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Features
Social Software, Social Revolution
12/29/2006
SOCIAL SOFTWARE IS HERE TO STAY, BUT WHAT IS IT REALLY, AND IS IT A GOOD THING?
MOVE OVER, MYSPACE. STEP ASIDE, FACEBOOK.
These two technologies may have been pioneers in the world of social
software, but nowadays, colleges and universities across the country
are embracing better and more targeted forms of technology, to enable
their campus users to interact. Today, the world of social software
includes traditional venues and formats: blogs, wikis, and podcasts.
It also features fresh spins on these old standards, as well as newer,
more robust technologies designed to facilitate collaboration for students
and administrators alike (see “For Gators Only,” page 42 in our magazine).
Naturally, at schools such as Saint Mary’s College (CA), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Washington University in St. Louis (MO), these collaboration tools enhance the learning environment. Still, the rise of social software on campus raises many questions: How can these tools be leveraged to improve communications and enhance instruction? What d'es the technology imply for the campus IT department? Finally, is social software a significant change in communications? The answers may be more obvious than you think.
Social Software 101
Different people have differing definitions of social software. Generally speaking, however, the technology allows individuals to interact around shared interests and so form niche communities, operate as collectives, and facilitate interpersonal exchange. The software used may be a single communication tool or a combination of tools. Either way, it includes an accessible, inclusive platform with protocols for use. All in all, this platform facilitates back-and-forth discourse; it is not a medium for one-way distribution of ideas.
In today’s academic environment, social software exists in a wide range of forms and flavors. It can be as simple as a student exchanging instant messages (IM) or e-mails with a friend, or as complex as online deliberative democracy (a method of arriving at reality through group input). A one-to-many tool such as a wiki (a type of website that allows visitors to add, remove, and edit available content, sometimes without the need for registration) also could be part of the picture, as long as the overall structure leaves the option for return communication from those among the “many,” possibly even via a secondary software tool.
Scott Granneman, adjunct professor of communications and journalism, and also of information management, teaches a class about social software at Washington University in St. Louis. In the class, Granneman has students read the work of Clay Shirky, a consultant and adjunct professor at New York University. Shirky defines social software as software that enables groups of more than two people to interact. But Granneman says he encourages his students to dig deeper for their own definitions.
“One of the things I always like to have my students think about is the difference between an interface where humans are interacting with computers and one where humans are interacting with other humans,” he says. “Both are ‘social’ in the sense that they revolve around interactions, but only the latter is truly ‘social’ in the sense that there’s a connection with other people.”
Katie Livingston-Vale, manager of the curriculum integration support group in academic computing at MIT, has a much broader definition. She sees social software as “anything that allows people to be social and communicate and connect.” Livingston-Vale notes that the challenge with social software lies in incorporating it seamlessly into the academic environment and utilizing it in an educational context to extend and amplify what students experience in the classroom.
Recommended Reading
- Where the Risks Are
Knowing what to spend on data protection and where to focus the effort isn't easy. Security assessments help eliminate the guesswork by identifying where your most critical risks lurk.
- Technology Forever
Who says classroom learning has to culminate with a formal degree? Tech-enabled lifelong learning programs are utilizing videoconferencing, vodcasting, and more to reach out to the 50-plus nontraditional student.
- They Say They Want A Revolution
As sustainability efforts ramp up on campuses, educators share eco-friendly dorm practices-- the ideal way to educate students about environmental issues.
- Getting More out of Mobile
Sure, cellular and handheld devices are quintessential communication tools, but savvy institutions are getting extra bang for their mobile tech bucks.
- It's Bandwagon Time
Colleges and universities worldwide are turning to the hosted SaaS model and saying goodbye to issues like patch management and server optimization.
- Waiting It Out
Have you given up trying to bring faculty into the world of emerging technology for teaching and learning?
