Social media and open access online education are powerful tools for those who decide to use them. They open us to others and new information in ways that could have only been dreamt of in the past. But both of these applications of the internet are relatively new and thus are still growing and changing as we begin to figure out what works for us and what does not.

Personal and Professional Social Media

An interesting struggle that can take place when using social media is deciding what you should and should not post. This problem is compounded when you are balancing both a personal and professional/academic presence. Sometimes, when the wall between the two breaks down (context collapse) it can lead to problems. Trying to keep personal and professional separate is difficult and sometimes impossible. What you say in your personal profile to friends and family you may not want to be affiliated with your professional brand. This has led to some people even being fired for their personal use of social media which reflected poorly on the company/institution they work for or belong to. The bigger question may be, should personal and professional be separated? you are only one person and no matter what you are posting on social media, whether personal or professional, it does represent you and your character.

It is possible that some scholars are realizing that it is difficult to keep your personal and professional life separate online unless employing strict posting discipline and control or posting anonymously. I think over time people are finding it easier to not separate the two and their may be some good reason to that. It could humanize you on an academic level. It would allow others to see you as a person and not some big brained intellect who has no time for the common people. It could also open up your friends and family to understanding what you do professionally and get to know you in that regard too. Of course, this can be a double-edged sword and invite criticism and online harassment when you were not seeking it.

The Shortcomings of Online Education (MOOCs, Etc.)

The standard person may not be interested in OED or MOOCs because the are generally big, long winded courses that require time and a commitment. I believe that there is a form of education, whether legitimate or not, that is taking place in the form of short 5 – 10 min YouTube videos. The average person doesn’t want to sit down and hash out an online course. They want to solve their problem now and move on. I don’t care about the history of the automobile and its design changes over the century, I want to stop that damn ticking noise that my car makes.

The internet and media and general have trained the average person to enjoy short clips that are entertaining and then to move on. If you are going to keep people’s attention for more than 5 – 10 minutes you had better be entertaining. I’m afraid to say it but most post secondary education is not very entertaining. Often it can be a little boring and dry. It may be worth the time to reassess how MOOCs are made and the format they take. Perhaps if they were more palatable to the average person they would be more widely used. YouTube channels like CrashCourse are a good example of an engaging and entertaining way to teach bigger concepts, or at least introduce them.

Readings:

Open Scholarship 

Veletsianos, G., & Shaw, A. (2018). Scholars in an increasingly open and digital world: Imagined audiences and their impact on scholars’ online participation. Learning, Media and Technology, 43(1), 17–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2017.1305966

Open Data 

Atenas, J., Havemann, L., & Priego, E. (2015). Open Data as Open Educational Resources: Towards Transversal Skills and Global Citizenship. Open Praxis, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.7.4.233

Massive Open Online Courses

Rohs, M., & Ganz, M. (2015). MOOCs and the Claim of Education for All: A Disillusion by Empirical Data. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(6). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/2033

Open Access Research 

Couture, M. (2017, July 12). Academic Publishing at a Crossroads. University Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-myopinion/academic-publishing-crossroads/