This artifact shows an ability to understand the factors involved with a technology integration or initiative. I learned that while teachers do not need to be technology experts to integrate technology, they do need tools that are compatible with and enhance their personal teaching styles. In addition, I learned that students need choice and ownership of their learning. Both teacher and student needs can be met with the appropriate technology and integration model.

Article Review

Using Social Media Applications for Educational Outcomes in College Teaching: A Structural Equation Analysis

The article’s focus is on measuring the educational outcomes of using social media in college teaching. Cao et al., (2013) created a study that aimed to answer “does social media use in teaching lead to improved education outcomes, and what motivates college faculty to use social media in teaching?”. The study’s results were derived from a questionnaire for college professors that included social media as part of their instruction. To create the 80 question survey the authors reviewed existing literature on using technology for learning and teaching and used the Technology Acceptance Model as a framework. According to Cao et al. (2013) the data collected from the survey showed that when using social media as a part of instruction, professors reported greater student satisfaction with the course and professors also reported positive effects on student learning. Examples of positive effects included higher student engagement, more learning, stronger likelihood of completing assignments and stronger relationships between students and their peers and between students and professors. The study also found that the greatest indication of whether professors would use social media in their teaching was not how familiar they were with the media but its “task-technology compatibility, or how well social media “fit” with their teaching. The authors contented that the higher levels of student satisfaction had a “significant effect on student learning outcomes” (Cao et al., 2013). Implications from the research include understating what drives faculty to use social media in their research and the recommendation that universities should provide professors more training programs and support in social media use, so that students will reap the benefits of learning with social media. The authors acknowledge that a learning outcome is a product of various factors and that there are limitations to their research. However, they believe the study is an introduction into understating the outcomes created by using social media in teaching and learning and suggest that other factors like student grade point averages and student surveys are explored in further research.

The results of the surveys show that teachers don’t need to be social media experts to use the technology and that students try harder when they feel they are in control and have choices and the other capabilities that social media affords. More professors will adopt social media as an instructional tool as they discover how it is compatible with their teaching and promotes higher levels of student learning. Teachers in all levels of education will benefit from trainings that show the positive learning outcomes provided by using social media as instructional tool. More than trainings that explain the benefits of social media, teachers also need tools and support from instructional coaches and technology specialists that can work closely with specific content areas and grade levels to tailor the technology integration to support student needs.

With support and interventions, teachers will be able to think critically about how to incorporate social media and examine what capabilities they want to take advantage of when designating instruction.

Cao, Y., Ajjan, H., & Hong, P. (2013). Using social media applications for educational outcomes

in college teaching: A structural equation analysis. British Journal Of Educational

Technology, 44(4), 581-593. doi:10.1111/bjet.12066

This is an evaluation of eportfolio platforms based on ease of use, features and intended purpose. The artifact shows a knowledge of various platforms and an understanding of how to evaluate and choose a technology best suited for educational purposes. While completing the review I was able to understand that before selecting an eportfolio platform, there should be consideration of multiple factors including the main purpose of the eportfolio and the most important features it must have to support the intended purpose.

Evaluating Eportfolio Platforms : Google Sites, Wix, Foliospaces

Eportfolios help support student learning and are authentic assessment tools because they facilitate reflection, revision, communication, and allow eportfolio authors to use a broad range of media to show their understanding and capabilities. In addition, eportfolios are easy to access, allowing a variety of people to view, comment and engage with student work. Eportfolios are based in constructivist learning theory. They represent the product and process of learning. A key part of creating an eportfolio is the process of students choosing and assessing their work, leading to a deeper understanding of their learning.

Google Sites: Integrated and Easy to Use

Google Sites is a website building tool from Google that allows you to easily create, share, revise and publish content without any coding experience. It’s also free to use and an integrated part of Google’s family of products. It can be used to both showcase work and as a collaboration tool. It’s easy to set up and manage Google Sites because it has a simple user interface and is integrated with other Google services, a convenient feature for using eportfolios in the classroom. For example, students can easily upload an essay from their Google Drive to their Google Sites without having to sign in to another website. For students and teachers that are often pressed for time, an easy to use system that they’re already familiar with helps use their time efficiently. For teachers that are new to technology, Google Sites’ simple design and web building features allows them to focus on creating the learning experience provided by eportfolios and less on the technology itself.

Wix: Polished and Visually Appealing

Wix is a website building platform that allows users to create professional looking websites at no cost. It doesn’t require any coding experience and has the ability to integrate different media. Wix is a little more difficult to use than Google Sites; however, it does offer help features like short tutorial videos and access to a support team by phone or email. Wix also has a large collection of designer templates and features that make it easy to customize the site, but once a template is selected it can be difficult to change it. The ability to add a blog to the website is very convenient for instructional use, especially as a reflection tool. If a goal of the eportfolio is to showcase high quality images and videos along with text, Wix is a great choice. It even has the ability to animate text, which is not available on other web building platforms.

Foliospaces: Extra Features for Instructional Use

Foliospaces is a free eportfolio platform that is geared specifically to educators and students. In addition to offering a space to create pages, Foliospaces also features the ability to add a blog, a resume builder and a social networking system. Although Foliospaces is not as visually appealing as web builders like Wix, and does not allow users to customize the background without an added fee, it’s a student friendly and easy to use platform. Foliospaces is an especially good choice if you’re interested in combining an eportfolio with a blog and networking system.

Choosing, an eportfolio hosting site depends on the purpose or intended use of the eportfolio. People that want to use the eportfolio to showcase their visual work might prefer the aesthetic features of Wix, while others may find that their content is text heavy, and prefer a simple interface like Google Sites or Foliospaces.