In any case, here are the links:

Moderation/Presentation (CW2010) [Computers & Writing 2010 Presentation on use of Twitter backchannel]

Tweetagogy (ATTW2010) [ATTW 2010 Presentation | Tweetagogy: Building Community in 140 characters or less]

EVMS: Getting Out of the Box (AAMC-GIA) [work-related conference presentation]

Disclaimer: These are in no way perfect. Plenty of things I’d change in each, but I find a purposefully designed Prezi can be fun and rhetorically useful.

Enjoy! Feedback & questions are always welcome!

Question 5: Contributing to the Field

As colleges and universities expand their online learning options and offerings, fostering online community becomes increasingly important to prevent distance student attrition and promote more effective learning outcomes. Recognizing that a social media tool can enhance a sense of online classroom community (Potts, Gossett & Rhodes, 2010), identify best practices for integrating social media into the course design and briefly discuss some of the advantages of using it.  Be sure to situate your answer in a brief review of the scholarship that supports social media in online education. [revised 09/27/10]

Question 2: Area of Specialization (Online Community)

Kling and Courtright (2003) observe that “many uses of the term community are, in fact, aspirational rather than empirically grounded.” As a result, it is important to note that we do not know how often community actually develops in classrooms and that assumptions that community exists in many or even most classrooms may be incorrect (Cook, 1995). While it is possible to maintain community online, it should not be taken for granted (Haythornthwaite et al, 2000). Explore the concept of online classroom community discussing how its presence can be confirmed or disconfirmed and offering strategies and a rationale for fostering it. [revised 09/27/10]

Question 4: Methodology

For as long as there have been speakers and audiences, there has been backchannel communication — whether as a whispered aside or, later, a passed note. However, the rapid development of increasingly sophisticated digital tools and widespread availability of wireless internet access has afforded the creation of larger, virtual backchannel spaces. Yardi (2006) argues that digital backchannel “offers a unique communication medium, a novel toolkit through which students can create, identify, and filter new modes of learning.” But, not all speakers and teachers agree. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of digital backchannel and discuss how and whether this virtual space could be more effectively integrated into classroom or presentation settings. [revised 09/27/10]

Question 3: Area of Specialization (Digital Backchannel)

For as long as there have been speakers and audiences, there has been backchannel communication — whether as a whispered aside or, later, a passed note. However, the rapid development of increasingly sophisticated digital tools and widespread availability of wireless internet access has afforded the creation of larger, virtual backchannel spaces. Yardi (2006) argues that digital backchannel “offers a unique communication medium, a novel toolkit through which students can create, identify, and filter new modes of learning.” But, not all speakers and teachers agree. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of digital backchannel and discuss how and whether this virtual space could be more effectively integrated into classroom or presentation settings. [revised 09/27/10]

Question 1: Situating your work in English Studies

The term “new media” is contested in the field with definitions generally based either in a concept of multimodality (such as Ball and Wysocki) or centered on a particular technology (such as Manovich and Bolter and Grusin). Compare these scholars’ definitions of new media and discuss the implications of these divergent positions for English Studies. [revised 09/27/10]

CW 2010 Presentation (West Lafayette, IN) | May 22, 2010 • 10:15-11:30 a.m. | Panel F6

Presenter:

• Vincent Rhodes, varhodes@gmail.com, @varhodes

Old Dominion University

Abstract:

Ubiquitous Wi-Fi access via portable computers and mobile devices has given rise to Twitter conference revolts. One casualty: the “sage on the stage” presentation model. C&W 2009 digital backchannel participants witnessed this during the #cw09happening. Analyzing this keynote address via Actor-Network Theory reveals critical considerations for better engaging audience members.

ATTW 2010 Presentation (Louisville, KY) | March 17, 2010 • 4-5:15 p.m.

Presenters:

• Liza Potts, lkpotts@gmail.com, @lizapotts
• Kathie Gossett, gossettphd@gmail.com, @gossettphd
• Vincent Rhodes, varhodes@gmail.com, @varhodes

Old Dominion University • CeME Lab • #CeME

Abstract:

The concept of online classroom community has become more important as universities begin to deal with concerns regarding distance learning students’ potential experience of isolation and disconnectedness. This case study seeks to empirically validate the existence of such an online community in the Summer Doctoral Institute at Old Dominion University and determine whether Twitter functions as an effective facilitator of that community.

NOTE: These images were posted as a course exercise using Flickr. These aren’t great samples of my ability to take photographs.

As the lyric from the Toad the Wet Sprocket song goes: “I spend too much time chasing windmills…” On the way home from Thanksgiving festivities, we decided to take Route 30 — a more scenic journey than our normal route. Last year, we unexpectedly encountered some windmills climbing above the tree line. I was fascinated. Here was a cluster of giants rearing before us. The blades were hardly moving. I was taken by their size and the unxpectedness. All I had was my iPhone (not the best camera) to document the sighting.

As we drove home this year, we purposely chose Route 30. We had a small camera with us this time and thought we’d try to snap a few shots. We were amazed again. The windmills had multiplied. And, this time, their blades were turning in enormous graceful arcs. I probably should have attempted to capture some video, but forgot. The day was overcast and cold and the landscape blanketed in snow. The contrast of the white spires wasn’t as sharp as last year when we had blue skies and plenty of sunshine. At some point, I’d like to travel Route 30 in the spring to have a better shot at capturing them against a blue sky and green fields.

You can see a few more photos on my Flickr page.

Ellison and boyd define social network sites as “web-based services that allow individuals to: (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system” (211). The authors choose the term “network” over “networking” because they choose to place emphasis on the network itself as opposed to the ability to meet strangers. According to boyd and Ellison, the rise of social network sites reflect a shift in the organization of online communities. Rather than communities organized along topical hierarchies, social networks are orgnized on personal or “egocentric” networks.

In their historical review of the development of social network sites, the authors note a few key observations:

1. Research suggests SNS tend to support pre-existing social networks.
2. There is sometimes a disconnect between privacy concerns and actual online behavior with participants expressing varying levels of trust for different sites.

[NOTE: This summary/post is incomplete.]