Like Learning: An Information Architectural analysis of compulsory school educational practices on Facebook

Andersen, Iben Meldgaard

4. Term

Information Architecture, Master

2014

2014-06-02

67 pages

En spirende tendens i relation til anvendelsen af sociale medier på forskellige uddan- nelsesniveauer er observeret. Grundet Facebooks popularitet burger nogle skoler Facebook i deres daglige undervisningspraksis. Denne rapport analyserer denne prak- sis i relation til designet af Facebooks Informationsarkitektur. Et design der i høj grad er baseret på personaliseringsprocesser, interaktion og burgergenereret metadata i form a tags. En videre analyse baseret på Persuasiv Teknologi belyser endvidere kommunikative processer mellem elever og lærere faciliteret af Facebook. Dette indbefatter simulationer af fysiske miljøer samt grader af åbne og private fora. Pæda- gogiske og psykologiske teorier anvendes til at diskutere persuasive teknikker i for- bindelse med undervisning af elever på folkeskoleniveau, herunder behaviorisme kontra indre motivation. Til at undersøge om de analytiske resultater understøtter elever og læreres opfattelser af deres egen anvendelse af Facebook, er der blevet udført kvalitative workshops. Disse workshops funktion er at frembringe viden, som deltagerne ikke tidligere har givet udtryk for og som ikke har været mulig at aflæse igennem observationer og analyser. Resultater fra analyser og workshops er løbende holdt op imod eksisterende data indsamlet igennem tidligere forskning inden for feltet relateret til læring og sociale medier. Til sidst er 10 forslag til re-design af fremtidige og eksisterende undervisningsplat- forme præsenteret. Disse forslag er opbygget omkring de analytiske fund samt work- shopresultater.

Emerging use of social media for educational purposes has been observed. Due to the popularity of the media, some schools use Facebook in their day-to-day educational practice. This report presents an analysis of this practice in terms of Information Architecture design, revealing a system with extended features such as personaliza- tion, interaction and user generated tagging options. Persuasive Technology analysis furthermore illuminates processes that enhance communicative practices between pupils and teachers. This includes simulations of physical environments and different levels of private and public spaces. Pedagogical and psychological aspects of using the social media of Facebook are being presented and discussed in relation to persua- sive technologies. To investigate the applicability of the analytical findings to compulsory education, qualitative workshops involving teachers and pupils has been conducted. The work- shops were intended to reveal the users’ tacit knowledge and find relationships be- tween pupils’ and teachers’ perceptions of key features of the social media. Work- shop results and analytical findings have been compared to existing research focused on social media in different educational levels. The outcomes of the analysis and workshops are used to make ten concrete sugges- tions for the design of online future educational platforms.

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