Twitter: Learning tool and Engagement With a generation that utilizes multiple sources of technology from smartphones to YouTube and Twitter, it is interesting that our educational systems have become stagnated in adopting the use of these tools. There are some studies that show student engagement increased with the use of these tools in the classroom (DeGennero, 2008).
Using technology to keep students engaged and connected with the material provided in class as well as their peers have been overlooked and labels as a distraction. In this study, I will address the use of technology, specifically social media (Twitter) as a tool for student engagement that will lead to positive achievement within the course.
In a study done by Journell
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The goal of the study is to show that social media can deepen the understanding of the material by allowing open and quick communication between peers and teachers thus creating an environment for increasing engagement in the classroom.
Methods
This study will be comparative research design, the study will compare four high school classes and the effect of Twitter on student engagement and achievement. The hypothesis of this study is, Twitter will increase student engagement and achievement when used as a supplemental learning tool both in and out of the classroom. The null hypothesis is, Twitter will have no effect on student engagement or achievement. The independent variable in this study the use of Twitter as an educational tool. The dependent variables will be student engagement and achievement. Twitter is a social media internet based website, where persons are able to create accounts and communicate using “tweets”. Tweets are 140 character messages and/or post that can be linked using hashtags (#). Hashtags can be one or more words preceded by the pound symbol “#”, the hashtag links comments and post together. Engagement for the purpose of this study will be defined as student interest and active participation on Twitter and in classroom discussion. The achievement will be defined as the actual numerical grade percentage received on the final course project and/ or quiz.
Participants
Students are constantly checking their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat for the latest news. The article, “Social Media as Community,” written by Keith Hampton, indicates the average social network users had more intimate connections than those that did not. Social media allows people to connect with others from a variety of backgrounds. It gives people a chance from all over the country to connect with one another in seconds, instead of days. This gives students an opportunity to learn about different cultures and traditions, expanding their interests and knowledge. Teachers can take advantage of this and remind
Currently the time students and teachers may interact is restricted to class time and meetings. With technology, “educators are beginning to interact with students…in ways they never have before” (Source B). The number of times they may interact is limitless. Teachers may use social media apps to communicate outside of class and enhance the pedagogical experience. Teachers can use this technology to have their students “post writing assignments online” as to facilitate peer review, “Practice foreign languages in electronic forums” in place of pen-and-paper journals, and “pass out PDAs” to enrich scientific experiments by organizing data for out-of-class use (Source B).
By using social media this way in the classroom, students can unite with other cultures and societies to become more aware of the world.
Lau attempts to indicate if students’ use of Twitter has a positive impact on their academic studies. For those who used Twitter for academic purposes have a higher engagement in lessons than those who did not. The positive outcome could be explained by the commitment through a social media site rather than a traditional
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 has become a huge part of our lives and the younger generation is becoming more involved with this new technology. However, the use of social media has been a great debate in classroom settings. School districts have been conflicted with the two options: to teach along and incorporate social media into the classroom or to restrict the use of social media during school hours.
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
In the realm of education, researchers and facilitators are interested in the effects of social media – especially Facebook – on university students. Previous studies have example the relationship between the use of Facebook and engagement levels of students related to academic outcomes, but were limited in their outcome by their evaluation of Facebook usage in how they measured engagement. One specific study (as follows) filled this
(procon.org. 1). Anyway, while we pond on that question, let us discuss why social media discourages students from studying or why students who uses social networking sites don’t do well in school. Besides the fact that students who use social networking sites use them to connect with their family, and long distance friends, proponents of social networking sites may argue that it helps students to do better at school, and that 59% of students with access to the internet report that they use social networking sites to discuss educational topics and 50% use these sites talk about school assignments, according to procon.org (2). However, since these sites are not one hundred percent accurate and reliable, how are we sure that the students who uses social networking sites are actually doing well in their academics and not failing when it is obvious non users of social networking sites perform better. As a matter of fact, what chance does a student who uses social networking sites stand to a student who spends their time outside classroom doing their homework’s, reading their class notes, textbooks, and novels, and spending their time on other things other than on social networking sites? In as much as many of us don’t see the harm social networking sites are having on our students, it is an undeniable fact
Since we as a society are currently living in the age known as the Technological Revolution, chances are that in some form or fashion you are aware of and have been exposed to social media. Well, imagine a world where the use of social media became more structured and used to improve education as opposed to just being used for keeping in touch with friends and family, sharing pictures, and seeing how many likes you can get per post. According to the Business Insider Intelligence Report of 2014, social media is now the top Internet activity in the world, Americans’ specifically “spend more time on social media than any other major Internet activity, including email” (Business Insider). Considering this information, it is obvious that social media plays a vital role and impacts the lives of our nation on a daily basis. Some argue that its impact can be negative and a distraction to the educational experience of the younger generation. Regardless of your personal opinion, what if educators were to work with the use of social media for educational purposes. Since it is highly used, it would not only gain the learner’s interest but also would reach more people at large. Therefore, we should learn to better utilize social media in a more constructive educational manner.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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