Social Media and Technology in Learning - Research Paper Example

Social Media and Technology in Learning Introduction The contemporary society is characterized by the increased adoptionand application of information and communication technologies in the social, educational, economic and political systems (Tay and Matthew 151). This is attributed to the advantages which have been demonstrated by the use of technology. Nonetheless, it is necessary to determine how effective the combination of technology and social media is in the education system. This is due to the increased use of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube by learners. It has been argued that instead of removing the social media from the learning process, it should be merged with technological tools to enhance the learning experience of the learners who are already enthusiastic about the use of social media (Blankenship 39). On the other hand, opponents of the use of social media in the classroom have argued that it would be distractive to the leaning process (Ahn 147). Nonetheless, it has been revealed that combination of technology and social media and effective use of these technologies will enhance the learning experience of students and promote their creative thinking, participation, collaboration and sharing of ideas (Hsiu-Ting and Yuen 712). In the light of these arguments, this research paper gives a critical analysis and discussion of the combination of technology and social media in education. The view of the research paper is to demonstrate that it is possible to achieve an effective combination of these technologies to promote the learning processes and achievement of learning outcomes by students in the most effective and efficient manner. Enhanced Communication in Education Processes Research findings have revealed that over 80% of learners in tertiary education are active users of social media networks (Markauskaite 80). More importantly, it has been demonstrated that more than half of the social networking site users use these sites as tools which promote communication during learning process (Tay and Matthew 156). Because technology and education applications including online information resources are used within the education system and supported by the curriculum, it is thus arguable that technology should be combined with social networking for more enhanced learning processes. The communications which have been registered among students who use social networking sites include posts on Facebook walls on educational activities among learners (Wankel 254). Additionally, social blogs have been created where students post questions and thus seek for assistance from other students which eventually promotes the learning process (Ahn 148). Such application demonstrates the combination of technological tools such as the internet and social networking for effective communication of educational material. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have been used by learners to post links to group websites, wikis and blogs in which educational material is shared and information of studies exchanged effectively (Markauskaite 79). The communication which social media reveals among peers with the same educational interests thus reveal that information and communication technology can be combined with social media to enhance a more efficient and effective communication process. It has been further found that within higher learning institutions, learners connect with each other through social media with a view of tracking the education activities such as classes, projects, lab work, assignment and seminars (Blankenship 40). Furthermore, student representatives within a class have been said to be active communicators of education activities and programs to learners via posts on Facebook and Twits (Markauskaite 78). Nonetheless, it has been argued that the communication which is demonstrated within social media is less education and more social and as a result it cannot warrant its application within the education system and the learning processes (Ahn 150). Improving Student Attention The attention of students has been drawn drastically towards technology such as the use of iPhones, laptops, iPads, PCs, educational games and online or electronic educational material (Markauskaite 80). This attention is a variation from the traditional classroom where the teacher was the center of the students’ attention. Opponents of social media application in education argue that such technologies are destructive to the learning process as they overwhelm students (Wankel 256). Nonetheless it can be argued that the teaching methodology must be focused on where the attention of the learners is geared to (Markauskaite 84). Studies on the use of online and interactive educational tools have revealed that students’ attention is drawn into technology in very significant measures (Ahn 155). It is thus the attentiveness that students reveal in the use of technology which justifies its combination with social media in enhancing attentive learning processes. In this regard it can be said that learners will interact and exchange learning material and information on social networking sites in a more attentive manner. On the other hand, it has been said that social media sites such as Twitter have not demonstrated special feature for the support of education (Blankenship 39). However, it is possible to create educational features on social sited such as Twitter.edu for the promotion of education through attentive interaction and exchange of educational materials among learners across the world. Online tools such as Second Life have demonstrated attentive involvement of students in interactive exchange with other learners across the world. This demonstrates that technology and social media have common attributes of drawing the attention of learners to these technologies. It is in the light of these arguments and illustrations that it has been argued that information and communication technology can be combined with a view of enhancing the learning process. Because learners’ attention is overly drawn to technology and social networking sites it makes no sense to draw away their attention from these technologies during the leaning process. This is because such attempts are likely to fail because peers in learning institutions have demonstrated great interest on the use of technology and social networking sites (Markauskaite 85). Inspired Creativity and Problem Solving The proponents of the adoption and implementation of technology and social media in the classrooms argues that those who oppose these technologies demonstrate basic complaints which are not backed by convincing reasons (Tay and Matthew 158). For example some professors say that they cannot accept the use of social media in the classroom without any substantive explanation which reveals that their opposition to these technologies is due to the preformed attitudes against their application in the learning processes (Wankel 258). The most significant demonstration of the effectiveness of social media and technology in education is the enhanced creativity and problem solving abilities of learners (Markauskaite 95). Creative ideas are shared among students and their instructors through sites such as Skype which provide real life video calling and conversations. Therefore, social media can be used in educational discussions to enhance problem solving and creative thinking which is inspired by group based online discussions (Markauskaite 96). It has been demonstrated that the interactive nature of technology in addition to the speed at which processing is achieved results to the development of speedier approaches of solving problems through an enhanced creative thinking process (Blankenship 42). It is thus in this sense that it can be argued that technology and social media should be combined and used within the learning environment to promote the sharing of creative ideas among students within the social and online communities. Participation and Collaboration The combination of technology and social media is the most effective way of ensuring active participation of learners in the education process (Ahn 160). The traditional teaching methods have been described by young learners as boring and as a result, their participation in such classrooms is less participatory (Markauskaite 90). On the other hand, the use of social media demonstrates full and active participation of users in the communication process. This reflects that if social media is combined with the computer aides learning technologies, it would significantly enhance the participation of the learners. It has been said that the users of social networking sites have not been good participants because of the unwarranted comments that they post on these sites (Blankenship 41). Nonetheless, it can be argued that the education system can design programs through which learners will obtain skills of meaningful use of the social media with an objective of promoting learning activities. It is thus probable that students will be trained to learn the most appropriate educational comments that they should post on educational Facebook pages and in this sense, promote the learning process. Social networking sites are designed in a way that they enhance the collaboration of the learners in the educational processes. It is further revealed that the online communities have the most significant demonstration of collaborative characteristics (Hsiu-Ting and Yuen 703). The design, support, adoption and implementation of technology in the education system are basically aimed at promoting the collaboration of students in the learning process (Wankel 260). Since social media also demonstrates features of a collaborative environment, then it only makes sense to combine these technologies for an enhanced learning experience within institutions of learning of all levels. Through social media such as Skype, learners will collaborate with their instructors on matters of education. For example students can discuss their projects with the supervisors through online video calling and interaction over Skype. Additionally, students would collaborate among themselves and thus achieve an enhanced learning experience. Such collaborating would include the use of social media to exchange links to useful course content on online databases (Tay and Matthew 162). Educational Social Media Tools Studies reveal that teachers and students who make use of the various educational social media tools show satisfaction on their effectiveness in promoting learning processes (Rivero 12). It is thus elaborative that social media is an effective tool for the learning process. However, the effectiveness of Facebook platforms in education can only be achieved if they are effectively used by the students and their instructors with an aim of improving academic performance (Blankenship 42). SchoolTube, Inc. is an example of social media which has combined with technological tools and applications to provide an interactive online sharing of educational videos among students, teachers and even parents (Rivero 13). Collaborize Classroom is another social site for educational endeavors which is designed to extend the discussions of the classroom into a private and structured online community (Ahn 159). These examples demonstrate that social media can be combined with educational technology to compliment the normal classroom instruction. In this sense, students will be allowed to participate in the learning process during their own time (Rivero 14). Through the Collaborize Classroom, Ms Documents, PDFs, pictures and videos are embedded to the site to allow users to download easily for the fulfillment of their educational needs. Edublogs are examples of social sites that are designed to promote the learning process through services such as Blackboard, Moodle and Desire-2Learn. Through online tools, learners are thus able to access fast information through special tools and thus enhance their learning experiences. Various companies such as Elluminate, Wimba Inc. and Blackboard Inc. have played significant roles in the facilitation of the education process through their online tools (Rivero 15). The services of these companies are motivated by research findings on the importance of technology and educational applications in the learning process. Through these illustrations therefore, it can be postulated that the combination of technology and the social media is a necessity in the education system. This is because the awareness, access and use of the various online educational tools are made possible through the information students share on social networking sites such as Twitter, MySpace and Facebook. Conclusion The use of information and communication technology in the learning process has received increasing support by the stakeholders of the education system. This is due to the effectiveness and efficiency in collaborative learning, creative thinking and problem solving abilities which is achieved through technology. Nonetheless, various criticisms have faced the use of social media in the learning processes by dooming it as distractive. Nonetheless, it has been revealed that the combination of technology and social media is the most effective approach of promoting collaborative learning, sharing of information among students and learners and with their instructors and improving creativity. Social networking sites and educational websites have also played a significant role in promoting participation and improving the attention of students in the learning process. In the light of the above discussions and illustrations, it is thus recommended for the stakeholders of the education system to provide adequate support for the combination of technology and social media for enhancement of the learning processes. Works Cited Ahn, June. "Digital Divides And Social Network Sites: Which Students Participate In Social Media?" Journal of Educational Computing Research 45.2 (2011): 147-163 Blankenship, Mark. "How Social Media Can And Should Impact Higher Education." Education Digest 76.7 (2011): 39-42. Hsiu-Ting, Hung, and Yuen Steve Chi-Yin. "Educational Use of Social Networking Technology in Higher Education." Teaching in Higher Education 15.6 (2010): 703-714. Markauskaite, Lina. "Digital Media, Technologies and Scholarship: Some Shapes of Eresearch in Educational Inquiry." Australian Educational Researcher (Australian Association for Research in Education) (2010): 79-101 Markauskaite, Lina. "Digital Media, Technologies and Scholarship: Some Shapes of Eresearch in Educational Inquiry." Australian Educational Researcher (Australian Association for Research in Education) 37.4 (2010): 79-101 Rivero, Victor. "We're Talking Social Media in Education." Internet@Schools 18.3 (2011): 12-15 Tay, Elaine, and Matthew Allen. "Designing Social Media into University Learning: Technology of Collaboration or Collaboration for Technology?" Educational Media International 48.3 (2011): 151-163. Wankel, Charles. "Management Education Using Social Media." Organization Management Journal 6.4 (2009): 251-262 Read More