This Week's Reflection

 This week, I have been reflecting deeply on the concept of produsage in educational settings, especially as it applies to graduate-level learning environments. Axel Bruns (2008) defines produsage as a model where users collaboratively and continuously co-create content, eroding the traditional roles of “producer” and “consumer.” From my perspective, this model holds enormous potential for transformative learning, particularly in courses that aim to empower students as knowledge creators, not just passive recipients. When applied to education, especially via digital platforms, produsage invites students to contribute meaningfully to the learning process through autonomy, creativity, and peer interaction.

On the other hand, the rigid design structures of some social media learning activities (SMLAs) can easily undermine this promise. As Zgheib and Dabbagh (2020) note, even when social media tools like blogs and wikis are used in classrooms, these tools' “social” aspects are often underutilized. Their study reveals that although faculty use social media to organize and deliver content, these tools are frequently designed with limited student interaction, and the activities are often highly structured and mandatory. This can lead to a learning environment that mimics Learning Management Systems (LMS) more than communities of practice.


In my view, this approach risks reproducing inequities and discouraging intellectual risk-taking. If students are asked to choose their final grade path from the outset, with assignments mapped accordingly, they are effectively tracked, much like standardized testing tracks students in K-12 settings. This model starkly contrasts the values of produsage, which depend on learner agency and adaptability (Bruns, 2008). It also reveals the disconnect that Zgheib and Dabbagh (2020) highlight between faculty’s intentions in designing SMLAs and the actual levels of cognitive engagement students experience. Their research showed that despite aiming for higher-order thinking, many social media tasks resulted in minimal interaction and superficial engagement.


I believe that if we want to cultivate classrooms where students are producers of knowledge, we must also design learning environments that enable genuine participation, foster equity, and value exploration over control. Tools like blogs and wikis are only as powerful as the freedom and creativity they allow. As we move forward, the challenge is not simply to include social media in learning, but to reimagine our pedagogical structures so that digital spaces become spaces of collaboration, emergence, and authentic inquiry. What do you think about it? Do you agree or disagree?


See you soon!

The Great Gatsby.


References

Bruns, A. (2008). Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and beyond: From production to produsage. Peter Lang.

Zgheib, G. E., & Dabbagh, N. (2020). Social media learning activities (SMLA): Implications for design. Online Learning, 24(1), 50–66. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v24i1.1967


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