FEstival

Two days ago, NUS hosted the first annual networking event for FE student officers and learner voice professionals.  We had altogether 80 participants joining us to share experience and ideas on various campaigns and issues in the FE sector.  Becta is also very pleased to support the event as sole sponsor.

As this blog is about using technology to strengthen learner voice, I’m sure you already expected something about technology!  Yes technology played an important role in facilitating the whole event - We’ve built a social networking site using Ning, for delegates to check out agenda, discuss different issues and share thoughts before, during and after events (Ning is a good platform if you wish to have more customised and secure environment for a specific target community).  Some delegates volunteered to use flip cameras to record their fellows’ actions and feedbacks throughout the day.  We also had a breakout area with laptops, so delegate could comment, blog or upload files onto the Ning website real time.  Besides, we also had a Twitter hashtag (#nusfestival), and invited delegates to text us feedbacks at the end of the day.  As some delegates mentioned, technology was everywhere and it proved to be very effective in creating and facilitating the dynamic!

We’ve also held a workshop on how technology could help engage students.  Delegates shared how they currently used technology at their colleges, and what more they would like to see in the coming year.  Many students’ unions are now looking at setting up their own websites, using online registration for their activities and events, introducing online forum and blogs, installing video conferencing and texting system, as well as improving the use of their virtual learning environment.  It’s encouraging to see more and more officers seeking technological solutions to better support their students in multiple campuses, with various engagement alongside their learning journey.

The best quote I heard about technology during the day was – It’s about finding a solution, even simple things like a phone call can be very useful! - It’s not about making life fancy, but making good use of technology to get the right things done!

Online Presence

Situation: You need some basic information of an organisation, what would you do?
A. Ask your friends/family
B. Call the organisation’s enquiry line
C. Check out the organisation’s website

I bet you’d come up with answer D – Google it.   Even when we wish to get a phone number, or check out a website, the very first thing we do is to locate the information by using search engine.  It’s simply the way how we acquire information nowadays.   With this in mind, our next question should be: how should we establish ourselves and reach out with our online presence, so that people who are interested in our work can locate and keep in touch with us?

How to establish an online presence?

To make your organisation/group searchable, you need a website somewhere in the world of World Wide Web.  This can be in the format of an page on social networking site, a “normal” website, or a blog.  All these tools serve the same function – being there, disseminating information, and interacting with your potential audience – but they also have different nature and functionality which can suit different needs.  In the coming few entries, we’re going to look at these tools one by one, and what needs to be considered in a wider context.

Social Networking

It is not just about partying and fun!  By using it effectively, social networking can strengthen the community power – people connecting with each other, information passing on through word of mouth, etc.  Mirroring our interest in knowing what our family and friends are up to, our audience probably also want to receive updates from the groups/clubs/societies they feel they belong to, and give feedbacks when necessary.  Tool such as Facebook Page is useful to provide a user-friendly, simple platform to establish our online presence quickly:

• It has interactive functions such as online forum, comments, uploading photos and videos (Note: Administrators do have control on the right of files upload, so you can decide whether you allow your students to use this function), which makes it more participative an engaging that traditional websites.
• Unlike some other social networking sites or pages within the virtual learning environment (VLE) systems, individuals do not need to be a member to read the page.  This is important if you wish to open a window for perspective students and alumni to keep in touch with you (VLE, on the other hand, is more secure yet not as helpful for establishing online presence).
• With the “status update” and “announcement” functions, information and updates can be “put” directly onto their news feed pages, without them checking out your page.  This subscription function is very powerful way to reach out.
• It gives you full control on the content of the page, unlike attaching a few webpages on a wider organisational website (e.g. a webpage of students’ union in a college website).

(Examples: City College Norwich Facebook Page; NUS Further Education Zone)

Which Social Networking site to choose?

Facebook is just one of the examples.  To consider which tool to pick, we have to take a look at:

• Which tool(s) do our audience mostly use? (E.g. Twitter is so popular now, especially in organisational and professional context. But do your students normally have a twitter account? Are they interested in it? If not you might need to consider whether it’d be suitable for you.)
• Which tool(s) can best fit in our wider communication planning/strategy?
• Which tool(s) would subject the least access problems with the access policy of your organisation? (If the tool is banned on campus it might not be ideal)

Also make sure you familiarise yourself with the tool before using it for your organisation!  We do want to establish a good online presence, don’t we?

Next time we’ll talk about what you need to do to set up a website!

Safer Internet Day

Do you know tomorrow is the Safer Internet Day?

Safer Internet Day is an annual international event aiming to raise awareness about safe and responsible use of new technologies, especially among young people. It is organised by Insafe, the European internet safety network. One of the key themes for this year is social networking.

So what does it have to do with our everyday life?

Technology can be our friend or foe, both inside and outside the educational settings. While social networking and instant communcation tools have brought us valuable opportunities for sharing, collaboration and get our voice heard, we also need to beware of the possible implications of our online actions.  We might put ourselves at risk, for example, if we:

• post inappropriate, offensive or illegal comments or materials (photos, video, sound clips, etc.)
• disclose personal information which reveals our identity
• use technological tools as a means to attacking or harassing others (i.e. cyber-bullying)

Once an item is posted online, it can be copied, manipulated and circulated, and likely to exist forever. It is therefore crucial for us as individual learners, as well as part of the wider community, to be aware of the impact of our actions and use social networking sites and other tools sensibly. Any abuse or malpractice should be reported immediately. Only in this way can we can truly enjoy the benefits. Some tips for keeping yourself safe in an online environment can be found here.