SOCIAL MEDIA IN EDUCATION

The concept of social mediaSocial media, social networking and E-learningSocial media and instructionChannels of performing activities in social mediaAdvantages and disadvantages of social media in education

What is social media? Social media is the interaction

among people in which they create, share or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Social media can also be said to be a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of internet that allows the creation and exchange of user-generated contents.

Classification of social media

Social media technologies take on many different forms including:

magazines Internet forums weblogs social blogspodcasts

Social media, social networking and E-learning

Most often these terms are used interchangeably by people but it is important to stress the point that these three terms are very different from one another in terms of nature and functions.

SOCIAL MEDIA Social media is the interaction among

people in which they create, share or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Social media can also be said to be a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of internet that allows the creation and exchange of user-generated contents.

Social media differ from traditional or industrial media in many ways, including quality, reach frequency, usability, immediacy, and permanence. According to Nielsen, internet users continue to spend more time with social media sites than any other type of site. At the same time, the total time spent on social media in the U.S. across PC and mobile devices increased by 37 percent to 121 billion minutes in July 2012 compared to 88 billion minutes in July 2011.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

A social networking service is a platform to build social networks or social relations among people who, for example, share interests, activities, backgrounds or real-life connections.Social networking is the hottest online trend of the last few years. Not only do social media sites provide a way to keep in contact with friends, but they can also offer opportunities for professional online networking.

Advantages of social networking

Social networking offers many benefits some of the benefits includes.

making it easier than ever to keep in contact with old friends and colleagues. The professional networking site LinkedIn even allows users to request introductions to business people who are known to their contacts.

The potential of this enhanced connectivity is huge; whereas once you would be left sifting through business cards after a networking event, trying to remember details about each person, you can now easily look up a connection’s credentials and business interests on their social media profile.

Disadvantages of social networking

The primary disadvantage of social networking is that most people do not know how to network effectively. As a result, the few benefits they get from their networking activity are not worth the time invested. The best way to avoid being disappointed in this way is to decide on a strategy for using social sites, and stick to it. For example, if you are going to use Twitter to draw attention to exciting new content on your website, then resist the temptation to waste time tweeting about unrelated topics. Stay focused on what you want to achieve and don’t let yourself get distracted.

E- LEARNINGE-learning is the use of electronic media and information and communication technologies (ICT) in education. E-learning is broadly inclusive of all forms of educational technology in learning and teaching. E-learning is inclusive of, and is broadly synonymous with multimedia learning, technology-enhanced learning (TEL), computer-based instruction (CBI), computer-based training (CBT), computer-assisted instruction or computer-aided instruction (CAI), internet-based training (IBT), web-based training (WBT), online education, virtual education, virtual learning environments (VLE) (which are also called learning platforms), m-learning and digital educational collaboration. These alternative names emphasize a particular aspect, component or delivery method

SOCIAL MEDIA AND INSTRUCTION

Social media as a concept has its own impact on education both positively and negatively. In early 2013, Steve Joordens, a professor at the University of Toronto, encouraged the 1,900 students enrolled in his introductory psychology course to add content to Wikipedia pages featuring content that related to the course. Like other educators, Joordens argued that the assignment would not only strengthen the site’s psychology-related content, but also provide an opportunity for students to engage in critical reflection about the negotiations involved in collaborative knowledge production. Examples of these social medias and education includes:

Facebook and classroom

It allows for both an asynchronous and synchronous, open dialogue via a familiar and regularly accessed medium, and supports the integration of multimodal content such as student-created photographs and video and URLs to other texts, in a platform that many students are already familiar with.

Further, it allows students to ask more minor questions that they might not otherwise feel motivated to visit a professor in person during office hours to ask.

It also allows students to manage their own privacy settings, and often work with the privacy settings they have already established as registered users.

Facebook is one alternative means for shyer students to be able to voice their thoughts in and outside of the classroom.

It allows students to collect their thoughts and articulate them in writing before committing to their expression.

Facebook can also aid students in self-expression and encourage more frequent student-and-instructor and student-and-student communication

Twitter and classroom Twitter, also, promotes social connections

among students. It can be used to enhance communication building and critical thinking.

Domizi (2013) utilized Twitter in a graduate seminar requiring students to post weekly tweets to extend classroom discussions. Students reportedly used Twitter to connect with content and other students.

Additionally, students found it “to be useful professionally and personally” They also reported that students used Twitter to get up-to-date news and connect with professionals in their field.

YouTube and classroomYouTube is the most frequently used social media tool in the classroom.

Students can watch videos, answer questions, and discuss content. Additionally, students can create videos to share with others.

YouTube also improved students’ digital skills and provided opportunity for peer learning and problem solving.

Additionally, the students reported that the videos helped them recall information and visualize real world applications of course concepts.

CHANNELS OF PERFORMING SOCIAL ACTIVITIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Channels of carrying out activities on social medias online includes the following:

GoogleFacebookTwitterWhatsapp2go Etc.

GOOGLEFounded: September 4 1998 Founder: Larry Page, Sergey BrinEstimated users: 13.96 Billion active

users

FACEBOOKFounded: February 4 2004Founder: Mark Zuckerberg, Eduado

Savering, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris huges

Estimated users: 1.23 Billion active users

TWITTERFounded: March 21 2006Founder: Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass,

Evans WilliamsEstimated user: 200 million active

users

WHATSAPPFounded: 2009Founder: Jan Koum, Brian Acton Estimated users: 190 Million active

users

2GOFounded: 2007Founder: Stephen Rey, Francis ChuaEstimated users: 10 Million active

users

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN EDUCATION

AdvantagesExtensive use of public social media sites that

support the creation, sharing and commenting of content, as well as the co-creation of content, enables learners to co-create and share their own content within their own work in teams.

Extensive use of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc where individuals have built a personal network of trusted friends, means that they are using similar approaches to build networks of trusted colleagues (both internally and externally), as well as power team workspaces and internal communities of practice.

Social Constructivism: Social media provides an easily accessible tool for  helping students to work together to create their own meaning in academic  subjects, social contexts, or work environments.

Breadth of Knowledge: It is now easier than ever to know (or find out) something about  almost anything in the world through connected media.

disadvantagesDistraction: social media produces

momentary distraction of an isolated text message, and the  way in which social media involvement provides an acceptable diversion from  intellectual pursuits.

Pressure to Conform: students also give the main reasons behind their 24/7 connection is a fear of not keeping up with peers or appearing “like a  loser in public, thereby lowering their self esteem

Social  media engagement supports a culture of avoidance which operates in direct  opposition to the idea that students need to take risks and fail in their  academic endeavors in order to become successful innovators.

social media does promote a kind of intellectual and social  shallowness that could have long-term negative consequences for learners. E.g. The commonly used sets of social media channels doesn’t encourage learners to express themselves as it only provide chance for only 140 characters.

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