Thesis: Digital literacy and the use of Social Media mutually shape each other
On Monday, October 26, Juan Daniel Machin Mastromatteo from Tallinn University institute of digital technologies will defend his thesis, in which he explored what significant issues and challenges emerge when social media are integrated into higher education learning environments and the role that students’ literacies may play in such integration.
On Monday, October 26, Juan Daniel Machin Mastromatteo from Tallinn University institute of digital technologies will defend his thesis, in which he explored what significant issues and challenges emerge when social media are integrated into higher education learning environments and the role that students’ literacies may play in such integration.
The thesis is critical of technological determinism, which claims that technology as such is the starter of societal development, and it can change values and practices or ignite social change. According to Machin Mastromatteo, practices and values also shape technologies and their use in return:
“Learning, literacies and social media mutually shape each other. Having a learning purpose can drive the way we use social media and the potential to use these tools for learning may compel designers to develop features for this purpose. The use of social media for learning brings many implications that are associated to the development of literacies, such as having a sound instructional planning behind their use and the many new ways they open for interacting and learning. However, if a person does not have necessary literacy skills, they may not be so successful in these new technological spaces.”
Social media are highly embedded into people’s lives because of their ease of use and versatility. However, there is a need for a critical understanding of teachers’ and students’ views, ideas and experiences with Web 2.0, as well as the skills they need to use them in teaching and learning in higher education, and because a lack of understanding of students’ expectations of Web 2.0 tools might limit the success teachers may have in providing the best opportunities for engaging and motivate students.
The main challenges in integrating social media into higher education are questions of trust and trustworthiness, quality control and information overload: “Since learning environments foster authorship and privacy, a possible misuse of personal data is a crucial issue – therefore the question of trust is vital, as information must be trustworthy. However, there are no specific standards for quality control on social media, so raising awareness about having a critical eye over the credibility of online content is important. The issue of information overload points to the need for proper information structures and the development of the information literacy skill of evaluation,” Machin Mastromatteo explains.
Juan Daniel Machin Mastromatteo’s doctoral thesis „The Mutual Shaping of Social Media, Learning Experiences, and Literacies / Sotsiaalmeedia, õpikogemuste ja kirjaoskuste vastastikune mõju“ was supervised by professor Sirje Virkus from Tallinn University. Opponents are senior researcher Gillian Oliver from Victoria University of Wellington and professor Timo Tobias Ley from Tallinn University.
The doctoral thesis can be accessed from the Tallinn University Academic Library e-depository ETERA
The public defense of the thesis will take place on October 26, 2015 at 14:00 at the Tallinn University auditorium M-225, Uus-Sadama st 5. The defense will be held in English.