who am I - Introducing the web team: Dr Sarah-Louise Quinnell

I am delighted to be the blog editor for #NSMNSS and thought it was about time I introduced myself Properly ... 

I am not entirely sure how best to describe myself: Behavioural Geographer, Digital Humanist or Learning Technologist. Informally, digital junkie would probably best describe it, or at the very least a hybrid of all three. My research interests focus on the cognitive processes underlying spatial reasoning, decision making, and behaviour that people display within online spaces, specifically online spaces used for learning. My practical experience has focused on developing digital environments / communities and resources / content to support people engaged in Vocational, specifically Practice Based Professional Learning (PBPL).

I am an experienced researcher, instructional designer and freelance trainer and enjoy working with a range of organisations to develop resources to support learning through pushing digital boundaries. I have a PhD from the Geography Department at King’s College London, where I was the first student to complete their research entirely online. I am currently undertaking an MA in Online and Distance Education with the Open University, which I will complete next April.

I have written for a range of digital publications on issues to do with research, digital technology and social science. These include; The Guardian Higher Education Network, The Thesiswhisperer, PhD2Published, LSE Impact Blog and Social Science Space by SAGE. 

In 2011 I set up Networked Researcher, a training and development resource and community to support early career researchers and Higher Education Institutions looking to engage with digital technology to support the academic research process.

I am looking to cover a range of topics / themes during my time as Editor and I am eager to get members of the network involved. So please do let us know what topic areas you would like us to cover over the coming weeks. 

Empathy and Trust In Communicating Online (EMoTICON) Sandpit Expressions of Interest Called for ...

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is working in partnership with ESRC, EPSRC, Dstl and CPNI, to commission new research to develop a greater understanding of how empathy and trust are developed, maintained, transformed and lost in social media interactions. A five–day intensive workshop will be held on 6-10 January 2014 at Cranage Hall in Cheshire, and they are currently inviting expressions of interest for people to attend. 

To find further information about this event visit the AHRC website at the following link:

http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/Funding-Opportunities/Pages/Empathy-and-Trust-In-Communicating-Online-(EMoTICON)-Sandpit.aspx

NSMNSS twitter takeover: social media & social scientists in action!

I've been NSMNSS twitter manager for a few weeks now. It's a fantastic opportunity to extend my network, to understand how social media is shaping social science, and to champion the use of social media within teaching, learning, research and engagement. 

Whilst it's been an enjoyable few weeks, my voice alone is not doing justice to the diversity and wealth of research and interest in this area. There are so many different perspectives on the impact of social media within the NSMNSS community and beyond. Therefore we want to open up the account by inviting social scientists using social media and/or carrying out research in this area to become NSMNSS curators. 

Each curator will take over the Twitter account for the week and share content and thoughts of interest to our followers. If you would like to curate the NSMNSS account, I would love to hear from you. Please contact me by email: j.m.condie@salford.ac.uk or twitter @nsmnss @jennacondie.