Education And Social Media

How are widely popular social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram transforming how teachers teach, how kids learn, and the very foundations of education? What controversies surround the integration of social media in students' lives? The past decade has brought increased access to new media, and with this, new opportunities and challenges for education. In this book, leading scholars from education, law, communications, sociology, and cultural studies explore the digital transformation now taking place in a variety of educational contexts. The contributors examine such topics as social media usage in schools, online youth communities, and distance learning in developing countries; the disruption of existing educational models of how knowledge is created and shared; privacy; accreditation; and the tension between the new ease of sharing and copyright laws. Case studies examine teaching media in K-12 schools and at universities; tuition-free, open education powered by social media, as practiced by University of the People; new financial models for higher education; the benefits and challenges of MOOCS (Massive Open Online Courses); social media and teacher education; and the civic and individual advantages of teens' participatory play.

Social media is a multi-faceted tool that has been used by educators and/or their students in ways both beneficial and detrimental. Despite the ubiquitous nature of this tool, there is much research still needed on the multitude of ways that social media impacts education. This book presents research on the influences of social media on education, broadly construed. Specifically, the research included in this book is categorized into four broad areas, examining the educational influence of social media on youth and college students, professional development in content areas, higher education learning, and social justice and activism. Chapter authors emphasize the opportunities of social media use in education and provide recommendations for how to address challenges that may arise with social media integration into the teaching and learning setting. These authors also advocate for use of social media to grow and enhance professional interaction among educators, moving beyond the social aspect of these platforms to advocate for educational and societal change. Individuals working in K-12 schools, teacher education, teacher professional development, and higher education, including pharmacy, nursing, dental and medical education, as well as those in other educational settings can use these findings to support and guide integration of social media into teaching and learning as well as their professional practice. Endorsements for Social Media: Influences on Education "Anyone attempting to understand these issues and the emerging, critical role of social media in education today should read the excellent edited book Social Media: Influences on Education. I’ve been monitoring educational media and technology research and practice for the past 40 years. In my view this book is an important contribution to a current perspective on social media and its impact from preschool to higher education and professional studies in general and social justice issues specifically." Richard E. Clark, Emeritus Professor University of Southern California "Social Media: Influences on Education is an essential book for those seeking to understand the relationship between education and social media or to conduct social media research in education. Griffin and Zinskie have collected a variety of essays showcasing approaches to researching social media from qualitative interviews with teachers, to meta-analyses of nascent literature, and research within the platforms themselves. Providing a well-rounded introduction to the field, this book provides a foundation for those interested in understanding and exploring the impact social media has had on elementary, secondary, and tertiary education." Naomi Barnes, Senior Lecturer Queensland University of Technology, Australia "Social Media: Influences on Education is a must-read for anyone interested in social media's impact on education and social justice. Grounded in the latest research, Griffin and Zinskie offer an informed, critical perspective on key issues – children’s social media use, cyber-harassment, misinformation, social justice through social media, professional networking, and more – as social media pervades every aspect of our lives. Educators, parents, students, activists and social media users everywhere, if you’re invested in education and social justice, this book is for you!" Christine Greenhow, Associate Professor Michigan State University

International Advances in Education: Global Initiatives for Equity and Social Justice is an international research monograph series of scholarly works that focuses primarily on empowering children, adolescents, and young adults from diverse educational, socio-cultural, linguistic, religious, racial, ethnic, and socio-economic settings to become non-exploited/non-exploitive contributing members of the global community. The series draws on the international community of investigators, academics, and community organizers that have contributed to the evidence base for developing sound educational policies, practices, and innovative programs to optimize the potential of all students. Each themed volume includes multi-disciplinary theory, research, and practice that provides an enriched understanding of the drivers of human potential via education to assist readers in exploring, adapting, and replicating innovative strategies that enable ALL students to realize their full potential. Among these strategies are the integration of digital technologies (DT) and information and communication technologies (ICT) into contemporary education platforms. However, technology must be more than just a tool to deliver content and stimulate engagement; it must become a means to broaden access to learning, advance equity, promote social justice, and encourage social inclusion. Especially reaching out to address the academic and social needs of rural, impoverished, marginalized, and displaced populations. Though the digital divide continues to hinder educational attainment for underprivileged populations, ICTs are providing significant opportunities to deliver literacy and basic skills instruction to disadvantaged segments of the global population as well as engage, motivate, and customize learning to address local needs. Nonetheless, the availability of ICT is not a deterministic process. Other societal, cultural, political and contextual factors are of fundamental importance to acceptance and integration that enables people to benefit from technology. The relationship between educational access, instructional delivery, and ICT should be considered in more complex terms. In particular, digital technologies should be viewed as instructional tools that improve access to educational opportunities, strengthen cultural resources, promote social and economic equity, and provide students with the knowledge and competencies to prepare them for a future that cannot be predicted. Therefore, developing ICT and media capabilities that instill citizenship and stewardship in today’s students is crucial to gleaning the social and cultural advantages of a contemporary global society that encourages full and equal citizenship. Citizenship education refers to two understandings of citizenship: as belonging and as engagement. The first is focused on national identity and valorizes the values of justice and democracy, as well as language and culture as the roots bridging the personality of children to the community of solidarity and shared norms. The second understanding of citizenship complements the ‘roots’ with ‘roads’, with the choices made by the individual, with the capacity to form and develop the child’s personality into the actor and author of his/her educational, professional, and life projects. The adolescent prepares to become an active, committed, and engaged citizen with the intellectual capacity for critical thinking that leads to responsible actions. Digital citizenship expresses the transformations of both belonging to and engaging in the information society and contributes to the development of generation “Y” with the aspiration to innovate and experiment, to explore the possibilities of the new digital world, to question authorities and instances of knowledge and power. Education addresses digital citizenship by opening more avenues for the intersection of Internet, imagination, and exploration. Volume 10, E-learning & Social Media: Education and Citizenship for the Digital 21st Century, addresses the use of technology in: developing and expanding educational delivery systems to reach rural populations, providing access to equitable education opportunities for disadvantaged and marginalized populations, and encouraging student civic engagement. The volume evaluates e-learning programs (distributed through the Internet, via satellite and hosted on social media) that promote equitable education for disadvantaged populations; examines the challenges and benefits of social media on student self-identity, collaboration, and academic engagement; shares promising practices associated with technology in education and e-citizenship in the 21st century, and advances the discussion on blending global citizenship education and social media that raises student awareness, accountability and social justice involvement.

Our current students are digital natives, born into a world of widespread online sharing. Aligning the technologies we use in our courses with their skills and approaches to collaborative learning is an opportunity we should take. The new media share text, images, audio and video material rapidly and interactively. This volume will provide an overview of these new social media including Skype, YouTube, Flickr, blogging, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Examples and cases of how instructors around the world are meaningfully incorporating them into their management, marketing, and other business courses are provided. One of the more robust trends is the use of three-dimensional immersive virtual world interfaces for teaching and learning. The leading one is Second Life. Examples of the use of Second Life in business courses will be discussed. The use of wikis to foster collaborative development of course related material by learners will be presented with case examples. Faculty members are co-creators of course content with their learners. Among the topics covered is how faculty members can be supported in their deployment of social media projects and course structures. How social media can enable the structuring of course activities involving students, prospective students, alumni, employers, businesspersons, and others in rich sharing and support with each other will be discussed. Indeed seeing courses as networking venues beyond learning forums will be parsed.

How does social media affect working life in Higher Education? How are universities harnessing its power to aid student learning? This innovative collection brings together academics and those working in professional services to examine these questions and more. The diverse and expert contributors analyse the many ways social media can be used to enhance teaching and learning, research, professional practice, leadership, networking and career development. The impact of social media is evaluated critically, with an eye both to the benefits and the problems of using these new forms of digital communication. This is the first volume to give such detailed attention to this area of high interest. Its innovative approach extends to its creation, with contributors found via their presence on Twitter. The short and impactful chapters are accessible while retaining an academic focus through their application of relevant learning theories and educational context. Social Media and Higher Education is essential reading for any professional working in higher education, including lecturers teaching education courses. It is also significant for researchers looking at more recent developments in the field and what it means to work in a modern higher education environment.

Within the rapidly expanding field of educational technology, learners and educators must confront a seemingly overwhelming selection of tools designed to deliver and facilitate both online and blended learning. Many of these tools assume that learning is configured and delivered in closed contexts, through learning management systems (LMS). However, while traditional "classroom" learning is by no means obsolete, networked learning is in the ascendant. A foundational method in online and blended education, as well as the most common means of informal and self-directed learning, networked learning is rapidly becoming the dominant mode of teaching as well as learning. In Teaching Crowds, Dron and Anderson introduce a new model for understanding and exploiting the pedagogical potential of Web-based technologies, one that rests on connections — on networks and collectives — rather than on separations. Recognizing that online learning both demands and affords new models of teaching and learning, the authors show how learners can engage with social media platforms to create an unbounded field of emergent connections. These connections empower learners, allowing them to draw from one another’s expertise to formulate and fulfill their own educational goals. In an increasingly networked world, developing such skills will, they argue, better prepare students to become self-directed, lifelong learners.

In the digital age, numerous technological tools are available to enhance educational practices. When used effectively, student engagement and mobile learning are significantly increased. Social Media in Education: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice contains a compendium of the latest academic material on the usage, strategies, and applications of social media in education today. Including innovative studies on online networks, social constructivism, and collaborative learning, this publication is an ideal source for educators, professionals, school administrators, researchers, and practitioners in the field of education.

Social Media in the Classroom provides a comprehensive resource for teaching social media in advertising, public relations, and journalism at the undergraduate and graduate levels. With twelve chapters by contributors from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, this volume provides original scholarly work which encompasses a wide range of methodologies, theories, and sample assignments for implementing social media. This book is an excellent resource for preparing students to transform their personal skills in social media into professional skills for success in the job market.