Our panel discussion titled - The Future of Social Media in Higher Education, was a huge success!

The event helped add to the ongoing discussion regarding Social Media and Academia. The panelist offered invaluable insight on where they currently see the Higher Education landscape and where they see academia going with the increased usage of Social Media.

The event kicked off with a special introduction by Social Media Week founder Toby Daniels.

Emphasized throughout the event was the need for student engagement in academia. The panelist stressed the importance of engaging with students and creating a social interaction that goes beyond the  current forms of communication established by universities today.

Live coverage was available via UStream and Twitter- where the audience actively followed and commented on the discussion.

Guest also gained insight into some of the tools being developed by the McGraw-Hill Student Innovations Lab.

Those who were not able to attend the event can access the video coverage here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-future-of-social-media-in-higher-education-mcgraw-hill-digital-innovation-showcase

Thanks to all those who attended and a special thanks to our panelist:

• Adam Ostrow, editor in chief of Mashable.com
• Dr. Kathleen P. King, professor at Fordham University and president of Transformation Education LLC
• Greg Verdino, VP strategy & solutions at Powered and author of microMARKETING
• Mary Casey, New York University student and founder of Jatched.com
• Vineet Madan, VP strategy & business development at McGraw-Hill Higher Education

The Second Annual Social Media Week Conferences are taking place this week and we’re excited to announce that we will be joining this week’s list of New York events. Our panel discussion titled - The Future of Social Media in Higher Education, will host education technology, social media and popular technology bloggers for an hour discussion on the trends of technology and social media in education.

WHEN: Friday February 5th at 12:00pm EST

WHERE: McGraw-Hill Companies, 1221 Avenue of The Americas, Auditorium

• REGISTER TO ATTEND
• Can’t attend? Check out our LIVESTREAM
• Participate via Twitter: #smwmcgraw

The Future of Social Media in Higher Education event will help to answer:

How is social media changing the way college students learn? How are digital applications changing how professors teach? What are the most significant education technology trends of 2010 and beyond?

The event will feature education technology and emerging media experts to explore how the social web is transforming higher education. The event will also feature a preview of highly anticipated products from the McGraw-Hill Student Innovation Lab.

The panel will feature:

Adam Ostrow Editor in Chief, Mashable.com

Dr. Kathleen P. King Professor, Fordham University; President, Transformation Education LLC

Greg Verdino VP Strategy & Solutions, Powered; author of microMARKETING

Mary Casey NYU Student and Founder of Jatched.com

Vineet Madan VP Strategy & Business Development, McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Yianni Garcia (Moderator) Marketing Specialist, GradeGuru.com

The Learning Technologies team at The National University of Ireland- Galway wrote about GradeGuru as a social network that is taking academic collaboration to the next level:

“Back in second year of my undergraduate Science degree (back in the Dark Ages), one of my friends instructed me to write my Physics notes in black pen so that they could be more easily photocopied. I complied, because that’s what you do for your friends, right?

GradeGuru seems to take this to a new level. This is a McGraw-Hill Education start-up which appears to combine social networking with note-taking (see GradeGuru – Facebook for Learning). Students submit their notes, which can then be searched and rated. There is a reward system in place, so that high ratings earn extra points, which can be traded in for rewards.”

LINK: http://learntechgalway.blogspot.com/2008/05/gradeguru-notes-sharing-by-students-for.html