Social media is an indispensable part of our lives now. No matter how much you rebuke kids for bring active online most of the time; they aren’t going to put it down.
And not just kids, adults themselves are way too curious to learn everything about the social media.
Educators have started integrating this new love of kids for their education purposes and the results are just awesome!
Check out these statistics below that reflect the use of social media in education.
1. In “Teaching with Twitter: Extending the Conversation beyond the Classroom Walls,” David Wessner describes how he used social media to bring students in his upper level seminar on the Biology of HIV/AIDS into contact with emergent scholarly discussions in the field, an exercise that not only broadened students’ awareness of current research, but also helped them develop their information literacy skills. Social Media
2. Tami Blumenfield’s case study, “Student-Directed Blended Learning with Facebook Groups and Streaming Media: Media in Asia at Furman University,” asks what happens when students in an general education course are allowed the freedom to explore a broad topic (media in Asia) in a self-directed fashion, and are then asked to share their insights and analyses through face-to-face activities and Facebook-based group discussions.
Excerpt from the study:
“By using technologies that students are comfortable with like Facebook, faculty can create a powerful learning environment through the merging of the creative, collaborative, social, and interactive capabilities of this powerful platform. Also, using Facebook in a course offered unique engagement and a different way of knowing.”
Students’ Opinion:
“Sixteen students reported that Facebook and the independent emphasis of the course had a very positive or somewhat positive effect on their learning at the course mid-point, and 15 students reported this at the end of the course. Given the small sample size and the increase in number of respondents for the final feedback, the percentage declined from 84.2% at the course mid-point to 71% at the end of the course. Two additional students joined the ‘neutral’ category and two moved to the ‘very negative effect’ category. Since 25 students were enrolled in the class, it is unclear whether the same 19 students responded the second time and were joined by two new students or whether a different subset of students responded. With these caveats in mind, however, the trends are clear: the majority of students appreciated the use of Facebook, and a smaller but significant minority found it did not help them learn.”
Many students thus found the Facebook platform to be an effective way to engage with their classmates and articulate their own ideas, and they could take pride in at the end of the term.
3. This case study in this collection, “It Takes a Consortium to Prepare Students for Life after Graduation: An Inter-Institutional Blended Learning Career Planning Course” by Jana Mathews, Anne Meehan, and Beth Chancy, points to the collaborative possibilities inherent in digital learning. This case study documents an inter-institutional Career Planning course in which students used LinkedIn-based assignments and videoconference interviews to build vital networking and personal branding skills. As Rebecca Frost Davis has observed, such collaborative strategies hold immense potential for program development and curriculum expansion for liberal arts institutions.
4. According to this infographic on the use of social media in the schools, activity of kids over social media has been reflected in the following figures.
— 96% of students with internet access report using social networking technologies.
— 75% of 7th through 12th graders have at least one social media profile.
— 63% increase in the amount of time kids ages 2-11 spent online between 2004-2009.
— 59% of students who use social networking talk about education topics online.
— 50% of those who talk about education topics online talk specifically about schoolwork.
— 35% of schools have student and/or instructor-run blogs.
— 46% of schools have students participate in online pen pal or other international programs.
— 49% of National School Boards Association (NSBA) schools participate in online collaboration with other schools.
— 59% of schools say their students use social networking for educational purposes.
— 27% of schools have an online community for teachers and administrators.
— 69% of American high schools have banned cell phones.
5. This depiction of social media use in the lives of teens states some amazing facts about the use of social media by the teenagers. It states, “YouTube EDU currently has 700K + high quality educational videos that can be used in the classroom. 77% teachers find digital tools helpful but 87% also say that sites like YouTube are the biggest distraction.”
Know more about Social Media in Education here.
What stats, facts, reports or reasons did I skip about use of Social Media in education? What is your take on use of Social Media in education? Keeps the list growing in the comments!
