The rise in social media over the years has had a huge impact on society. It has become the place we turn to for entertainment, news, community, and learning. Initially, the goal was to keep social media platforms out of the classrooms as they were seen as a distraction and a bad influence on learners. Now, the inclusion of social media has changed how students do research, measures their level of engagement, and has become a creative resource for learning.
Curiosity
Acknowledging students’ curiosity is one way to develop their learning and build a growth mindset that embraces new concepts. It helps them find motivation while in the classroom and encourages them to find resources to answer their questions (Keller and Deimann, 2018, p. 80). When the COVID-19 pandemic spread, there was a rise in virtual learning and the digital classroom became the main stage for education. At that time, educators were desperate to keep their students engaged in the curriculum, and often used technology and social media to fill in the voids. What we have since seen is that social media helps to increase research skills in students because it quickly became one of the most accessible forms of learning when the traditional classroom was compromised. For example, Twitter encouraged collaboration as students could search hashtags or trending topics to find more information on events, concepts or ideas. Also, the video-sharing platform known as YouTube became a source of learning games and tools and a resource to educate on digital literacy. Collectively, these things have, and continue to help learners unlock new levels of knowledge and learn to use social media to empower their education (Deeken, 2020).
Mastering the Learning Task
Building confidence in students is one way to help motivate them to learn. This confidence can help them take control of their learning and create more successful learning outcomes. This can lead to the development of positive habits and behaviors that result in achieving a goal and an increase in belief that the individual has sole control at reaching success (Keller and Deimann, 2018, p. 81). Incorporating access to social media in education has allowed students to explore and experiment with different styles of learning. They've also been exposed to new skills like editing, digital design, special effects, and even coding. The more students practice these skills, the better they become, and the sooner they master the task. Regular usage also helps the learners become more familiar with and begin to build trust with technology or the social media platform. This trust helps to create an enhanced learning experience for the student because they believe the outcomes will be positive and motivating (Rahman, 2021). When connecting this to the impact it has on their classroom education, mastering the use of a social media platform or the use of technology can encourage creative thinking and challenge expectations students may have for themselves. Pushing the limits here can motivate students to take charge of their education and reach the place of self-efficacy where they fully believe in their own abilities.
Goal Setting
Preparing students to understand the importance of setting goals for themselves when it comes to education can be a motivator in their learning (Keller and Deimann, 2018, p. 81). Having a list of goals to pursue can also create a positive learning experience for students as it teaches them to identify their strengths and acknowledge areas needing improvement. When connecting this to the use of social media, incorporating it into lessons can help students understand the creative process. Using Twitter to keep students updated on classroom events, or TikTok to create content on different units of learning are examples of the creative process in use. Students would decide what kind of content would go on these sites, assign each peer a job or responsibility, discuss the desired outcome they want to achieve with their content, then successfully execute it. Each step in the process encourages collaboration amongst the students and teaches them how to set a goal and implement strategies to reach success (Marich, 2021). The use of social media in this instance can also highlight strengths and weaknesses in a student’s learning, which can help with creating goals for their individual learning plan.
Summary
The inclusion of social media in the classroom has helped transform the way educators approach teaching. No longer seen as the enemy, social media has proven to become a useful tool in teaching and can support students as they grow in their education. When properly used, social media can enhance the learning experience and teach research, writing, and creative skills that can be beneficial beyond the classroom.
References:
Deeken, A. H., Mukhopadhyay, S., & Jiang, X. “Sara.” (2020). Social media in academics and research: 21st‐century tools to turbocharge education, collaboration, and dissemination of research findings. Histopathology, 77(5), 688–699. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1111/his.14196
Keller, J., & Deimann, M. (2018). Motivation, volition, and performance. In R. Reiser & J. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th ed.). Pearson.
Marich, H., Brandon, D., Greenhow, C., & Hartman, D. K. (2021). Eight Tweeters Tweeting: The Writing Processes of Second Graders Composing with Social Media. Elementary School Journal, 122(1), 26–56. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1086/715481
OpenLearn. (2022, November 18). Using digital tools in Teaching - Social Media. YouTube. https://youtu.be/TtEKXoGhZsI?si=G2uHeIqklXPuN-9S
Rahman, T., Kim, Y. S., Noh, M., & Lee, C. K. (2021). A study on the determinants of social media based learning in higher education. Educational Technology Research & Development, 69(2), 1325–1351. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1007/s11423-021-09987-2
TEDx Talks. (2016, March 28). Incorporating & Accounting for Social Media in Education: Harry Dyer: Tedxnorwiched. YouTube. https://youtu.be/ZteEZbAtsNI?si=BoOVGE6Nnh9B7jwA
Nykia Rodgers
IDTMS24
Blog 2: Learning with Social Media
Introduction
Since the start of social media, it has revolutionized how we communicate. You can keep in touch with friends, connect with new people, and even have business relationships. Social media has done a lot even within the classroom. At first, teachers used to be against social media in a learning environment. What Changed? Covid 19 started a different use of online learning, online grocery shopping, etc. However, social media has brought about positive changes in the classroom. We will be discussing how social media encourages collaboration, interactivity, and lastly feedback.
Encourage Collaboration
When it comes to learning, collaboration is important with learners because it brings about creating a safe space…
Peer Response to Learning with Social Media blog post by arfletcher2
Transformation of Education
The emergence of social media has revolutionized education, reshaping traditional methods and transforming the learning environment. Initially viewed as a potential distraction, social media platforms like Twitter® have emerged as invaluable tools for enriching the educational experience. Megele (2015) highlights the multiplicity of settings and flexibility of engagement provided by social media, transcending boundaries between formal and informal learning contexts. Moreover, the integration of social media complements learning activities, enhancing students' interrelational dimensions of learning and facilitating experiential learning in e-professionalism and evidence-based online engagement (Megele, 2015).
The evolution of education through STEM and robotics is intricately tied to instructional design principles, as outlined by Keller…
Peer Response to Learning With Social Media Written by arfletcher2
A Platform for Curiosity to Flourish
This case study does an excellent job of explaining how social media can allow students to follow their path of learning. I believe that the requirement for what is considered to be scholarly research is evolving. The TED talk video showcased at the top of this blog post should be shared with classroom teachers everywhere. Social Media should not be a prohibited resource but rather an embraced source of current information. Learning to use their phones constructively will change their relationship with their device. Motivation to learn is promoted and maintained when learners employ volitional (self-regulatory) strategies to protect their intentions (Keller, 81).
Challenging…
This blog post points out the major change in education since the incorporation of social media into learning environments. It discusses how perceptions have shifted from viewing social media as detrimental to recognizing its value in education, fostering curiosity, and achieving mastery in learning tasks, leading to goal-setting. This commentary seeks to delve deeper into this subject by drawing from literature reviews, theoretical perspectives, and empirical research to enrich our understanding of the multifaceted role of technology-mediated communication in education.
Veltsos and Veltsos (2010) stress the importance of teaching responsibly with communication technology, highlighting the necessity of guiding students in the safe use of social media, including considerations about privacy, intellectual property, and data protection. This supports the blog post's…
According to Holmes (2019), “social media makes the dance world a lot smaller, giving users instant access to artists and companies.” The same can be said for students learning a new concept. Having access to social media gives people instant access to the world. A few decades ago, if someone wanted to learn something, they had to go to the library and dig through a card catalog and then go through book after book to see if they can find the answers. For a dancer, they can both inspire and be inspired by others on social media, even if it is curated content. For students that were in high school during the pandemic, the use of social media became even…