Are Linkedin Recommendations for Student Leaders the New Thing?
The first time I asked an advisor of mine to write me a letter of recommendation back in college, he said, “sure, fill out what you want me to say, and I’ll adjust as needed and sign.” At the time I thought that was cheating, but once I realized that he also got asked from […]
The Emerging Dilemma of Facebook URLs
While hanging out with friends, someone asked the group what our first online screen name was. We all shared and laughed as each one was more obnoxious than the previous. BigBlueEyez22 LookAtMe_LookAtMe Itz*MEEEEEEEEEE TheKooliest sportygirl9 footballdemon i<3puppies CrappyMcCrapper Luckily, we’ve all grown up and realized that those names, while fun and cool when we were […]
Why You Should Use Your Real Name Online
Over the past week we experimented with a new series called “Yesterday in #StudentAffairs” as a way to capture, and re-purpose, the amazing amount of knowledge that flows through #SAchat every day. We originally used a person’s Twitter username to give them credit, which worked fine when their real name and Twitter username were basically […]
Social Media and Student Activism: An Interview with Dan McDowell
Dan McDowell is a junior at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, studying Political Science with a minor in Public Policy. He’s currently the Speaker of the Student Senate in the Undergraduate Student Government, contributes to the SGA Collaborative, and moderates the #SGAChat on Twitter. He took a break from his busy schedule to talk with us about […]
Newsletter: November 2010
As the month of November wound down to a close, we found ourselves reflecting on the things for which we are thankful. In a world of increasing digital noise, we are most grateful for the meaningful relationships and serendipitous discoveries that new technologies can bring. Stay tuned—in the next few months, we’ll be […]
The First Year Experience Curriculum
Although the vast majority of first-year students are using Facebook and Myspace, and spending a great deal of time on the web, many still aren’t familiar with the web tools that are most conducive to enhancing their education. Helping students develop positive digital identities sets them up for success in an increasingly digital age – after […]
The Value of Integrating Social Media into Education
Dean Long, of LAUS, only needs two minutes to perfectly explain how every educator should be thinking about social media. VIDEO FILE NO LONGER AVAILABLE And if your life is too busy for a two-minute interlude, here are the highlights: Use SM (Social Media) to cultivate a community around the activities already being done on […]
Facebook and The Adolescent Brain – The Emerging Employers’ Dilemma
Two weeks ago, I asked my Facebook followers if they’d post differently knowing that 60% of employers search the web when considering potential employees. Several students came back with strongly worded annoyances about not wanting to change their online behavior: Then my adult friends chimed in: Though we were talking about online behavior, the difference […]
Orientation Before Orientation: The New Work of First Year Social Network Development
We exist in overlapping, intertwined social networks: family, friends, neighbors, church groups, hobby acquaintances, Christmas card friends, etc., etc. It’s an old human thing, we’ve always been that way. We get emotional well-being from close family and friends. We get growth from topic groups. We need well-being first, then growth, it’s Maslow’s hierarchy. When a […]
Blogs as E-portfolios: Better for the Students, Cheaper for the .edu
Please don’t pay for e-portfolio software. Instead, help or encourage the students to set up their own blogs. Let me quickly explain. The original idea of an e-portfolio** was to help students keep a record of the work they did. This was intended to help them learn and show progress (the faculty and institution value) […]