Interactions in a Professional Development Network

Tony CarrConvenor of e/merge Africa

Plan

What is e/merge Africa?Some general observations about interactionDiscussions across environmentsSocial networks in groups

e/merge Africa offers professional development and networking opportunities focused on the use of educational technology in African higher education

• To share good practice and good research

• To provide a facilitated space for interactions in a landscape of practice

• To foster fruitful conversations across related specialist professional practices

Aims and objectives

Our 2015 activities to date include:• a peer-assist session on the uptake of

learning management systems in Higher Educational,

• an online research colloquium,• a seminar on social media use in

Higher Education• an online Learning Design workshop• A Digital Storytelling workshop• an online facilitation course.

Our Interaction Spaces

• websites• Facebook • Live meetings

Also• Twitter feed• LinkedIn

General observations

• Facilitation matters• Peer facilitation• Interaction infrastructure• Interactions at the core and the periphery

Moves between environments

Forum AND Facebook – Three cases

1) Shifts from the forum to Facebook and back to the forum 2) Discussion starts in the forum then moves to Facebook.3) Discussion starts and remains in the forum.

Different kinds of messages

Quick interactions in Facebook – shorter messages

Deeper interactions in the forum – longer messages

Some key factors

• Preferences and practices of participants and facilitators

• Facilitator moves • Affordances of environments• Time for asynchronous interaction

Connections in our Facebook Group

Zooming into the core

Network based on posts, comments and likes