, and many varied and accumulating quantitative datasets available across partnerships.

However, entrenched organisational approaches and practices constrained the development of holistic evidence-based understanding, for instance: the absence of systematic maintained collective learning processes; weak recording and forgetting of understandings; methodological exclusion of stakeholders from the development of understanding; the relative neglect of qualitative data, explanations, investigations, interpretations, and reflexivity; and also implicit organisational acceptance of such limitations and low aspirations.

Nonetheless, untapped opportunities existed to enable change including: latent practitioner knowledge and innovative management champions, the desire for improvement and raised aspirations within learning networks, and the development potential of alterative learning approaches.

It was concluded that more holistic evidence-based understanding was possible, but required new learning approaches beyond those then in use in both local government or academia.   

Recommendations are made to utilise and develop improved organisational learning approaches trialed and reported in the case study.

It is argued that the case study findings, conclusions, and recommendations may be applicable to other similar local governance organisations and partnerships that seek to better understand local populations, services and interventions.

The work was also submitted for, and awarded, an MPhil (at Newcastle University, supervised by Prof. Patsy Healy)

This research explores literacy teachers’ perceptions of integrating information communication technologies (ICTs)
into literacy instruction. To this end, a national survey of 1,441 literacy teachers in the United States was conducted.
The survey provided data concerning the types and levels of reported availability and use of ICTs, beliefs about the
importance of integrating ICTs into literacy instruction, and perceived obstacles to doing so. The analysis of data
included descriptive statistics, an exploratory factor analysis, and a path analysis used to test a model hypothesizing a
relation between teachers’ perceived importance of technology and reported levels of integration. Results revealed
relatively low levels of curricular integration, consistent perceptions about obstacles to integration, and technological
rather than curricular definitions of ICTs and of integration. The path analysis suggested several characteristics and
influences associated with higher levels of integration and use. The findings advance understanding of the extent to
which ICTs are being integrated into literacy instruction and what factors should be considered toward profitably
increasing integration consistent with expanding definitions of literacy.

Corrupt exchanges are often brokered by a third party, but this phenomenon has not been satisfactorily explored by researchers of corruption. Literature on brokerage in general provides interesting models but they have not previously been applied to corrupt exchanges. Based on in-depth qualitative interviews with respondents who participated in actual corrupt transactions, this paper identifies several distinct brokerage types in low-level corruption in contemporary Hungary. The paper also provides explanation of variation in corruption brokerage in terms of actors' group affiliations, forms of the corrupt exchanges, brokerage mechanisms, as well as neutrality, benefit and motivation, risk distribution, and stability of the brokerage structure. Finally, we discuss some policy implications of corruption brokerage.

This paper explores the roots and presents some forms of phenomenology starting with the origin of Husserl’s phenomenology and his notion of going back to things as they are in order to seek their essences. The paper then looks at the different perspectives, starting with the empirical phenomenology: its disciplinary linkage to psychology, its focus on the phenomenon itself, and the analysis of the structural in order to discern how structures speak. Existential phenomenology, on the other hand, sees human experiences of the world as being worth studying, where we are not only epistemological spectators in the world but are also ontologically embedded in it. Finally, Hermeneutic phenomenology acknowledges that humans have prejudices and their preconceptions from their experiences are nearly impossible to ignore. Understanding is achieved through dialogue. The hermeneutic circle refers to the interplays between our self-understanding and our understanding of the world, and entails an existential task with which each of us is confronted. The paper then focuses on the authors’ experiences during our PhD research. The paper highlights some differences in research approaches, aligned to different subtle perspectives, which offers the researcher flexibility. The aim for this paper has been to engage the networked learning community in discussing the suitability of choosing phenomenology as a research methodology. A snapshot in the exploration of the researchers decisions to use phenomenology for Technology Enhanced/Networked Learning research is presented and their reflections on their progress to discern the differences between the choices we made in developing our respective research designs. Some of the reasons behind our decisions, with the purpose of entering into dialogue with the Technology Enhanced/Networked Learning community, are presented.

This short paper describes a small, ongoing case study exploring how the affordances of a media sharing Web 2.0 application (VoiceThread) can be evaluated for its pedagogical
value. Web 2.0 technologies emerge so quickly it is difficult for educators to gauge their actual value in practical terms. In many cases the latest Web 2.0 technologies are superseded almost before they emerge from their beta testing phase. Rather than focusing on the individual characteristics or details of the technology itself, this case study uses a
new learning design framework (the Digital Artefacts for Learner Engagement framework: DiAL-e) to chart the affordances and uses which educators might find valuable. The tool has been used as the basis of an on-line pilot project for the Joint Information Service Committee in the UK (JISC) in which academics from further and higher education have
been learning how to harness the potential of digital artefacts and Web 2.0 tools to enhance teaching and student learning. The initial responses from participants and tutors indicate
this is a useful instrument through which to evaluate the potential pedagogical value of a particular application set within a wider socio-cultural context.

This article focuses on a national study of writing instructors regarding the inclusion of social media in their teaching. The results from this study indicate the field’s burgeoning interest in social media in the writing classroom: as technological tool, as content for analysis, as a composing space, and much more. These findings suggest the value of social media as a pedagogical component and address the potential benefits and challenges for social media’s use in the classroom.

""Abstract : Information Technology in language teaching probably began with papyrus. It has attracted admirers and detractors ever since. This paper takes a slightly irreverent look at current IT, as well as its actual and potential uses in foreign and second language education. The power of commerce in IT development has always been a prime motivator, so the analysis here recognizes the essential economic context, with the resulting effects on language learning. Technology itself is shifting at warp speed from 2005, the time of writing, but the essential choices dealt with in the paper are still of central interest.

An earlier, less referenced version of this paper was published in the Asian EFL Journal, vol.1, 2005 at http://asian-efl-journal.com/pta_jan_04_tm.html. A slightly shorter but more up to date version has also been published as "Brief Thoughts About IT in Language Education" in Teaching English With Technology, vol.5/2 May 2005 (IATEFL Poland)at http://www.iatefl.org.pl/call/j_article21.htm""

ResearchGate and Academia.edu have been increasingly acknowledged as the most popular academic social network sites (ASNS) for scholarly communication. Along with their benefits for supporting communication and knowledge sharing within academic communities, concerns over quality and credibility remain a pertinent issue. In terms of research investigation, ASNS have attracted strong attention for new scholarly practice and their potential for building, maintaining and enhancing reputation. However, a thorough understanding is still lacking of how these sites operate as networked socio-technical systems reshaping scholarly practices and academic identity. This article analyses 39 empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals with a specific focus on ResearchGate and Academia.edu. The aim is to describe the status of the research and to identify gaps and priorities in the areas of scholarly networked learning and shared knowledge. Results show that the number of studies focusing on ResearchGate was more than double those dedicated to Academia.edu. While both sites have attracted attention in the library and information sciences as deployments for reputation building and alternative ranking systems, such as ResearchGate metrics, there is a dearth of research investigating practices and new modes of communication in the light of a networked participatory approach to scholarship. Most of the studies analysed focused on the general uptake or impact assessment of alternative metrics, while very few investigated individual and collective scholarly practices. This study points to the need for specific research on open and distributed learning achieved in ASNS according to a networked learning perspective.

Despite the widespread use of Social Learning Networks (SLNs), there is little research on the effectiveness of these sites in related literature. Therefore, there is a need for studies investigating but use of SLNs in educational environments and their effects on learners' academic achievements. In this study, the purpose was to investigate the effects of use of Edmodo, a leading SLN site, on students' performances and attitudes towards online learning according to certain variables. In line with this purpose, using the pretest-posttest method, an experimental study with a control group was carried out with 79 learners taking the courses of Special Teaching Methods in the department of Computer Education and Instructional Technologies in the Education Faculty of a university in Turkey. In addition to face-to-face courses given to the experimental group students, various activities related to the course (group works, individual assignments, discussions) were carried out under the guidance of the course teacher via Edmodo. As for the control group students, they carried out the activities in class environment without using Edmodo. The results revealed that students who used Edmodo were more successful than those who did not. Based on this result, it could be stated that Edmodo had positive contributions to learners' academic achievements.

Unbundling is the process of disaggregating educational provision into its component parts likely for delivery by multiple stakeholders, often through public-private partnerships and the use of digital approaches (Swinnerton et al., 2018). A neutral definition, it relates to a process that is all but neutral to higher education. Having done research on unbundling South African and English universities, on a project focused on teaching and learning processes, I could not help but realise the extent to which this process affects much more than student learning and online teaching material curation patterns. Under the premise of widening access, it contributes to a potentially profoundly gendered casualisation, automation, deprofessionalisation, and fragmentation of academic labour to new unforeseen degrees. In this, unbundling reveals a new frontier of exploitation and exclusion at universities that we need to be aware of and organise against.

*this paper is one out of five contributions to:
Cielemęcka, O. and Rogowska-Stangret, M. 2020, Roundtable discussion: Thinking together from within the times that worry us. Matter: Journal of New Materialist Research, volume 1: 80-109

Technology is changing how students learn and how we research.

Perhaps you want to use technology to enhance communication or improve student support. You may want create a distance learning activity, a flexibly delivered module or indeed a whole course. You may simply want to find out where to find authoritative information, or to see what support exists for this type of work.

The University is committed to delivering high quality learning and teaching, using technology where appropriate, in order to offer a distinctive Southampton educational experience. Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL), also known as e‑learning, is becoming increasingly important to students, teaching staff and the institution.

This guide highlights some of the most important matters to consider. It is intended to help you to tackle the key issues that determine the success of TEL projects and to work on those projects in a considered way. Written with the input of colleagues from around the University, it prompts you to ask important questions and points you to sources of up-to-date knowledge and advice. Technology changes rapidly. This guide is about managing the work in a practical way.

The University supports the use of a variety of TEL approaches for teaching and learning and colleagues are ready to offer their experience and advice. Each person has distinctive skills and specific experiences. No single person will have all the answers you are looking for. Be ready to investigate alternative approaches that suit you and your students’ needs in different ways.

Madeline Paterson
Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit
University of Southampton
March 2010

Kegiatan pembelajaran yang ada sekarang ini umumnya menyajikan presentasi materi yang sama untuk setiap peserta didik karena menganggap bahwa karakteristik semua peserta didik adalah homogen. padahal dalam kenyataannya setiap peserta didik mempunyai karakteristik yang berbeda dalam belajar, serta kurangnya kegiatan pembelajaran yang memanfaatkan perkembangan teknologi di era big data seperti jejaring sosial yang penggunaannya semakin meluas. Oleh karena itu, dibutuhkan sebuah kegiatan pembelajaran yang dapat memfasilitasi perbedaan peserta didik dalam belajar serta pemanfaatan jejaring sosial dalam proses pembelajaran guna untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar peserta didik. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh pembelajaran Universal Design for Learning (UDL) berbasis Social Learning Networks (SLN) terhadap hasil belajar peserta didik.
Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan penelitian true experimental design dengan rancangan eksperimen pretest & posttest control group design. Terdapat dua kelompok dalam penelitian ini, yaitu kelompok eksperimen yang menerapkan perlakuan pembelajaran UDL berbasis SLN dan kelompok kontrol yang menerapkan pembelajaran konvensional. Subjek penelitian ini melibatkan mahasiswa sebanyak 45 orang di STKIP PGRI Situbondo yang mengambil mata kuliah Telaah Kurikulum. Data yang dikumpulkan dalam penelitian ini diolah dengan bantuan program SPSS for windows versi 22.0 dengan teknik analisis data paired sample t test untuk menguji hipotesis penelitian.
Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat perbedaan hasil belajar antara kelompok eksperimen (78,00) yang diberi perlakuan pembelajaran UDL berbasis SLN dengan kelompok kontrol (71,50) yang tidak diberi perlakuan. Hal ini juga dibuktikan dari hasil perhitungan menggunakan normalized gain diperoleh gain untuk kelompok eksperimen (0,38) sedangkan kelompok kontrol (0,12). Selisih rata-rata nilai gain kelompok eksperimen dan kelompok kontrol adalah 0,38 – 0,12 = 0,26, dengan demikian dapat dikatakan bahwa pembelajaran UDL berbasis SLN efektif untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar mahasiswa. Dalam pengujian hipotesis menggunakan t test didapatkan probabilitas (Sig. 2 tailed) adalah 0,023. Karena probabilitas < 0,05, maka H0 diterima, atau terdapat perbedaan hasil belajar antara kelompok eksperimen yang menerapkan perlakuan UDL berbasis SLN dengan kelompok kontrol yang menerapkan pembelajaran konvensional.

Delivering engaging and rigorous learning experiences in online environments has become a key priority for higher education institutions, driving prolific innovation in tools, pedagogy, and research over the last 20 years. The design and research of collaborative, networked learning experiences in particular has been fueled both by socially-turned theories of learning as well as the meteoric rise of social media and digital networks, which have introduced radical new forms of connectivity and sharing in daily life. In this dissertation, I offer three articles that each focus on one tool in the SuiteC collaborative learning system, a set of interconnected software applications designed to foster peer-to-peer sharing and collaborative, remix composing in a gamified environment. Looking across four semesters of student usage of the SuiteC tools in an online/hybrid undergraduate education course, I employ a mixed-methods approach grounded in “assemblage theory” that leverages learning analytics mined from the SuiteC database, content analysis of student artifacts, and student feedback to explore the kinds of social interactions and collaborations that emerged in the course. Findings suggest best practices and curricular strategies for the design of peer-centered online learning courses, recommendations for software tools, and the utility of assemblage concepts in studying complex sociotechnical systems.

Higher education systems around the world have been undergoing fundamental changes through the last 50 years from more narrow self-sustaining universities for the elite and into mass universities, where new groups of students have been recruited and the number of students enrolled has increased dramatically. As the general level of education in society is growing, universities are adjusting to the role of being a mass educational institution. Universities have been challenged on how to cope with various external pressures, such as forces of globalization and international markets, increased national and international competition for students and research grants, increased pressure to become more efficient economically and regarding students’ length of studies. These various pressures can be seen as expressions of national policy changes from more democratic governance towards new public management principles. In this chapter we will examine how higher education systems in Scandinavia are developing in relation to these challenges. To what extent has the democratic tradition had an impact on the educational systems, and what possible futures can be envisioned?

In the development of higher education in Scandinavia, there are different perspectives on education at play. One perspective sees education as a “public good” that benefits society and therefore should be free and accessible for all students who qualify to be admitted. According to this perspective, one of the main purposes of higher education is to add value to all students, so they can contribute to society. Within the framework of the Scandinavian welfare state, this model has prevailed in the organization of education, health care, and social services.

Another perspective sees education as mainly an “individual investment”, and therefore students should pay for attending their education. According to this perspective, one of the main purposes of higher education is instead to select the best among the students, in order to sharpen their market value. The notions of competitiveness and individualism play an important role here. In some of the recent reforms in Scandinavia, as well as in the recommendations of the Danish Productivity Commission (2013), we see this second perspective prevailing.

Even though the current reforms seem to point towards this second perspective and towards principles of new public management, the Scandinavian countries still have educational systems where higher education as a basis is free of tuition fees, students are supported with study grants, and people generally have access to education. The massive diversification of educational institutions during the 20th century, which also provided local access to education, is currently replaced by a process of centralization of higher education and fusions of existing institutions. The rate of participation in higher education is however still growing, supporting the possibility of social mobility, when students from families without traditions of education enter the higher education system. It remains to be seen, in the light of the possible new reforms, whether this development will continue.

La tesi illustra le basi teoriche, il contesto sociale dell'operazione, i percorsi progettuali e i primi risultati relativi alla creazione e sperimentazione di Trimap (www.trimap.it), un progetto (nato all'interno di questo dottorato)  di mappatura “dal basso” e di social learning per il mondo del no-profit.
Gli obiettivi principali sono:
1) costruire in maniera partecipativa un sistema informativo geografico (GIS) sul noprofit attraverso un sistema di mappe interattive;
2) fornire alle organizzazioni partecipanti uno spazio di autorappresentazione, comunicazione, confronto, cooperazione, collaborazione, promozione, formazione (e-portfolio dei progetti, co-progettazione, scrittura collettiva, condivisione informazioni, banca delle competenze, calendari...).

This paper categories and compares various works done in the field of social networking for covert networks. It uses criminal network analysis to categorize various approaches in social engineering like dynamic network analysis, destabilizing covert networks, counter terrorism, key player, subgroup detection and homeland security. The terrorist network has been taken for study because of its network of individuals who spread from continents to continents and have an effective influence of their ideology throughout the globe. It also presents various metrics based on which the centrality of nodes in the graphs could be identified and it's illustrated based on a synthetic dataset for 9/11 attack. This paper will also discuss various open problems in this area.

This article discusses the use of pedagogical models as appropriate means of improvingthe quality of network-based education (NBE). NBE and novel kinds of teaching, studying, andlearning environments have recently become an essential part of university-level education. Inchanging ethos of education, one special challenge is facing teachers, designers and researchers: the development of pedagogical models, teaching methods and practices that are applicable in NBE. We argue that by analysing some salient characteristics of NBE it will be possible to develop and evaluate NBE. It is also crucial to analyse how to learn to apply pedagogical models in NBE in an appropriate way. The aim of the HelLa Project was to evaluate university degree programmes in the educational use of ICTs in the Finnish Virtual University. The focus of this studywas the 30-ECTS-credit study programme on the educational use of ICT, designed and implemented as part of the Finnish Virtual University Project of the Faculties of Education. The HelLaProject included three case studies in which students’ and teachers’ conceptions of applying pedagogical models in NBE were examined. The case studies combined qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Data were collected by using two web-based questionnaires for students, by interviewing teachers and students, and by recording the network-based discussions regarding thecourse assignments. The data were analysed by using content analysis, narrative analysis and statistical analyses. This article draws on the results of the three case studies regarding the conceptions of teachers and students on the application of pedagogical models in NBE.

Keywords: Pedagogical models, network-based education (NBE), educational use of ICTs, virtual university

This paper builds on research directions from ‘activity theory’ and ‘learning design’ to provide ‘facilitation’ for students standing within decision making related to selection of web 2.0 tools and university provided web-based applications for supporting students activities within problem and project based learning. In the area of problem and project based learning, facilitation is the core term and the teacher often has the role as facilitator or moderator instead of a teacher teaching. Technology adoption for learning activities needs facilitation, which is mostly absent. Sustainable adoption might be facilitated based on tool appropriation with activities associated with courses and projects. Our mapping of different tools in a framework is reported based on interviews, observations, narratives and survey. A direction towards facilitation process for adoption is discussed as part of future scope of work.

Focus is on problem-based learning in a networked learning context with focus on the use of technologies in the communicative processes among the participants. Especially, the role of the teacher in such a context is analysed. The classic, traditional role as an expert deciding the curriculum, providing lectures and seminars, giving assignments, and marking papers and essays is complemented and in some ways overruled by a new role as supervisor and facilitator for the group of students working with a research problem that they have picked themselves. However, different dimensions of this new teacher role can be observed – from expert in an academic field to a role that focuses more on processes, methodological dimensions, and the importance of a reflexive approach. In some situations, the role as social mediator is needed questioning and assisting the members of the group in the complex task of interacting with fellow students in an uncertain and volatile context and environment. Successful network learning requires teachers or supervisors who are reflective and able to take the other’s perspective.

This paper is a report on preliminary observations from a collaborative project in New York City conducted between academia and city government. The project selected graduate students as New York Mayoral Fellows to work with specific adult learning sites. The goal was to use social media to extend the learning opportunities of the adult learners and to encourage them to enhance their own life or a small part of the community around them. Observations indicate that a collaborative project of this nature can be highly beneficial for all stakeholders. Adult learners in specific sites of the city’s adult education program were engaged with innovative social media tools and techniques. Amidst different working styles of academia and city government, the project delivered resounding success. Questions of sustainability remain following the graduate Fellows’ tenure at each site, which will be addressed in the second iteration of the project.

In this article we will describe a continuum of development towards knowledge generation and networked learning which emerges as practising teachers participate in a connectivist experience offered through anopen online class (OOC) learning design. We believe that this design offers an opportunity to provide authentic professional development and collaboration particularly for those teachers in remote areas such as in the Alaska bush. Research remains in progress; however, current findings indicate that those teachers who valued the connectivist experience indicate a desire to promote these experiences with their own students. Content analysis of interviews, focus group transcripts and Twitter transcripts reveal four distinct stages of awareness of values necessary for success in the OOC. Of the practising teachers who enrolled, 98% were successful in completing the OOC for credit; however, 20% remained resistant to connectivist pedagogy throughout the experience

Social networks are growing like a giant for the duration of several past years. This emergence has made a magneto effect on researchers of network analytics field. In this article, we are going to examine Link Prediction in Social Network. It is a problem that guesstimates the probability of existence of future links between any two particular nodes. In the following article, we will use four different similarity based proximity measures namely: Common Neighbor; Jaccard Index; Salton Index and Preferential Attachment. We will experiment these proximity measures on Facebook data that has been collected from SNAP (Stanford Network Analysis Project) and find out AUC (Area Under the receiver operating Characteristic curve) to analyze accuracy.

Current trends and challenges in higher education (HE) require a reorientation towards openness, technology use and active student participation. In this article we will introduce Social Learning Analytics (SLA) as instrumental in formative assessment practices, aimed at supporting and strengthening students as active learners in increasingly open and social learning environments. The analysis of digital traces of
students’ learning behaviors provides insight into learning opportunities and can raise students’ awareness about where to be and whom to join. Against the background of these HE trends and challenges, we discuss opportunities for applying SLA to support open learning practices, that will move students from awareness to productive engagement in learning activities that promote co–construction of knowledge.

Developing a critical cultural awareness becomes one of the key competences in a world of increasing connections between different cultures and different places. Education, as discussed within the framework of approaches to intercultural education, can contribute to the development of such a competence. This study scrutinizes the potentials of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for contributing to intercultural education and focuses particularly on online exchange projects in schools and their contribution to a better inter- cultural understanding. This report is based on a comparative study that focuses on online exchange projects in Germany and Turkey by analyzing the eTwinning platform for intercultural collaboration between schools in Europe. This exploratory, qualitative study included interviews with teachers, coordinators of the network and students as well as participatory observations in the classroom and beyond.

This paper demonstrates how the use of a social network and blog facilitated response to literature. Results indicate that the social space encouraged participants to expand their reading preferences and respond to literature in different ways.

This article is derived from a study of the use of Facebook as an educational resource by five dyslexic students at a Sixth Form College in north-west England. Through a project in which teacher-researcher and student-participants co-constructed a group Facebook page about the students’ scaffolded research into dyslexia, the study examined the educational affordances of a digitally-mediated social network. An innovative, flexible, experiential methodology combining action research and case study with an ethnographic approach was devised. This enabled the use of multiple mixed methods, capturing much of the rich complexity of the students’ online and offline interactions with each other and with digital media as they contributed to the group and co-constructed their group Facebook page. Social perspectives on dyslexia (Cooper, 2006; Herrington & Hunter-Carsch, 2001) and multiliteracies (Cope & Kalantzis, 2000; Gee, 1996; Street 1984 & 2003) were used to help interpret the students’ engagement with the social network and thereby deduce its educational potential. The research concludes that as a digitally mediated social network, Facebook engages the students in active, critical learning about and through literacies in a rich and complex semiotic domain (Gee, 2004, 2005 & 2007). Offline dialogue plays a crucial role. This learning is reciprocally shaped by the students' developing identities as both dyslexic students and able learners. The findings suggest that social media can have advantageous applications for literacy learning in the classroom. In prompting learning yet remaining unchanged by it, Facebook can be likened to a catalyst.

Digital technology and social media are progressively transforming scholarly practices and academic identity into what has been named digital scholarship. However, while specific approaches to the topic have been adopted within diverse research strands, a unifying theoretical framework has yet to emerge and as a result the topic is advancing with separate research agendas. This is placing severe limits on the potential applicability of research results throughout academia, on the development of suitable infrastructures underpinning and supporting researchers’ practices, and on the effectiveness of their professional development. This also seems to apply to academic social network sites (ASNS) as digital infrastructures for scholars. While it is quite evident that ASNS are impacting on academic and research, a clear theoretical framework is needed in order for emergent practices to become established. This study analyses a range of theories in the effort to produce a multi-layered and multi-theory framework that might underpin research and practices related to ASNS as platforms for supporting digital scholarship. Firstly, the study adopts a socio-technical approach to analyse social media platforms as microsystems that integrate emergent user practices and content at the organizational level. Secondly, it focuses on how social capital, a conceptual construct adopted as a specific requirement for knowledge sharing in social networks, applies to academic and research communities. The emerging framework for reflecting on ASNS comprises three different levels of analysis: 1) a macro-level, which constitutes the socio-economic layer corresponding to structural social capital; 2) a meso-level, which comprises the techno-cultural layer corresponding to (distributed) cognitive social capital; and 3) a micro-level, which constitutes the networked scholar layer corresponding to relational social capital. Within the micro-level, different kinds of social capital are exploited at different sub-levels of the networked scholar layer: structural social capital corresponding to the networking sub-level; (individual) cognitive social capital related to the knowledge-sharing sub-level; and relational social capital concerning the identity sub-level. The framework’s expressive power does not lie so much in the single layers or elements, but in the connections between them, which reveal how platforms and sociality are tightly interrelated in the specific field of academic social networking. The paper also examines the implications of the study and provides suggestions for future research.

ELearning and Digital Cultures, from the University of Edinburgh, was offered on the Coursera platform in January 2013. Over 40,000 enrolled, from every continent. The course was aimed mainly at educators wanting to “deepen their understanding of what it means to teach and learn in the digital age”. As participants, we experienced deep and significant learning, very much through social media. The peer-to-peer learning we engaged in and benefited from was not traditionally organised ‘group work’ or micro-managed interaction, but something more fluid, open, student-initiated and led, that seems to have gone to the very core of what online learner agency, and digital culture, is all about.

We report on on-going research about students’ learning how to learn with microworlds. We argue that a study of metacognitive skills should take into account microworld characteristics and especially the way learners interact with microworlds. Our analysis focuses on an important phase during learner-microworld interaction; evaluation upon which subsequent actions and meaning generation is built. Research results revealed six different evaluation types one of which –impasse acknowledgement-was further investigated in the context of help seeking.

Since its formal approval, the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) project raised public concern about environmental sustainability and security. Thanks to the systematic use of Internet and communication technologies (ICTs), the nonviolent resistance organized by the Sioux tribes of Standing Rock Reservation to oppose the planned construction rapidly attracted public attention. In view of their strategic use of online video-sharing for documentation and counter-surveillance purposes, this study aims at describing how diverse modes of user activity are triggered by two different forms of distant witnessing: online video and live streaming. To this aim, this study analyzes the user activity which took place on the Digital Smoke Signals Facebook page, one of the most widely followed information outlets of the NO DAPL movement. Findings suggest that online video and live streaming trigger different forms of connective activity. The highlighted differences reflect the ways in which synchronous and asynchronous forms of online audio-visual communication impact users’ everyday life.