Although I have been engaged in some social networking for many years, I had also avoided some of the more obvious and important (culturally speaking) social networking phenomenon. My reasons were varied, but chief among them was that I wanted to avoid the time-cost of participation. Then I was challenged by a speaker at an innovation fair. She knew that I taught and asked if my students were using these platforms (which she knew they were/are). Her main point then was why was I making it difficult for my students to interact with me? Why was I making them interact with me on my terms, instead of theirs, or even meeting them halfway?

I recognized value in her points, and began to make an effort to join with my students. Since beginning to make an effort to be where the students are (virtually speaking), I've found it easier to communicate with them. Often they approach me when they cannot contact other faculty.

So what I really hope to achieve in this course is a better understanding of other ways that social media can contribute to my work environment (although it may improve my use in personal matters as well). In the context of my current workplace I'd like to be better positioned to say and influence how my organization (not just me) makes use of social networking. I hope to learn more about the sciences and the arts of social networking - not just how to use current formats and platforms, since the platforms will evolve and change.

I'd also like to be able to be more relevant to my students. For some time we've heard of the death of "the sage on the stage" but clearly we still need guidance in our education. To do that we need to find a way to engage them in a way they are interested in. Charging tuition and assigning marks does not seem to be very much of a motivator for many students to participate. The Chronicle of Higher Education has a current article titled "Students May Be Reading Plenty, but Much of It Is Not for Class" that examines this. Although taken one way it can be taken as indictment against the modern student, the author, SuHua Huang, rather points out that "we have to update our teaching methods and integrate technology and use social media in the lecture."

(The link should direct you through the AU Library, and through EBSCO - a direct link to The Chronicle of Higher Education is here, but requires a subscription.)