Factors Affecting Usefulness of Social Networking in E-Learning at German University of Technology in Oman

The technology of social networking sites has established online collaboration tools and created opportunities for students to utilise the vast amount of communication tools for completion of their work. (Weaver et al., 2010). Throughout this unit I have developed skills to use and evaluate online sources of information not only for academic purposes but for social and personal interests too. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on my experiences from this unit by discussing how I have developed skills in finding, using and evaluating online sources of information for academic purposes. The scope of this paper will begin by discussing how my use of online sources has developed over the period of the course. It will then examine how

The advent of computers and internet has revolutionized the academia in the 21st century. Online learning has become the prevalent method of professional education eliminating some barriers to the pursuit of higher education such as time, distance and cost. An online classroom such as ours is a form of social network. We are linked together with a common goal to obtain a Masters Degree in Nursing. Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram are also types of social networks. We share our opinions, ideas, knowledge and information through social networks. What differentiates our online classroom from Facebook,

The author started her article by recognizing and classifying several different types of Internet-Online tools such as social network sites (e.g. Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter), media sharing sites (e.g. blogs, wikis, and podcasts), and advance messaging applications (e.g. SnapChat and WhatsApp). Milton declared that these tools assist its users to link, cooperate with each other, and interconnect online. Therefore, topnotch universities were able to construct a teaching-learning experience that crafted to accomplish top academic outcomes.

Social networking helps students find a place in online communities. These communities can help them with self esteem and also show them right from wrong.

Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe identify that social networking sites are among the main use of internet today. According to the authors, social networking sites are among the social media platforms that facilitate interaction in the computer environment. The writers identify the main motives for using social networking sites, for example, Facebook. One of the benefits is that Facebook improves the quality of life both social and at workplaces. According to the writers, social media has become common in the society that a majority cannot remember previous life without them. Social networking sites have become popular among college students who find it as a major platform for social interaction.

In the video “ A vision of Students Today “Michael shows how technology is an important in higher education. Students use social media all time; which means social media is a tool to communication for students. Consequently, students need to use social

1341). This type of learning is facilitated through web 2.0 applications which include online social networks and a wide variety of new learning tools that offer opportunities for group learning (Cheung et al., 2011, p. 1341). According to Cheung et al. (2011) this enhances students’ motivation to learn because in addition to the efficiency of finding online information, social networking creates a space where students can build and maintain social capital with one another (p. 1337). In other words, social networking in academic communities creates a more group-oriented learning approach that appeals to many of today’s students (Cheung et al., 2011, p. 1341). This applies not only to school-work itself, but also to general social networks that students create when they interact face-to-face in school settings. This illustrates that online communication related to academic work is intertwined with general social information. This helps students establish friendships and, in turn, helps them become more comfortable performing academic work in collaborative settings (Subrahmanyam et al., 2008, p.

Are we becoming less human with the passing of each day? Have we become too dependent on technology, specifically social media? In this day and age, people have different views on social media. They question its true purpose and its effect on society as a whole. With that said, although there are many thoughts concerning the topic/trend of social media something that is undoubtedly true is that social media plays an active role in the lives of the majority of people. Whether in a positive or negative way, social media influences the lives of all people. However this paper focuses on the effect of social media on college students. It addresses both the positive and negative effects of social media on those in college; focusing on a student’s academic efficiency, social interactive skills, and overall productivity.

U.S. teachers are engaging today's students in many ways to help them improve their education, social skill, and prepare them for society. One of the most popular methods that teacher use to engage students in teaching is the social network. Today, teachers use the social network to provide lessons in class and outside of class, with the idea of getting the students' attention when participation

Social Networking is the use of websites such as Facebook, MySpace,Twitter,LinkedIn, and classmates.com to communicate with other users (Hampton). On social media like these,users are able to develop biographical profiles as well as communicating,researching, and also sharing photos, links, videos,music, and more. Advocates of social networking sites conclude that online communities promote increased interaction with friends and family and also offer teachers, librarians, and students beneficial access to educational support and materials, facilitate social and political change,and distributing useful information promptly. This impact social networking sites are suggesting leads to my impression that social networking sites are good for

Jon Russell once said, “Social Media presents a huge opportunity for schools, universities and other educational organizations to reach out and connect with students and prospective students”. With no doubt, social media has influenced the way students are educated today. For those of you who do not know the exact definition of social media, the social media means ways of sharing information, opinions, images, videos using the Internet, especially social networking sites. Because of the Internet, people started finding ways to socialize through social websites and exchange information. Popular social network on the Internet such as YouTube became a sensation for me ever since I became a student in college. Today social media can be used for educational purposes. The ways social media is changing education has affected how the students express themselves, behave, and interact with each other.

Many students agree that social networking is an essential tool in education today. Feedback has become a vital tool amongst students and teachers in networking whether it’s Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter (Carey, n.d.). In a recent study, it stated that 59% of students who belong to “social networking sites” admitted that when there on the Internet they explore topics to communicate about such as college preparation and occupations. Another study shows that 50% of students use social networking to improve on their studies and teachers have found that this has helped students become more successful in their reading and writing vocabulary (“Social,”

Social media are the most ordinarily used media to connect with the world because of its many advantages and benefits. Many students are already involved in social networks and using it their daily activities including educational purposes. Social media have changed the ways of learning and providing pieces of information on education. It has been used in education nowadays more than ever and showing beneficial results out of that. Uses of social media are increasing continuously in education and both students and educators are becoming dependent on it. The reason behind this is, it is simple to access, effortless to use and easy availability. Among many of the advantages of social media in education, applying it for communication purposes, sharing class materials, files etc. for classroom projects as well as uses of QR codes are some of the leading ones.

In addition to this Poore (2013) argued that the new social media has reformed the traditional media resources such as the usage of newspapers, books and magazines have reduced due to the availability of information on online resources such as Moodle and WebCT. Hence, it also provides intellectual benefits such as children can learn how to analyze, interpret and synthesize the information. Okoro (2012) acknowledge that integrating social media technologies into higher education can enhance ongoing communication between teacher and student which helps in promoting collaborative learning activities. His findings laid stress on effectiveness of teaching and student learning outcomes with an appropriate example of understanding the usage of electronic media in making strategies and practicing skills in business

While it was not possible to determine if using the site and increased academic self-efficacy users were seen attending more orientation programs and users were seen to help each other adjust to campus life(DeAndrea 18-19). Teachers are seeing different benefits from using social media. One benefit is more engagement from students, a theater class at the University of North Carolina used a video game to enter a social universe set in Shakespeare’s Globe theater. The class would act out plays in the virtual setting, the professor noticed more engagement and excitement from the more quiet and shy students(Blankenship 40). Not all teachers, and students, are receptive or willing to integrate social media into the classroom. One argument against implementation is that not all students have the ability to access the Internet when not on school grounds and requiring the school to provide technology outside of the classroom would be impractical or impossible to achieve(Blankenship 41). Another argument that is used is that social media is its impersonal nature “the best ideas often come from sharing an actual space with someone” (Blankenship 41). Educators are still researching social media’s place in education and the classroom is one of the best places to experiment.