The 21st Century Researcher

The number of fantastic technologies available  largely for free on the social web is enormous. To the early career academic or research student, it can be quite hard to know what is worth the effort to learn and curate (because utilising these tools effectively does require effort and commitment).

With this in mind, GLEU Studio has today launched two new workshops to offer a helping hand.

Research and the Social Web (I): Presenting and sharing your research looks at tools that can be used to disseminate and present as much or as little of research as desired. These tools include Google+, SlideShare, Prezi and WordPress, amongst others.

Of course, there’s an argument that all research should be kept close to one’s chest until it’s ready for publication. Equally, one could argue that exposing initial research findings to a global audience could lead one down unexpected and useful avenues.

Research and the Social Web (II): Networking and your digital profile examines the tools that can aid professional visibility and – hopefully – help towards gaining that all important first post.

I’ve delivered a few of these workshops elsewhere. They are very hands-on and participants leave both with a clear idea of how they will use some or all of the tools and the skills to be able to manipulate them.

However, the greatest value is in having these researchers talk and share their knowledge and experiences with each other. Where possible, I always try to have each session introduced by an academic colleague who has used the tools, and who can contribute to this discussion.