I think that it is a great idea to incorporate social media in to higher education. People use social media not just for recreation, but professionally as well. Distance learning uses different forms of technological media to disseminate information from the instructor to the learner. Since the world we live in is becoming more computerized and people are very familiar with using different forms of social media outside of the field of teaching and learning; it would be a wonderful idea to integrate social media inside of the classroom. Popular forms of social media that can be used to teach people include YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, LinkedIn, Wikis, Slide Share, and Flickr. I do not feel that social media should be used as a tool to replace traditional learning management systems or others instruments that schools may have in place for distance learning, but it should be combined with other tools to enhance the students’ learning environment. By incorporating social media in to distance education, it can help instructors do the following:
These are just a few examples about how social media can help enhance the students’ learning experience, and improve the caliber of an instructor’s teaching style. Social media can be seen as a value-added tool for higher education, especially in a distance learning environment. These things can create collaborative learning and enhance communication within and outside of the classroom.
References:
Lee, M., & McLoughlin, C. (2010). Beyond distance and time constraints: Applying social networking tools and web 2.0 approaches in distance education. In Veletsianos, G. (Ed.), Emerging Technologies in Distance Education. Retrieved from http://www.
aupress.ca/books/120177/ebook/04_Veletsianos_2010-Emerging_
Technologies_in_Distance_Education.pdf.
Kurtz, G., Sponder, B., Litto, F.M., & Oshima, J. (2011). Using Web 2.0 for fostering students’ creativity and supporting diversity in online courses: Strategies and practices. A paper presented at the 24th ICDE world conference, Bali, Indonesia. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/open?d=0BzA_NTEhbdH8RTQyc0wt
NDE2S1k.
Anderson, T. (2009) Social Networking in Education. A draft paper to STRIDE handbook for The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Retrieved from http://terrya.edublogs.org/2009/04/28/social-networking-chapter/.
Pang, L. (2009). Application of Blogs to Support Reflective Learning Journals. Retrieved May, 21, 2009, from http://deoracle.org/online-pedagogy/teaching strategies/
application-of-blogs.html.
- Enhance communication by permitting the learners’ to contact the instructor to raise questions or get feedback;
- Post notes or remind students’ about their assignments and due dates;
- Post supplemental class material that will link the students’ to articles and videos to help them learn outside of the classroom;
- Connect with other students, teachers, and professionals to increase communication and build community with others;
- Share ideas and collaborative with students inside and outside of the classroom;
- Follow other teachers or educators to keep up with the latest educational and teaching trends;
- Students can use Pinterest for class projects and presentations;
- Use YouTube to find videos on course topics in order to educate students and create a more memorable learning experience;
- Make a class blog to keep students up-to-date about what is going on in class such as class quizzes, assignments, tests, and projects;
- Post class discussion topics on a blog; and
- Motivate students to post on a class blog to help them develop their writing skills.
These are just a few examples about how social media can help enhance the students’ learning experience, and improve the caliber of an instructor’s teaching style. Social media can be seen as a value-added tool for higher education, especially in a distance learning environment. These things can create collaborative learning and enhance communication within and outside of the classroom.
References:
Lee, M., & McLoughlin, C. (2010). Beyond distance and time constraints: Applying social networking tools and web 2.0 approaches in distance education. In Veletsianos, G. (Ed.), Emerging Technologies in Distance Education. Retrieved from http://www.
aupress.ca/books/120177/ebook/04_Veletsianos_2010-Emerging_
Technologies_in_Distance_Education.pdf.
Kurtz, G., Sponder, B., Litto, F.M., & Oshima, J. (2011). Using Web 2.0 for fostering students’ creativity and supporting diversity in online courses: Strategies and practices. A paper presented at the 24th ICDE world conference, Bali, Indonesia. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/open?d=0BzA_NTEhbdH8RTQyc0wt
NDE2S1k.
Anderson, T. (2009) Social Networking in Education. A draft paper to STRIDE handbook for The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Retrieved from http://terrya.edublogs.org/2009/04/28/social-networking-chapter/.
Pang, L. (2009). Application of Blogs to Support Reflective Learning Journals. Retrieved May, 21, 2009, from http://deoracle.org/online-pedagogy/teaching strategies/
application-of-blogs.html.