using weblogs at school to prepare today's students for their (professional) life

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 1

Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students for their (professional) life

Christian Schmidt6TH November 2009

ZEW-KMRC Workshop on Social SoftwareMannheim

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 2

Table of contents

Challenges through changing business environments

Competences for a knowledge society

Opportunities gained by teaching knowledge management at school

Potential of weblogs for students’ motivation and reflection

Study design and main results of a pilot study

Summing up

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 3

New business environments…

SOURCE: Adapted fromBrühl & Keicher (2007), p. 26

Transformation I Transformation II Transformation IIIIncreasing complexityefficiencyinformation accessoptions

• Industrial working culture evolves

• high external costs

• rule breaking

• heyday of organization man

• knowledge work evolves

• globalization

• creative work evolves

material: value added by producing immaterial: value added by information processing and differentiation

Agrarian economysince 400 AD

Industrial economy1879

Knowledge economy1959

Creative economy1990

Creative worker

Knowledgeworker

Industrial worker

Farmer

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 4

… demand new competences.

Characteristics of knowledge work:

– Complex and dynamic

– Continuously new challenges

– Demand a high degree of information, coordination and cooperation

– Demand continuously personal development and creative performance

Personal resources needed :

– Domain knowledge

– Problem solving competence

– Media competence (utilization, appraisal)

– Social competence

– A positive attitude to lifelong learning

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 5

… demand new competences.

Characteristics of knowledge work:

– Complex and dynamic

– Continuously new challenges

– Demand a high degree of information, coordination and cooperation

– Demand continuously personal development and creative performance

Personal resources needed :

– Domain knowledge

– Problem solving competence

– Media competence (utilization, appraisal)

– Social competence

– A positive attitude to lifelong learning

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 6

Assembling the jigsaw pieces

Problem solvingcompetence

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 7

Problem solvingcompetence

Media competence

Assembling the jigsaw pieces

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 8

Problem solvingcompetence

Media competence

Social competence

Assembling the jigsaw pieces

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 9

Problem solvingcompetence

Media competence

Social competence

A positive attitude to

lifelong learning

?

Assembling the jigsaw pieces

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 10

Opportunities gained by teaching knowledge management at school

Schools

Students

Students learn the benefit of teamwork as well as the

necessity of lifelong learning. With increased

competencies in handling information and knowledge they are better prepared for

their future (professional) lives.

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 11

Opportunities gained by teaching knowledge management at school

Schools

Students

Students who are able to cooperate as well as tohandle information can be confronted with morecomplex tasks. This allows schools to implement innovative teaching methods, and hence make education more effective.

Students learn the benefit of teamwork as well as the

necessity of lifelong learning. With increased

competencies in handling information and knowledge they are better prepared for

their future (professional) lives.

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 12

Students use ICT in their spare time – but at school?

Source: http://blaugh.com/2006/09/01/rough-first-day/ [03.11.2009]

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 13

Self-determination theory of motivation (see Ryan & Deci, 2000)

Self-determined learningAuto

nomy

Competence

Relatedness

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 14

Reflection Operational definition

„Reflection is a process during which a person pays attention

to a problem, evaluates this problem on the background of a

previously set goal and of his/her past experiences, generates

options for action, relates the expectable outcomes of these

options to the present situation, and makes decisions for

future actions with the aim of solving the problem.“

(Henninger & Mandl, 2006, p.

56)

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Design of the main study

Use of weblogs in addition to German classes

Treatment: use of weblogs

Variables:– Control variables: teacher, class atmosphere, interest (subject, Web-

2.0-tools), media competence– Independent variable: use of weblogs– Moderator variable: motivation– Mediator variable: reflection– Dependent variable: learning results

Methods:– Quantitative: questionnaires, quantitative content analysis– Qualitative: qualitative content analysis, interviews

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 16

Design of the main studyE

GC

G

Questionnaires

Content analysis

Interviews

Jan10

Feb10

Mar10

Apr10

6 weeks

Data collection to select matched samples

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Goals of the pilot study:– How will students use their weblogs? – How will students appraise the use of weblogs?– How will students’ motivation and students’ interest develop

during the course?

Panel study: 4 measuring times at intervals of approx. 4 weeks

Research tools: questionnaires based on – Basic Psychological Needs Scales – Interest scale from the “Intrinsic Motivation Inventory”

(adapted to the subject media law and to weblogs)– Self-formulated control items (at first and last measuring time

only)

Explorative pilot study in summer term 2009Use of weblogs at a media law course

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 18

Results: Basic psychological needs

No significant differences between measuring times

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

t1 t2 t3 t4

Measuring times

Me

an

va

lue

Aut

CompRela

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 19

Results: Interest in media law and weblogs

No significant differences between measuring times

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

t1 t2 t3 t4

Measuring times

Me

an

Va

lue

IntBlogIntML

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 20

Summing up

The competence to handle information and knowledge is a basic skill in today’s society that becomes more and more important for our (professional) everyday life.

Schools can benefit from imparting knowledge management competence to their students as well.

Using weblogs at school seems to be a promising method for training knowledge management and so to prepare students for their future.

More studies in these fields of research are necessary to create optimized learning settings.

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 21

Thank you for listening

6TH November 2009, ZEW-KMRC Workshop Using weblogs at school to prepare today’s students fort their (professional) life Folie 22

Contact

Christian Schmidt

University of Education Weingarten

Kirchplatz 2

88250 Weingarten

Germany

Tel. +49 (0)751 5018576

E-mail: schmidt@ph-weingarten.de

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Crossyard

Blog: http://crossyard.wordpress.com

http://www.ph-weingarten.de/medien-und-bildungsmanagement

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References

Brühl, K. & Keicher, I. (2007). Creative Work. Business der Zukunft. Zukunftsinstitut GmbH.

Ryan, M. R. & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology 25, 54-67.

Henninger, M. & Mandl, H. (2006). Training soft skills with software. Fostering reflection in the training of speech-receptive action. In D. Frey, L. von Rosenstiel & H. Mandl (Eds.), Knowledge and Action (p. 53-86). New York: Springer.