Abstract for a paper on reflexivity and understanding divergent responses to social media & web 2.0

On behalf of the HEA History Subject Centre, I will be doing a paper on this at the British Association of American Studies annual conference in April:

A common assumption: undergraduate students today are all technology-addicted, iPhone-wielding, web-savvy digital natives; so it's safe to assume that we can integrate the use of new web software and hardware gadgets into teaching; therefore, assuming that everyone has sufficient access to enough technology, combined with tasks that challenge them to use those technologies, they should all respond with equal enthusiasm and ingenuity.

Research being undertaken with the HEA History Subject Centre (based at the University of Warwick) is investigating the possibility that: although superficially most young people now seem able and happy to use these new technologies, in fact their are quite radically different and distinct ways in which they respond to them; these differences might be the result of deeper tendencies in modes of personal innovation, failure and reflexivity (drawing upon the work of the sociologist Margaret Archer amongst others); furthermore, as technologies become more personal, ubiquitous, instantaneous and connected (web 2.0, social) these differences may be amplified, having significant consequences for teaching and learning.

Robert O'Toole : 25 Jan 2011 16:19 |  Tags: Ideation |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem