Beyond the Screen: the use of social media in the learning environment
Digitalization changed our lives in many different spheres, including education.
If you have tried to devote all of your attention to a certain task and failed miserably because of social media, this one will be interesting for you. As a working student, I have caught myself with the feeling that I have too much to do, with not enough time. And yet, my weekly screen time notification reminds me of how well I chose to spend my precious hours (but no).
The truth is that social media is tempting. And there is no shame in that. It’s the way we interact. It’s the way we construct social symbols. Seeing pictures of others, funny videos, and silly tutorials somehow poses some form of meaning to the majority of us. This fact sheet from the Pew Research Centre points out that about 70 per cent of Americans use social media to connect with each other.
Most of us understand that its primary function is related to entertainment. But what if we change that?
A research case from Michigan State University explores the use of social media in formal and informal learning. “Formal” means that a teacher presented the tool, whereas “informal” means it was student-led. Their differences are arguable among scholars. Yet, the study proposes a way to theorize the use of social media in learning environments. In other words, it opens doors for further research in the area by diving deeper into what are the challenges and associating them with existing theories in the field of education.
Firstly, it’s essential to understand that pedagogical practices are in constant change (there is a reason why the Supreme Court of Canada prohibited corporal punishment in schools in 2004, lol). In many instances, the way we learn is a reflection of how we live as a society. Researchers Christine Greenhow and Cathy Lewin recognize two essential trends: the growth of digital spaces and the lack of their inclusion in education.
In developing the framework of the study, they identify social constructivism and connectivism as initial lenses to dissect this issue. Social constructivism is a theory that sees social interactions as an essential step to acquiring knowledge. What is known does not belong to an individual, but to the society in which they are, varying across space, time, and context.
Connectivism is the learning theory developed in the digital age that sees how information can be acquired from diverse opinions and sources. It focuses heavily on collaboration, discussion, and mainly on empowering learners by allowing them to share their thoughts and opinions.
Meta’s big mission statement and motto is: “Giving people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.” Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
In a 2016 TedX Talk, Lecturer Harry Dyer points out that research on social media still limits itself to Facebook and Twitter, while other mediums like LinkedIn can also define what it means to be social. His research, summarized by him, consists of exploring how “young people can present their identities in a variety of different sites, whether it’s a 60-second video or a 144-character bio.” For Dyer, using social media effectively in education can make it a space to teach students how to develop their skills.
Greenhow and Lewin compared two studies. The first was conducted across 20 European countries from 2010 to 2014. It focused on incorporating social media into formal education, primarily with students from 7–14 years old by presenting materials that would serve as inspiration for teachers.
Technology and social media were used for a variety of purposes, and they concluded that social media facilitated new approaches for creativity and communication. However, privacy, security policies and the amount of time required to present new tools were relevant challenges.
The second study, conducted in the U.S. with learners from 18–25 years old, leans towards informal learning (students were the ones that initially engaged with the tools). In 2008, Facebook hosted The Hot Dish Project, a knowledge-sharing platform about science issues, political action, and much more.
It was designed to be expert-driven, constantly updated and most importantly, interactive. People could rank articles, summarize them, upload multimedia documentation, and even complete challenges through a point system. This led many students to engage in political and social issues.
“The Hot Dish Project provided an outlet to move beyond social networking mainly for socializing to debating socio-scientific issues of common interest, collaboratively pursuing civic actions and networking related to their school- or career interests,” the article says.
The Centre for Teaching Support at the University of Toronto has a guide for instructors who wish to incorporate social media into a course’s curriculum. It aims to reduce risk and ensure the security of student data. It includes benefits, challenges, and best practices to lead professors to better-informed decisions. It highlights that the time, duration, and types of engagement should be taken into consideration.
As a communications student, it’s interesting for me to look at it this way because social media is not only a good educational tool, but it’s required in my field. Researching, finding meaning, and understanding how humans communicate requires the use of social media. I assume that learning the anatomy of an ecological species requires a little less that you go on TikTok, so I believe the benefits of it also vary across disciplines.
In all forms, these studies and many others point out that for the use of social media to be effective, it requires a certain level of media and digital literacy from students and superiors. There is no effective learning if people can’t find accurate and constructive information, and from there be able to critically think about it.
The internet is yet to be entirely safe, it can be distracting, and above all, learning how to properly navigate it’s necessary for everything in life, not only learning.
What about you? Would you give it a go?
