Inproceedings
An Evaluation of Google Plus Communities as an Active Learning Journal Alternative to Improve Learning Efficacy
Mark Scanlon; Brett Becker. Proceedings of 8th International Conference on Engaging Pedagogy (ICEP 2015), 2015.
Contribution Summary
This research explores the use of Google Plus Communities as an active learning journal alternative to traditional learning journals. The authors discuss the limitations of traditional learning journals, including the lack of feedback and limited sharing of student work. They present a case study of a module that implemented G+ Communities as a learning journal alternative, highlighting the benefits of increased student engagement, peer learning, and social learning. The authors provide guidelines for implementing G+ Communities in educational settings, including setting up private communities, creating categories for student entries, and using automated statistical reporting tools to measure student engagement. The study concludes that G+ Communities have the potential to improve learning efficacy and foster a sense of community among students.
Keywords: Active Learning Journal; Google Plus Communities; Collaborative Learning; Social Learning; Student Engagement; Learning Efficacy; Educational Technology; Pedagogy 2.0
Abstract
Learning journals are a very beneficial learning tool for students across a range of disciplines. The requirement of frequent entries to a journal encourages students to start achieving the learning objectives from the first week of a module. The completed journal serves as a useful revision resource for students preparing for a final exam or even long after the module’s completion. The downside to learning journals is that they are passive and the class as a whole does not benefit from the variety of opinions, articles and personal experiences logged in their classmates’ journals. If the journal is only handed in at the end a semester, there is no room for feedback for the students on their entries until after the module has completed. In this paper, guidelines for the deployment of an active learning journal alternative, using Google Plus Communities, are presented. A literature review is also included for alternative case studies in using learning journals, 1 weblogs, and wikis for recording and encouraging student learning throughout a module.
BibTeX
@inproceedings{scanlon2015googlecommunities,
author={Scanlon, Mark and Becker, Brett},
title="{An Evaluation of Google Plus Communities as an Active Learning Journal Alternative to Improve Learning Efficacy}",
booktitle="{Proceedings of 8th International Conference on Engaging Pedagogy (ICEP 2015)}",
year=2015,
month=12,
address={Dublin, Ireland},
publisher={ICEP}
}