PRESERVICE TEACHERS INSIGHTS FROM A SOCIAL CURATION EXPERIENCE

Our research focuses on preservice teachers' insights regarding Social digital curation outcomes and potential in education. Educational Social Curation [1] is refers to using social curation for learning purposes i.e. the process of creation a personal ontology by the learner, in which the essence is the learning process and not only the product. The study included 78 preservice teachers, which produced altogether 46 summaries and insights regarding their experience throughout the BA course "Digital Curation" in the year 2016-17. The data was collected from reflections written by participants at the end of the course. Findings indicate that participants focused on 5 major themes in their writing: cognitive, authentic learning, emotional-motivational, connectivity and ethical aspects. The cognitive aspect, of curation, including viewpoints as students and as future teachers, and the contribution of curation to authentic learning, encompassed the majority of phrases. The conclusions of the study are consistent with the assumption according to which mastery of technological tools is a prerequisite to the activities of preservice teachers as a digital curator. However, this is not the only condition. Educational Social curation is an activity that promoted 21st century skills, exemplifies authentic learning, and is highly connected to emotional and motivational aspects of the learner.