Category: Technology

Top 100 Tools

The Centre for Learning & Resource Technologies recently published a list of  Top 100 Tools for Learning. I’m not familiar with this organization though reading up now. The list is dynamic and routinely updated based on Top 10 Tools lists submitted by a variety of folks from the corporate world, higher ed, K-12, other non-profits, consultants and so on.

As I scroll through the list, I find myself thinking in terms of myself (do I use these tools?) and my Student Affairs colleagues (do they, generally as a group, use these tools?).

The top five: Firefox, de.licio.us, Skype, Google Search, and WordPress.

Me: Yes (daily), Yes (daily), Yes (occasionally), Yes (daily), and No (Blogger and others)

My SA Colleagues: Some, Probably Not, Probably Not, Yes, and Probably Not.

This isn’t surprising to me, or really even disappointing. It is so hard to keep up with the technology, especially for those of us who are digital immigrants. Many university administrators are probably unfamiliar with many of these tools, and it is my job to keep our SA folks up to date about these tools. First, how do students use them? Second, how can we use them to deliver courses, student services, and developmental programs? Third, how can we use them for our own individual productivity?

This list might be good material for initial self-assessment for workshops related to these tools.

Facebook: Love/Hate

Today’s article on Technician Online makes clear that students’ love of  Facebook is not unconditional. In fact, students seem to have a love/hate relationship with this and other online social networking sites. This article outlines some new tools available on Facebook, which are the result of Facebook Platform (a set of developer’s tools that allow these applications to be written). Apps range from pure entertainment to politics  to dating to the “doing good deeds” genre, and include titles such as iLike (music), LOLCats, Movies, Naughty Gifts, Compare People, Causes, My Purity Test, Fortune Cookie, What’s your Stripper/Porn/Gangster/Hieroglyph (and more) Name, Moods, Bumper Sticker…and hundreds more.

Some students quoted in the Technician article feel that these applications make Facebook more of a time-waster than before, and others feel that the applications are silly or meaningless.

This coincides with some student perspectives I heard through an Interactive Theatre performance at a conference I recently attended. The students (both in character and out) stated that they have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. On one hand, it is the ultimate procrastination tool, and you can find yourself suddenly hours into a Facebook session. On the other hand, it helps the students feel connected. Essentially, the students were saying that they are addicted (their term) to Facebook and had to get their fix every day, even though it could (but doesn’t always) waste time.

Another theme from this performance was the notion that Facebook seduces students into the notion of “feeling connected” but that when using Facebook in a vacuum, it can lead to all sorts of misconceptions and behaviors that can be harmful to individuals and and their relationships with others. Students use Facebook to “feel connected” (especially on large campuses) but can also end up feeling isolated and friendless.

I think our Student Affairs staff have a love/hate relationship with Facebook as well. Many recongize this as a resource that indeed could be a wonderful tool to help students connect, but worry about the lack of personal interaction, the sharing of personal information, and the consequences of the behaviors on students.