Authentic Learning using the Participatory Web Information Session

HILLgroup, a collaboration between the Library and Information Technology Services, is offering a new information session entitled Authentic Learning using the Participatory Web. The focus of this information session is to evaluate some ways that newer “Social Software” applications might be used to support teaching and learning.

Location:
Burke 001

Dates and Times:
Note that each time is a complete session – multiple times are provided for convenience

·          11:00am, Monday January 14th (sandwiches and refreshments provided)

·          2:00pm, Monday January 14th (refreshments provided)

·          9:30am, Wednesday January 16th (refreshments provided)

Sessions will include one hour of presentation and demonstration, and an optional hour for questions and discussion. Refreshments will be provided.

To RSVP or ask a question, please send an email to Carl Rosenfield at crosenfi@hamilton.edu.

Session Content Summary:

Marilyn Lombardi, director of the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) Center at Duke University, states in her Authentic Learning for the 21st Century whitepaper, "Thanks to the emergence of a new set of technological tools, we can offer students a more authentic learning experience based on experimentation and action. With the help of the Internet and a variety of communication, visualization, and simulation technologies, large numbers of undergraduates can begin to reconstruct the past, observe phenomena using remote instruments, and make valuable connections with mentors around the world."

Recently, Hamilton College students were asked to provide informal feedback about their use of technology and their preferred learning styles. This short video includes some of their most common responses, which reflect some of the ideas presented in Lombardi’s whitepaper.

For the purpose of exploring how newer "Participatory Web" applications can be used to support Authentic Learning at Hamilton College, HILLgroup would like to offer Authentic Learning Using the Participatory Web information sessions. These sessions will summarize the design elements that Lombardi attributes to Authentic Learning and evaluate the educational application of several technologies that foster student engagement and interaction.

Specific technologies will include online multimedia sharing and commenting using YouTube, GarageBand and iWeb, collaborative writing assignments using the new third-party wiki tool in Blackboard, and virtual experiments and experiences using virtual world software called Second Life. For those unfamiliar with Second Life, this short video, recorded on Hamilton College’s virtual Root Glen, shows what this digital world can look like.