How Can Social Media Be Used Effectively in Higher Education?

1. Faculty Members and Academic TechnologyServices Professionals: Paula Dagnon, Peter Agras, Kevin Dixeyand Karen Hoelscher

2. How Can Social Media BeUsed Effectively in Higher Education?

3. First a bit of background…

4. Social media growth from 2006 to 2012

5. These seven social media sites combine for an estimated 2 billion accounts in 2012

6. The average compound annual growth rate of these social media sites was 900% between 2006 and 2012

7. Facebook alone has 1 billion registered users and accounts for 11.5% of the global population

8. Population 7.125 Billion

9. But all the knowledge is just sittingon the internet just waiting to be found!

10. Right?

11. No

12. There is a new cultureof learning

13. The old ways of learning are unable to keepup with our rapidly changing world. (Thomas & Seeley Brown, 2011,location 577)

14. New media forms are making peer-to-peer learning easier and more natural. (Thomas & Seeley Brown, 2011,location 577)

15. Peer-to-peer learning is amplified byemerging technologies that shapethe collective nature of participation withthose new media (Thomas & Seeley Brown, 2011,location 577)

16. According to Vygotsky, “Every functionin the child's cultural development appears twice:

17. first, on the social level and, later on,on the individual level…

18. …first, between people(interpsychological) and then insidethe child (intrapsychological).”

19. Change Theory NEED DEFINITION!! Three themes from paper Increase in collaboration from social media Increase in interaction Rethink pedagogy

20. Mostly quantitative Survey sent toall faculty and students using Canvas 17 questions; 5 Likert-type items Asked about the use of sociallyoriented tools in Canvas

21. Demographics Faculty Students • n=113 • 79% from Humanities and Social Sciences • 54.1% using Canvas for the first time in Spring 13 • n=75 • 45.3% from Humanities and Social Sciences • 54.7% of respondents using Canvas for the first time in Spring 13 Using Canvas for all levels of courses 100 Level-Graduate

22. Use of Social Media Faculty Students • Personal networking, such as Facebook 90.3% • YouTube or other video sharing tools 74% • Pinterest or other content sharing tools 52% • Wordpress34.5% • Twitter28% • Don’t use social media 2.7% • Use social media daily 87% • YouTube or other video sharing tools53% • Personal networking, such as Facebook48% • Don’t use social media30% • Use social media daily63%

23. I adopted more socially oriented tools andincorporated more interactive activities in myCanvas course than I did in myprevious courses.

24. More socially oriented tools and activities were incorporated into my courses using Canvas than in previous courses.

25. When working in Canvas,did you reconsider your pedagogical approaches to include socialmedia tools? Explain.

26. “YES.I have been thinking about including elements fromCanvas to better facilitate teaching-learning process.”

27. “YES.I have been thinking about including elements fromCanvas to better facilitate teaching-learning process.” “YES. Attempting to get students to work more collaborativelyusing online tools. Teaching one another, etc.”

28. “YES.I have been thinking about including elements fromCanvas to better facilitate teaching-learning process.” “YES. Attempting to get students to work more collaborativelyusing online tools. Teaching one another, etc.” “NOT YET. I WILL THOUGH. My students already use Google Docs and Facebookto collaborate and communicate, especially forgroup projects.”

29. When working in Canvas,did you reconsider your pedagogical approaches to include socialmedia tools? Explain.

30. “NO.It's a strange line between professional and personal,and I lean toward keeping them separate. I do have a "professional" account on Facebook, but I haven't seen any pedagogical reason to use it in the classroom.”

31. “NO.It's a strange line between professional and personal,and I lean toward keeping them separate. I do have a "professional" account on Facebook, but I haven't seen any pedagogical reason to use it in the classroom.” “NO. I don't feel the need for additional technological toolsthat would invariably displace low-tech techniquesI regularly use.”

32. “NO.It's a strange line between professional and personal,and I lean toward keeping them separate. I do have a "professional" account on Facebook, but I haven't seen any pedagogical reason to use it in the classroom.” “NO. I don't feel the need for additional technological toolsthat would invariably displace low-tech techniquesI regularly use.” “I have considered using social media tools but havethus far shied away from it. I feel that using such toolswould put students who do not use them ina difficult position.”

33. Implications

34. What’s next?