What it has or what it does not have? Signposts from US data for rural children's digital access to informal learning

Mardis, Marcia A.

doi:10.1080/17439884.2013.783595

Cited by 29 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Many use the terms to indicate context with formal representing the confines of the classroom and informal covering everything else from after-school clubs to the home (Ranieri and Bruni 2013;Reynolds and Chiu 2013). In some cases, boundaries are acknowledged as not being clear-cut (Schuck and Aubusson 2010) and in others, informal learning is conceived as closely entwined with formal learning (Ebner et al 2010;Mardis 2013). Some authors avoid any explicit definition without any clear rationale for doing so (Chen and Bryer 2012).…”

Section: Research On Social Media In Educationmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Informal learning is described as that which is not directed by school or externally mandated but is learner controlled (e.g., Ferguson et al 2014;Luckin et al 2009;Tan 2013), exploratory, self-directed and spontaneous (Dabbagh and Kitsantas 2012;Mardis 2013;Yang, Crook, and O'Malley 2013). Many use the terms to indicate context with formal representing the confines of the classroom and informal covering everything else from after-school clubs to the home (Ranieri and Bruni 2013;Reynolds and Chiu 2013).…”

Section: Research On Social Media In Educationmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Social media and education: reconceptualizing the boundaries of formal and informal learning

Greenhow

Lewin

2015

Learning, Media and Technology

447

212

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It is argued that social media has the potential to bridge formal and informal learning through participatory digital cultures. Exemplars of sophisticated use by young people support this claim, although the majority of young people adopt the role of consumers rather than full participants. Scholars have suggested the potential of social media for integrating formal and informal learning, yet this work is commonly under-theorized. We propose a model theorizing social media as a space for learning with varying attributes of formality and informality. Through two contrasting case studies, we apply our model together with social constructivism and connectivism as theoretical lenses through which to tease out the complexities of learning in various settings. We conclude that our model could reveal new understandings of social media in education, and outline future research directions.

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Section: Research On Social Media In Educationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Research On Social Media In Educationmentioning

confidence: 98%

Social media and education: reconceptualizing the boundaries of formal and informal learning

Greenhow

Lewin

2015

Learning, Media and Technology

447

212

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Considering that the school and the school library are important enablers of rural area residents' contact with society, culture and informal learning opportunities (Falk and Dierking, 2010;Mardis, 2013), the relational capabilities identiied in this article position school libraries in rural areas as key brokers in establishing and maintaining relations between people and institutions that would otherwise be more disconnected. School libraries cultivate a collaborative stance that besides being focused on student achievement is also actively targeting community leadership strategies (Harmon and Schafft, 2009) that approach the transformation of rural areas through innovation in areas of regional strengths.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging new knowledge with relational capabilities

Martins

Canhoto²

2016

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Purpose This paper aims to identify and conceptualize a set of relational capabilities that school libraries in the Alentejo region of Portugal develop for acquiring new knowledge that exists externally in the wider community. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research design operationalized via case studies was followed for the empirical analysis. Empirical findings are based on the analysis of the 84 narrative reports submitted by school libraries as part of a national performance evaluation exercise that took place between 2010 and 2012. Data analysis followed the techniques of inductive data categorization, within case-analysis, and cross-case analysis. Findings The exploration of the relational capabilities that school libraries in the Alentejo region of Portugal develop for acquiring new knowledge that exists externally in the community resulted in the identification of relationships that school libraries in the region have established to acquire new knowledge: connecting with and supporting organizations committed to civic engagement; facilitating discussions about challenging issues through strategic partnerships; convening community conversations to identify shared concerns and solutions; and embracing local culture to foster endogenous development. Originality/value The ability to seek and recognize the value of new and external knowledge, assimilate it and apply it to organizational ends has been traditionally linked to the concept of absorptive capacity. While absorptive capacity literature in business settings is prolific, literature that focuses on school libraries’ ability to identify and explore external knowledge and applying it to improve their performance is scarce. Focusing on the specific context of the Alentejo region of Portugal as an archetypical rural area, this paper identifies how knowledge existing externally in the community is absorbed by rural school libraries through specific relational capabilities that reflect school libraries’ community orientation and engagement in participatory processes that develop social resilience.

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“…The reason for this is not necessarily related to access to technology but families' determination and motivation to use web-based networks and value their role in their children's learning. In this sense, technology doesn't remove pre-existing inequalities (Mardis, 2013). With the ubiquitous use of mobile technologies by college students Cox argued that it is not the physical access barrier that determines the digital divide in our times anymore but information literacy skills among students that create cognitive divide.…”

Section: Review Of Empirical Research Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blending Formal and Informal Learning Networks for Online Learning

Czerkawski

2016

IRRODL

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With the emergence of social software and the advance of web-based technologies, online learning networks provide invaluable opportunities for learning, whether formal or informal. Unlike top-down, instructor-centered, and carefully planned formal learning settings, informal learning networks offer more bottom-up, student-centered participatory but somewhat disorganized learning opportunities for students. This paper presents a research study where graduate students are surveyed in their use of informal and formal learning networks in online courses to understand the interaction between the two and how they impact each other. The findings showed that students and professors use both environments often, to optimize learning but online course design is usually not designed to consider informal experiences of the students. The results and illustrated course design framework may contribute to the discussion of blending informal and formal learning for online learning.

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What it has or what it does not have? Signposts from US data for rural children's digital access to informal learning

Cited by 29 publications

References 17 publications

Social media and education: reconceptualizing the boundaries of formal and informal learning

Social media and education: reconceptualizing the boundaries of formal and informal learning

Leveraging new knowledge with relational capabilities

Blending Formal and Informal Learning Networks for Online Learning

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