using mobile apps to foster social presence in
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Using Mobile Apps to Foster Social Presence in the
Online Classroom
George EngelKeith Pratt, PhDRena Palloff, PhD
Mobile Tech and the University
• 5 billion cell phones in world• 1 billion internet capable mobile devices• Online Enrollments include mobile device
users• What is the impact of mobile tech on the
online learning environment?
Social Presence
• “The degree of salience between two communicators” (Short & Christie, 1976).
• “the person we become when we are online and how we express that person in virtual space (Palloff and Pratt, 2007).
Multiple definitions:
Social Presence
• Early research began on study of communication medium• Much modern research centers on the
online environment• Little research, at this time, on mobile the
mobile environment
A Mobile Social Presence
• Students can participate in coursework without using a desktop• Mobile tech allows communication to go beyond simple voice
or text based • Mobile tech is a tether that binds a new
generation of learners together with aconnectedness not possible in previousgenerations
A Mobile Social Presence
Mobile technology, with its ultimate connective/communicativecapability, has the potential to enhance the “realness” of a person’s presence in an online classroom.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Social NetworksSocial networks are a two edged sword:• They foster online presence
and build connections • They can destroy social presence and isolate
an individual from the groupUse of networks within a classroom environmentmust be carefully administrated.
Mobile Apps!
Cel.li
Podio
Evernote
Yammer
Join.me
DropBox
Google apps
MS 360
More apps/websites worth noting:
• Polleverywhere.com• Flikr.com• Orchestra-to-do• 37 signals campfire• Flow• Phuser• Self-destructable text notes
Thoughts and Questions