By Darina Slattery.
Reading Time: ~7 mins.

Featured Image Source: Image by author.

In this post:

Introduction and Video

In this video, produced as part of the Sharing Open Education Practices Using Technology (SHOUT4HE) Erasmus+ project, I outline how I use social media to engage my students, in a module about e-learning theories and practices. Because the topic is evolving, it can be difficult to cover every development in the weekly lectures. However, through this assignment, I can provide students with another way of keeping abreast of industry trends. The assignment also helps students grow their network of contacts, as they can follow key influencers in the field. Another objective of this assignment is to expose students to using social media for pedagogical purposes, so Twitter provides them with one such platform.

Supported Tools at UL

A variety of tools and technology resources are referred to in the SHOUT4HE video library, which are intended to place the focus on the pedagogical approach and the transferability of the educational practice to other contexts. This does not imply endorsement of tools used and UL staff who teach are encouraged to use supported tools whenever possible.

About the Author

Dr Darina Slattery is a Senior Lecturer in Instructional Design and E-Learning at the University of Limerick, where she teaches modules about e-learning, instructional design, and technical communication. In 2019, she won the UL Award for Excellence in the Provision of Pedagogic Support, for the digital learning supports she designed and developed for UL colleagues. She is an alumna of the Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning professional development programme.

References/Further Reading

Salmon, G. (2004) E-moderating. 2nd edition. London: Routledge Falmer.

Salmon, G. (2013) E-tivities: The Key to Active Online Learning. 2nd edition. New York: Routledge.

Slattery, D. M. (2021) Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) Tools and Resources [online], available: https://staff.ul.ie/slatteryd/tel-resources.