Academia.edu
Url of the tool
http://www.academia.edu
Primary category of the tool
Reflection, Feedback, and Networking
(please note that there are some background noise due to the fact that the recording was done at the public place -- I lost an Internet connection)
Video cast is available at the following url.
http://www.screencast.com/t/NDUxMWQ2NmE
Description of the tool
academia.edu is a social and research network for those who share their research interests in higher education. Their homepage tag line reads, "Follow the latest research in your field." When you register for the first time, you are required to provide your status as a position holder in higher education, such as faculty or research post-doc in which department and university. Upon registering at academia.edu, you will see all the papers (peer reviewed) you published pulled out automatically by academia.edu. It was a bit of embarrassment to see only three papers listed when I registered. Later, you can add your books, papers, blog posts, update research interests, CV, and websites. A distinctive feature on the site is the question that pops up and asks, "What are you thinking about right now?" An answer to this question could be used for tagging purposes and possibly for followers. I don't think my answer to this question draw any followers. You can also find friends through Google or Google-Hosted Email account. Once, you find interesting friends, you may invite them to academia.edu. The academia.edu got started its presence in October of 2008, and it boasts more than 200,000 members in it. Although the scale is not near other social network sites, such as Facebook, it is quite a big research community considering the fact that most members are probably research faculties in universities. The academia reports having prominent member researchers as Stephen Hawking, Paul Krugman, and Noam Chomsky.
What do you need to know before using this tool?
No particular tools are needed,
What do you need to have before using this tool?
You wouldn't want to join the academia.edu if you do not have particular research interests with an academic status.
How do you use this tool?
1. Register at the site
2. You may upload your papers and books
3. You may share your research interests
4. You may find your friends, and invite them to academia.edu
5. You may follow work of someone whose research interests you.
Create an example with this tool and embed in your blog or submit the URL.
An example with this tool is the front page of my own website within the Academia.edu site, showing some of the features.
Description of a scenario of how you might use this tool in a teaching environment.
Since the academia.edu offers an unusual opportunity for students to follow prominent researchers' work in real time, the use of the site would be more appropriate for graduate courses or senior level undergraduate research seminar courses. For example, when I teach a course on mathematics computations in fluid dynamics, I can provide a list of possible research projects or areas to ask for students. Then, the assignments for students would be to find and follow researchers in that field in Academia.edu. This rare encounter with real researchers in the course that students are taking would spark their motivation for future research. Another use of this site in a teaching environment could be a project in a senior level mathematics course that asks students to find out a list of particular mathematicians whose research areas are the topics for the course. For example, students in Real Analysis might look for analysts in the Academia.edu and create a report on what their recent research activities are.
What are the advantages of using this tool in a teaching environment?
The biggest advantage is students' exposure to research community in real time. Finding out what real researchers are doing on students' own interest areas would be invaluable for their motivation for further study.
What are the disadvantages of using this tool in a teaching environment?
The success of this site would depend on whether it has most research members in each research interest area. Otherwise, it may lose its value in a teaching environment.
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