Web 2.0 and Social Media, Managing the Threats and Making the Most of the OpportunitiesDavid Davies1; JB McGee2 DescriptionIs this a familiar scenario in your institution? Only weeks into their first year of medical school, students are doing what comes naturally - setting up their own freewheeling blog about their courses, rating their professors, Twittering about their lectures and lecturers, and sharing proprietary online course content with friends across the globe. Growing up with the web and now armored with free and easy to use web 2.0 technologies, students bring both new expectations and new risks to school. Rather than stifle students' creative use of social media and networking and scare away faculty, there are ways to use Web 2.0 safely and effectively. What some may see as a threat to the status quo can be a catalyst for a learner-centric curricular change. Using real-life examples and hands-on exercises this workshop aims to enable participants to utilize collaborative Web 2.0 tools and social media. We will together explore topics such as collaborative learning around virtual patients, social learning networks, supplementing course websites with student generated content and tapping into Google's free tools and cloud computing. Participants will work in small groups hands-on with Web 2.0 applications and share on the pros and cons of these new tools including managing issues of student use, privacy, and professionalism.
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