The Transformation of Education Through Social

Media

Dr. Elisha WohlebDr. Leane Skinner

December 6, 2013

The Evolution

• Social and Technological changes:Internet connectivity available almost everywherePersonal computer evolved into homes, schools, and

officesMobile phones emerged – capable of accessing World

Wide WebWeb-based applications developed to be used on

many different devicesSociety embraced these technological changes… to

the point where they are not only encouraged, but expected!

AOL Dial Up

Terminology

• Social media is defined by Bryer and Zavatarro (2011) as “technologies that facilitate social interaction, make possible collaboration, and enable deliberation across stakeholders. – The technologies include blogs, wikis, media (audio, photo, video,

text) sharing tools, networking platforms (including Facebook), and virtual worlds” (p. 327).

• Sistek-Chandler (2012) acknowledged that Web 2.0 technologies, social media, and social networking are often terminology used interchangeably in reference to the online exchanges within cyberspace.

Terminology

• Many teenagers and young adults are referred to as digital natives and being in the Net Generation, meaning they were born into a technology driven society and are embedded with highly sophisticated technical skills and learning preferences(Bennett, Maton, & Kervin, 2008). – Characteristics

• Freedom – like to set own priorities• Customization – self-created world is second nature• Collaboration – grown up in an interactive world• Entertainment – enjoyment of tasks is important• Speed – impatient and always looking for increased speed

Interesting Statistics in Education

1. 96% of students with Internet access report using Social Media

a) 50% of students who use social media talk about education topics online

b) 50% of those who talk about education topics online, talk specifically about schoolwork

2. 75% of 7th-12th graders have at least one social media profile

3. 69% of American high schools have banned cell phones.

www.mediabistro.com

Interesting Statistics in Education Cont.

4. 27% of schools have an online community for teachers and administrators

5. 46% of schools have students participate in online pen pal or other international programs

6. 49% of National School Boards Association schools participate in online collaboration with other schools

Benefits for Educators

• Professional community of educators• Encourages collaboration• Exchange of information, ideas, and best

practices• Exposure to technology-based ideas• Encourage professional engagement, training

and continuing education• Promotion of inter-cultural and cross-cultural

dialogue

www.mediabistro.com

Benefits for Parents

• Increase communication between teachers and students

• Involvement in the classroom and the curriculum

• Understanding class and teacher expectations• Transparency for schools and districts

Benefits for Students

• Influence school activities• Increase academic or educational networking– Responsibility, safety, reputation, good citizenship

• Stimulate engagement, discussion, and understanding– Ex: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Skype

• Learn collaboration• Development of 21st century skills• Positive attitude towards technology• Connections between online participation

Social Media

Earliest examples used in the classroom:

• Blogs• Wikis• Podcasts

How can we/do we use these?

Social Media

• Video Sharing– TeacherTube– YouTube– EduTube

• Online community for sharing instructional videos• Teachers can incorporate video into lessons• Students can record and upload school news,

special evens, presentations, commercials, ctso activities, etc.

• A Cleaner YouTube

Social Media

• Facebook– The challenge is to use this tool effectively– Can create a school/class/ctso group– Post assignments, discussion, events, etc.– 100 ways to use Facebook in your classroom

Social Media

• Twitter– Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters

displayed on the user's profile page. – Tweets are publicly visible by default, however

senders can restrict message delivery to their friends list.

• How to use in the classroom:– Attendance, direct messaging, report class

accomplishments, engage students in discussion, stay current on important issues.

Social Media

• Doodle– Schedules meetings, events, etc.– In the classroom use as a sign-up sheet

• Poll Everywhere– Replaces expensive audience response hardware with

standard web technology– Works internationally with texting, web, or twitter

account.

Social Media

• Instagram– Take a picture or video, choose a filter to transform its

look and feel, then post to Instagram– You can even share to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and

more.• In the classroom:• Share homework assignments (photos of whiteboard/smartboard)• Share interesting student work• Class scavenger hunts• Photo essays• Photo prompts• Concept illustrations• Share real-life connections to classroom learning

Social Media

• Pinterest– A content sharing service that allows members to

"pin" images, videos and other objects to their pinboard.

– Pins are like bookmarks– Boards are where you organize your Pins– Follow boards you love– Pinterest etiquette: Be respectful; Be yourself; Give

credit; Stay alert; Let us know.– 37 Ways to use Pinterest in the Classroom

Social Media

• Screencast-o-matic– One-click screen capture recording on Windows, Mac, or Linux– Educators are using screencasts to record lectures, provide

demonstrations, present orientations to an online class, tell digital stories, and give feedback on student assignments, among other things.

– They are also creating assignments that require students to produce a screencast.

– User friendly– People involved in tech support find screencasting a very efficient

way to show users how to solve a problem

Social Media

• MailChimp– More than 4 million people use MailChimp to create,

send, and track email newsletters. – Create signup forms that match your classroom’s look

and feel– send your subscribers product updates, event

invitations, announcements, or editorial content

Social Media

• Quick Response (QR) Codes• Basically a quick, scannable barcode-like image

that takes you to a specific digital destination.• How to use in education:

– Create 21st century resumes – link to other content such as website or portfolio

– Show exemplars – link to examples of quality work– Make your classroom greener – create a code that takes them to

directions, assignment, or announcement– Make learning stations – different online videos or activities

• QR Code Resources

Social Media

• Glogster– allows users to create free interactive posters, or

Glogs– A "Glog", short for "graphics blog", is an interactive

multimedia image. – It looks like a poster, but readers can interact with the

content.

Social Media

• Moodle– Open Source Course Management System (CMS), also

known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

– It has become very popular among educators around the world as a tool for creating online dynamic web sites for their students

Social Media

• Remind 101– A safe way for teachers to text students and stay in

touch with parents– All phone numbers are kept private– Schedule texts to be sent at a later date– Messages are one-way, so students & parents cannot

reply

Social Media

• Edmodo– A free and safe way for teachers and students to

collaborate– Engage students

• teachers can continue classroom discussions online, give polls to check for student understanding, and award badges to individual students based on performance or behavior

– Connect to resources• a powerful network that connects them to students,

administrators, parents, and publishers

– Measurable student progress • All grades and badges assigned or awarded through Edmodo

are stored and easily accessible.

Social media

• Which Shouldbe added:

• Socrative• PicMonkey

• Evernote• Animoto• Voki• GoAnimate

Social Media

• Webquests - www.zunal.com• A classroom-based lesson in which most or all of the information that students

explore and evaluate comes from the World Wide Web.

– can be as short as a single class period or as long as a month-long unit;

– usually (though not always) involve group work, with division of labor among students who take on specific roles or perspectives;

– are built around resources that are preselected by the teacher.

Students spend their time USING information, not LOOKING for it.

• Websites – www.wix.com; www.livebinder.com

Use Caution and Common Sense

• All school districts have unique rules. – Understand what is required for a social media tool to

be integrated into the classroom. – Many instances of resistance can be overcome if the

gatekeepers learn more about the tools and usability.

• Be informed about minor students– Good idea to always get parental consent

Mark, S. (2009, December). Extending classroom teaching with free web 2.0 tools. Business Education Forum, 64(2), 47-50.

Use Caution and Common Sense Continued

• Abide by copyright and intellectual property laws

• Remember that once uploaded content is forever

• ALWAYS remember that not every student has computer or Internet access.

Mark, S. (2009, December). Extending classroom teaching with free web 2.0 tools. Business Education Forum, 64(2), 47-50.

Questions