Tag: eli07

ELI07: U of Minnesota Survey Data

I’m sitting in a session being presented by Brad Cohen, Asst Director and Coordinator for Curriculum Development at University of Minnesota.

They’ve done a couple of intensive surveys regarding use of technology by a) students and b) faculty. Looking for the link, can’t find it but will post it later.

Some quick notes for now:
– Students are experienced but not sophicsticated users of technology.
– Students have strongly positive attitudes toward the use of technology in their eductation
– Students favor media rich and efficient uses of technology
– Students’ third most rquested use of funds is to pay for faculty development for tech
– Faculty: number one barrier to using tech is time.

ELI07: Documenting the Conference

The efforts to document individual experiences at this conference, and provide opportunities to collaborate are quite extensive. This is in addition to documenting the cohort and large group learning and materials.

First, a Twitter account (event? account? still new to Twitter lingo) has been set up for this ELI event and lots of folks are posting to that.

Second, anyone who is blogging their experience (or otherwise documenting on photo-sharing or social networking sites) has been encouraged to use the tag “ELI07NetSavvySession” so that no matter where the posts live, they will all be aggregated together at the EDUCAUSE Connect site.

Third, there are a number of “extra” multi-media materials being developed in parallel with the conference. For example, I will record a podcast later this afternoon that will summarize my presentation from earlier this morning. That podcast (and others, I assume) will be available as part of the conference materials. I also was part of a group that was interviewed by Diana Oblinger on all these “net savvy student” topics. I look forward to see those final products.

Fourth, all materials from the presentations (both general sessions and concurrent break out sessions) will soon be available on the web. Several of us have decided to beef up what was shown on the screen. Knowing my presentation would later be uploaded to the web, I decided not to clutter up the version I actually presented with links and references and copyright notices and all that. So what I upload will actually be much more complete.

ELI07: Defining “Net Savvy” as a Concept

I see now that while I’ve done a good job about educating our Division staff about technology in student affairs, I’ve fallen short in truly understanding students’ use of technology.

This event has truly defined “Net Savvy” for me. (And that seems a bit like a “fad” phrase, but it is being used in all sorts of formal EDUCAUSE publications and other pubs.)

I also assumed that since students knew so much about technology that they were using it well. Not so fast my friend! Students may know how to download photos or google like a champ, but the real question is: do they have a full set of skills that lets them use technology in efficient and appropriate ways? Do they engage in good decision making?

Diana Oblinger’s opening remarks on this topic were great. This isn’t word for word, but it captures the key phrases and ideas. Being “Net Savvy” is: knowing how to find information; being able to upgrade your knowledge, being able to collaborate; synthesize that info; good decision making and critical thinking; not a one-time affair (can’t get innoculated); becomes a habit; it’s developmental.

Some great EDUCAUSE links:

This is definitely the next thing we need to explore here at NC State, and of course in good ol’ Student Affairs.