Two weeks ago I was invited to present to Human Resources personnel from area industry, business, and public organizations (hospitals, schools etc). The topic, of course, was social media. My expertise with social media involves education much more than business, but unsurprisingly the implications for both include a great deal of overlap.
Just as in education, businesses recognize the participation-shift and societal push to use social media for production, communication and building knowledge. Sophisticated technologies, fueled by a more-powerful, less expensive Internet redefine the world we live and work in. Responsible use, intellectual property, privacy issues and integrity considerations, while remaining relevant to clients or customers, are realities in industry and education/academia. Access to online tools within “traditional” business models is as constrained as within “traditional” models of education. What makes us different in K-12 is most likely the pace we tend to move at and (more) limited access to resources impacting systemic change.
After a discussion of potential use and misuse of social media our group talked about possibilities for the future with location-based social networks and mobile devices. The group seemed interested in initiatives our K-12 district is involved with to prepare kids for a rapidly-changing future requiring new literacies. They also seem committed to effecting change within their own organization. I left with a better understanding of what local organizations grapple with when considering the reach and implications of social media.
Slides from presentation:
Dani Herro's Blog 