Social Media – Page 10 – techKNOWtools

AcAdv, NACADA Tech, nacada10, Social Media

Packing My Bags for NACADA10

October 1, 2010October 1, 2010 Laura Pasquini

It’s time to gear up for the annual 2010 NACADA Conference happening this coming weekend/week in Orlando, FL. Let’s pack our academic advising conference bags:

Sunscreen & glasses – CHECK
Booked my hotel & a FREE ride on The Magical Express Bus – CHECK
Interactive Conference Scheduler – CHECK
Posted on the Official NACADA2010 Conference Blog – CHECK
Reviewed the Exhibitors list – CHECK
Prepped my Pre-Conference Workshop (#16) Wiki – CHECK
Read the Last Minute Tips – CHECK
Packed my Social Media Toolkit & Gadgets —- YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

This year NACADA has decided to be more social & interactive (officially) online. This is excellent news for many Academic Advisors and Administrators who want to be part of the growing, collaborative network of advisors who already play in the virtual environment. The NACADA backchannel will allow conference attendees in Florida, and other professionals from afar to interact, converse, connect, and share the conference happenings.

Last year, Eric Stoller & I initiated an unofficial backchannel at the 2009 NACADA Conference on Twitter & Facebook. This idea developed out of the interest to participate in the conference even if we were not able to be there in person. Since Texas is my home state, I was able to drive down to San Antonio for part of the conference. Due to the economic down turn, many advising units have had to cut professional development and travel funding budgets – which limit the number of colleagues who can join the annual conference.

This year, I am fortunate to be part of a team who will be helping to support the NACADA Backchannel. Brad Popiolek and Rey Junco are part of the collaborative group who will help support the online presence of #NACADA10. Here’s a bit more information about what to expect & my NACADA 2010 Social Media Guide blog post.

For those not interested in creating accounts to stay connected to the NACADA 2010 Backchannel, you are welcome to just follow along. I will do my best to share some updates, but most of mine will be through one of the NACADA online platforms:

Check out the NACADA 2010 Blog & stay tuned for daily posts: http://nacada2010.blogspot.com/
“Like” the NACADA Facebook Fan Page & see updates in your Facebook feed: http://www.facebook.com/NACADA?ref=ts
Read the Daily Newspaper (aggregation of all the #nacada10 talk online): http://paper.li/tag/nacada10
Follow the NACADA on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nacada
Twitter Search with the hash tag #nacada10

For those of you who WILL be at #NACADA10, please be sure to join us for the very first NACADA TweetUp after the Common Reading on Monday night. This social gathering should be fun! We will meet at a location (to be announced SOON) on Monday, October 4th at 7 pm. Stay tuned to blog/Twitter for updates & safe travels to all. See you there!

BreakDrink, CTC, Higher Education, nacada10, SAchat, Social Media

Social Media Strategies in Student Affairs

September 28, 2010September 28, 2010 Laura Pasquini

Last night, the Break Drink Campus Tech podcasting crew decided to tackle the hot topic of Social Media Strategies in Student Affairs. During the Campus Tech #14 show, the three of us shared some thoughts and ideas that are currently being put into practice for many higher education institutions, and discussed how social media is impacting our university and college campuses.

Photo c/o http://www.policytool.net/

The hot topic included the following discussion points:

digital citizenship
education and awareness of Student Affair practitioners and students
the evolution of social media on campus
questions & concerns for best practices of social media in higher ed
examples of current social media policies & guidelines
resources for developing social media strategy for your campus

Image c/o The Advanced Human Technologies Group

Here are a few great resources to check out if you are designing your own social media strategy on campus:

ELI 7 Things You Should Know – 64 Resources http://www.educause.edu/Resources/Browse/ELI%207%20Things%20You%20Should%20Know/33438
Nonprofit Social Media Tips http://www.convio.com/signup/guides/social-media-tip-sheets/Nonprofit-Social-Media-Tips.html
Policy Tool for Social Media: http://socialmedia.policytool.net/
21 Rules for Social Media Engagement http://mashable.com/2010/05/18/rules-social-media-engagment/
10 Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy http://mashable.com/2009/06/02/social-media-policy-musts/
4 Tips for Integrating Social Media Into the Classroom http://mashable.com/2010/05/11/social-media-school/
Social Networking Security – Internet2 Wiki https://wiki.internet2.edu/confluence/display/itsg2/Social+Networking+Security
Social Media Policy Generator http://socialmedia.policytool.net

In thinking about this grand topic, the Campus Tech posse realized that it was a daunting issue to tackle in a 60 minute podcast. The discussion about emerging technology and social media in higher education will not be over soon. To help continue the conversation and support best practices using social media, I initiated a digital archive of resources we hope other Student Affairs practitioners will contribute to:

Social Media Strategies in Student Affairs Google Doc

If your campus has a social media strategy or you have further resources for best practices, please share them in the above document. The Campus Tech show would love to know what you think about social media on campus, and we will be sure to talk about updates or comments we receive.

NEXT WEEK on the Campus Tech Podcast: Speaking of Social Media in Higher Education….

Stay tuned for the show next Monday (8/4/10) at 7 pm CDT as we connect to the LIVE happenings of the 2010 NACADA Annual Conference for Academic Advising professionals. This year is the first year @NACADA has recruited a team to support social media and a backchannel for participants near & far. Here’s the NACADA Social Media Guide & be sure to follow the hashtag #nacada10.

AcAdv, NACADA Tech, Social Media, web 2.0

Academic Advising IS Social

August 9, 2010September 20, 2010 Laura Pasquini

Believe it or not, most of what I do as an academic advisor is quite social. Through various daily interactions my objective, as an advisor, is to empower students to gain knowledge, ideas and direction for their academic career. Beyond the advising appointment, I strongly believe that students need to stay connected and collaborate with their networks on campus to become effective learners. This means that social media and Web 2.0 resources definitely need to be introduced into the campus equation.

Many academic and student affairs offices in higher education continue to express skepticism and doubt for practical uses of social media with students. Like other academic advisors, I sometimes feel deflated by the minimal support and interest to utilize technology resources for advising and student support. Perhaps it is the lack of knowledge or few experiences that provides our profession with Web 2.0 ignorance? Or maybe a better list of technology competencies for professionals? Or a list of best practice and guidelines that we require to move forward with social media?

In thinking about last week’s webinar with the Higher Education Hero group, I am left pondering a a few ideas that involve social media and emerging technologies for academic advising on my own campus and with my department.

Many initiatives involving technology in academic advising stemmed from the following key factors:

supportive administration
collaborative efforts from staff, students & faculty
interest in connecting students to resources
enhancement of current services
accessible and available advising content beyond the typical 9-5 office hours
assessment of the technology needs
an effective project plan & implementation process
program evaluation & review
on-going support & interest

Here’s to pondering, planning & possibilities ahead!